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Jupiter possibility of diamond core?


dave1978

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This subject has been on my mind for sometime now and just wanted to open a discussion about it!

The subject came up in Arthur C Clarke's novel 2061 which follows on from 2001 Space Odyssey & 2010 etc. I know its fiction but Arthur C certainly knew what he was talking about with many subjects.

Without getting too technical it was to do with the compostion of the atmosphere, pressures & temperature at the core.

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Diamonds need three basic ingridients to form

1 carbon

2 high heat in excess of 1500 degrees centigrade

3 enourmous pressure hundreds of atmospheres

On Earth they form deep down in magmatic vents and fissures associated with volcanic regions

if all three elements are present within the core of jupiter then it is possible that there could be diamond present and elsewhere within the solar system along with gold platinum silver and many other minerals also found on earth as long as the conditions are right and there are mineral rich fluids present . one just has to look at the relative abundance of Iridium within asteroids and meteorites a mineral extreemly rare on Earth Planetary Geology is a subject close to my heart

regards Pete

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Will Diamond be stable at that high a pressure? Quick google: a paper based on computer modeling suggests diamond transforms into a different form of carbon at extremely high pressures

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/112428211/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

Jupiters core is supposed to be at a higher pressure (100 million bar) than the pressures mentioned above.

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At super high pressure carbon does indeed covert to another form known as carbon 6

it forms what are called Bucky balls this incredible rare form of carbon however is as soft as pencil lead ,as Diamond owes its incredable strength and hardness to its structure but at super high pressures this crystalline form is changed .

Also one needs to bear in mind the temperature . For as pressure increases so to does the boiling point and also melting point of the material so it may be that carbon will never reach the fractional distillation temperature required to crystallise out of the melt regards Pete

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Well, even if it did have a diamond core, I doubt we'd be going mining there! Although, that would be one gigantic rock! :shock:

Would a diamond tip drill bit still work? :):D:p

Possibly but you would need a very long extension and I bet if you did get that diamond Richard Burton would buy it :clouds1:
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Well, even if it did have a diamond core, I doubt we'd be going mining there! Although, that would be one gigantic rock! :shock:

More like P Diddly!

Would a diamond tip drill bit still work? :):D:p

Possibly but you would need a very long extension and I bet if you did get that diamond Richard Burton would buy it :clouds1:
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Would a diamond tip drill bit still work? :):D:p

Possibly but you would need a very long extension and I bet if you did get that diamond Richard Burton would buy it :clouds1:

Richard Burton would need resurrecting Bernie, he's been dead for years mate.

His ex wife might but it, but I think ar her age, vanity has long disappeared.

Ron.

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