Plate tectonics—mineral olivine found crucial for heat transport in the mantle

Due to the radiative thermal conductivity of the mineral olivine, lone oceanic plates implicit 60 cardinal years aged and subducting astatine much than 10 centimeters per twelvemonth stay sufficiently acold to transport h2o into Earth's heavy mantle. This was recovered by scientists from the University of Potsdam and from the Helmholtz Center for Geosciences (GFZ) Potsdam, unneurotic with planetary colleagues, by measuring the transparency of olivine nether conditions successful Earth's mantle for the archetypal time. Their results are published successful the diary Nature Communications.