• BlackLaZoR@kbin.run
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    4 months ago

    If this is coming from metals in these rocks forming electrochmical cells, they should’ve corroded away long time ago. Maybe there’s some unknown process that recovers metallic elements back from salts? Maybe some bacteria? Even if, then why? It costs a lot of energy to do this.

    • A_A@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      Usually putting together metal and water you get metal-oxide and hydrogen gas.
      m + H2O → mO + H2

      What they discover is a unusual zone where they have both oxygen (dissolved) and metal. So, i guess they have the reverse process :
      mxOy + energy → (x)m + (y/2)O2

      They should measure electrical field intensity in the water near the sea floor to evaluate electrical current going through the sea floor from the ocean.

    • Seasm0ke@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      I have zero knowledge related to this but wild speculation, could the core be leaking it into the mantle and up? Iirc its iron nickel and oxygen

    • ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de
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      4 months ago

      Also casts doubt on markers discovered showing possible life on other planets. We missed a source of oxygen creation on our own planet. Who’s to say there aren’t other ways that both methane and carbon dioxide are present on other planets.

      (I’m certain there’s life on other planets. This just makes it less likely that a planets with all the signs is one of those planets)

  • kibiz0r@midwest.social
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    4 months ago

    I suddenly realized that for eight years I’d been ignoring this potentially amazing new process, 4,000 metres down on the ocean floor

    Makes you wonder what strange things are happening right in front of us, if only we looked with the right tools.