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Mysterious Mineral from Earth’s Mantle Discovered in South African Diamond 南非的鑽石內發現來自地函的神秘礦物

精英翻譯社轉自https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1321332

◎劉宜庭

A single grain of rock lodged in a diamond contains a never-before-found mineral. And that newfound substance could reveal unusual chemical reactions unfolding in the depths of the mantle, the layer of Earth that lies between the planet’s crust and outer core. The entire mantle is about 1,802 miles (2,900 km) thick.

包裹在一塊鑽石內的小晶粒，含有一種此前從未在鑽石內發現的礦物。這項新發現有望揭示地函深處發生的不尋常化學反應，地球地函位在行星地殼與外地核之間。地球地函的總厚度約1802英里（2900公里）。

Scientists unearthed the mineral from a volcanic site in South Africa known as the Koffiefontein pipe. Shining diamonds speckle the dark, igneous rock that lines the pipe, and the diamonds themselves contain tiny bits of other minerals from hundreds of miles beneath Earth’s surface. Within one of these sparkling stones, scientists found a dark green, opaque mineral that they estimated was forged about 105 miles (170 kilometers) underground.

科學家從南非一處名為「科菲芬丹火山管」的火山區挖出這種礦物。閃閃發亮的鑽石散布在火山管內暗色的火成岩之中，鑽石本身則含有其他來自地表下數百英里的微小礦物。在其中一塊閃亮的石頭內，科學家發現一種暗綠色、不透明的礦物，他們估計這種礦物生成在地底下105英里（170公里）處。

Scientists noted that, for a mantle mineral, goldschmidtite has a peculiar chemical composition.

科學家指出，對地函礦物而言，「針銀碲金礦」具有獨特的化學組成。