Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Simulation of the Planetary Interior Differentiation Processes in the Laboratory
Published on: November 15, 2013
Experimental Evidence for a New Iron Phase and Implications for Earth's Core
Abstract:
Iron is known to occur in four different crystal structural forms. One of these, the densest form (epsilon phase, hexagonal close-packed) is considered to have formed Earth's core. Theoretical arguments based on available high-temperature and high-pressure iron data indicate the possibility of a fifth less dense iron phase forming the core. Study of iron phase transition conducted between pressures of 20 to 100 gigapascals and 1000 to 2200 Kelvin provides an experimental confirmation of the existence of this new phase. Thee epsilon iron phase transforms to this lower density phase before melting. The new phase may form a large part of Earth's core.
More Related Videos
11:50Metal-silicate Partitioning at High Pressure and Temperature: Experimental Methods and a Protocol to Suppress Highly Siderophile Element Inclusions
Published on: June 13, 2015
09:45Laboratory Simulation of an Iron(II)-rich Precambrian Marine Upwelling System to Explore the Growth of Photosynthetic Bacteria
Published on: July 24, 2016
Related Concept Videos
Ferromagnetism
Theory of Metallic Conduction
In this theory, Newton's second law of motion is used to determine the acceleration of an electron in the presence of an applied electric field. Then, its velocity is expressed via this acceleration.
An electron moves through the crystal, containing positive ions,...
Phase Diagram
Phase Diagram
Magnetic Susceptibility and Permeability
When diamagnetic materials are placed under an external magnetic field, the moments opposite to the field are induced. Hence, the susceptibility for diamagnets has a minimal negative value of 10-5–10-6. Since...
States of Matter and Phase Changes