Ringwoodite
A ringwoodite inclusion found inside a diamond from Juína, Brazil provided direct evidence that, at least locally, the mantle transition zone is hydrous.
THE EXPLORATION
01DEEP EARTHWhat if a vast reservoir of water has been hidden beneath us all along?
Episode 01 follows the evidence deep below the surface — from a tiny piece of ringwoodite to the mantle transition zone, where water can be stored inside the crystal structure of minerals under immense pressure.
IMPORTANT DISTINCTION
This is not a buried ocean of open liquid water. It is something stranger: water stored within high-pressure minerals. How much water exists across the entire transition zone is still an active scientific question — and estimates vary by region and method.