General · 6 September 2026
Mercury's surface has much less silicon dioxide than experts expected
Image by vadimsadovski on Freepik
Scientists now think Mercury's surface contains about 37% silicon dioxide, up to 25% less than previous estimates. The planet's volcanic rocks came from mantle material that melted deeper down. Researchers made tiny glass beads with known silicon dioxide levels to calibrate infrared measurements, also testing their method on the Moon.
Reported by SciTechDaily · How we write briefs