Title: Diamonds as the key to unravel the origin of Earth's water (INHERIT)  

Programme: HORIZON | Funded under HORIZON. 1.1. - European Research Council (ERC)

Start Date 01/01/2023 - End Date 31/12/2027

Where water originally came from is still unknown. Solving this mystery will play a major role in understanding the geological and biological evolution of planets in our solar system and beyond, particularly at a time when we are looking for habitable planets and extra-terrestrial life.

Diamonds deep inside Earth may be the answer because they contain traces of hydrogen and have survived over billions of years.

The INHERIT research project aims to investigate the origin of Earth's water, a fundamental question in geology, planetary science, and astrobiology. While there are several hypotheses regarding the source of water on Earth, the exact mechanisms and timing of its origin on our planet remain unknown. The INHERIT team will address this gap in our understanding by analysis of the geochemical and isotopic composition of diamonds and the mineral and fluid inclusions they contain. The results of this research have important implications for our understanding of Earth's evolutionary history, the formation of Earth-like planets, and the search for life beyond our planet.

INHERIT SOCIAL NETWORK  

The project INHERIT has received funding from the European Union's Horizon program under the European Research Council (grant agreement no. 101041620).