The scientists from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois have discovered a reservoir of water that is three times the size of all of Earth’s oceans, deep beneath the planet’s surface. This underground water supply rests some 700 km beneath our feet.
The quest to find the origins of Earth’s water led researchers to the massive find—a colossal ocean ensconced within the Earth’s mantle, over 700 kilometres below the surface.
This hidden ocean, concealed within a blue rock known as ringwoodite, dares our understanding of where Earth’s water came from. The size of this subterranean sea is triple the volume of all the planet’s surface oceans combined.
This new discovery not only enthrals with its scale but also proposes a new theory about Earth’s water cycle. It recommends that instead of arriving via comet impacts, as some theories have posited, Earth’s oceans may have slowly seeped out from its very core.
Science Behind The Discovery
Steven Jacobsen, a researcher at Northwestern University in Illinois and the lead author of the study, informs, “This is substantial evidence that water on Earth came from within.”
To uncover this underground ocean, researchers used an array of 2000 seismographs across the United States, analysing seismic waves from over 500 earthquakes. Waves which travel through Earth’s inner layers, including its core, slow down when passing through wet rock, allowing scientists to assume the presence of this vast water deposit.
Earth’s Water Cycle Reimagined
The possibility that water exists in the Earth’s mantle and sweats between the rock grains may change our perception of the planet’s water cycle. Jacobsen further emphasised the importance of this reservoir, pointing out that without it, water would be on the surface of the Earth and that the only visible land may be the peaks of mountains.
Now, with this revolutionary discovery, researchers are keen on gathering more seismic data from around the world to determine if this mantle melting is a common occurrence. Their findings could revolutionise our understanding of the water cycle on Earth, offering new insights into one of our planet’s most fundamental processes.
