Geologists have discovered a massive reservoir of water underneath the Earth’s surface. The volume of the water inside is approximated to be three times the volume of all the oceans.
The mineral, ringwoodite, is known for being able to preserve water within its structure (not as a liquid, but in the form of hydroxide ions) and that’s where the geologists discovered the massive amounts of water thousands of kilometers below the Earth’s surface. Earlier research on ringwoodite sample also confirmed the existence of huge quantities of water in the Earth’s mantle.
Ringwoodite is a high-pressure polymorph of olivine that exists abundantly in the transition zone, it extends a depth of 410 km to 660 km inside the Earth’s mantle.
The discovery makes us hypothecate that oceans gradually came out of the interior of the earth millions of years ago, but some geologists think ocean was formed when some water-laden asteroids struck the planet.
Read: Water-laden Asteroids Discovered
- Reference: Science
- Image: University Of Alberta
ScienceSwitch 
Reblogged this on Sheshe and Camilla's Text Messages From The Edge .
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Reblogged this on anewgirl916.
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Great research, Thanks!
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Geologists must be scratching their heads now. Thanks for dropping by, Barbara. 🙂
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Never wondered why the oceans came into existence. Thank you for sparking my curiosity!
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Now we got two assumptions; won’t it be more confusing than before? It definitely will be. 🙂
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Earth and space sciences seem to be in a bit of a state of flux; which is not terribly surprising. I can’t help feeling that if the oceans, etc., had seeped out from this layer, they’d still be seeping. So I tend to go for the asteroid thesis … I suppose … unwillingly …
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Yep, oozing out from down below is the alternate assumption of where ocean actually came from. However, the fact is it’s just a molten rock filled with water (which can be separated at a certain temperature). This is what the paper says:
The high water storage capacity of minerals in Earth’s mantle transition zone (410- to 660-kilometer depth) implies the possibility of a deep H2O reservoir, which could cause dehydration melting of vertically flowing mantle. We examined the effects of downwelling from the transition zone into the lower mantle with high-pressure laboratory experiments, numerical modeling, and seismic P-to-S conversions recorded by a dense seismic array in North America. In experiments, the transition of hydrous ringwoodite to perovskite and (Mg,Fe)O produces intergranular melt. Detections of abrupt decreases in seismic velocity where downwelling mantle is inferred are consistent with partial melt below 660 kilometers. These results suggest hydration of a large region of the transition zone and that dehydration melting may act to trap H2O in the transition zone.
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Still somewhat hypothetical … but fascinating !
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Agree. 🙂
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Our amazing earth! Thank you for sharing, RZ!
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Thanks for the comment. Always good to see one! 🙂
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Reblogged this on Crash Course.
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I wonder if this could be tapped as a new source of safe drinking water, or might that cause the world more harm than good?
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I don’t think it will be safe ’cause it’s actually not water but a molten rock rich in water. Here’s the abstract of the study:
The high water storage capacity of minerals in Earth’s mantle transition zone (410- to 660-kilometer depth) implies the possibility of a deep H2O reservoir, which could cause dehydration melting of vertically flowing mantle. We examined the effects of downwelling from the transition zone into the lower mantle with high-pressure laboratory experiments, numerical modeling, and seismic P-to-S conversions recorded by a dense seismic array in North America. In experiments, the transition of hydrous ringwoodite to perovskite and (Mg,Fe)O produces intergranular melt. Detections of abrupt decreases in seismic velocity where downwelling mantle is inferred are consistent with partial melt below 660 kilometers. These results suggest hydration of a large region of the transition zone and that dehydration melting may act to trap H2O in the transition zone.
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I kind of figured it wouldn’t be so simple. Still a really cool discovery if other researchers can confirm it.
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Oh, well. Here’s the earlier one. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v507/n7491/full/nature13080.html
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Very interesting discovery! However, it’s only a starting point. Now there must be more research about the origin of oceans and ways to provide necessary fresh water to all countries.
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Thank you, sir, for stopping by. Now that they have found ringwoodite and discovered there’s a water inside, it makes us wonder what else there is still to be found.
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Very informative one
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Thank you, Veda! What’s your view on the origin of ocean? Earth’s core or the asteroids? I am little confused. 🙂
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You know, Science keeps on reviving itself, it never stops on one stop. The Asteroid’s one is convincing one. Although, in the process of earth’s make, it is possible that water trapped inside as gases are. So nothing can be said for definite on this early note. Both could be possible, who knows? 🙂
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Couldn’t agree more. Readers’ opinions are extremely important. And, thank you! 🙂
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