In China, scientists have discovered a mechanism that explains how Earth stored huge reserves of water at the very beginning of its existence. This discovery will help to better understand the evolution of the planet, reports
Xinhua News Agency, a partner of TV BRICS.
According to scientists, the deep layers of Earth’s mantle could have served as a large reservoir for water more than four million years ago.
The mantle of our planet contains the dominant mineral bridgmanite. It is noted that scientists previously believed that this mineral could retain water, but in limited quantities. However, scientists have now discovered that this mineral retains large amounts of water at high temperatures.
The source states that scientists recreated the extreme conditions of the lower mantle using a sophisticated diamond anvil cell apparatus combined with laser heating. They created high pressure and temperatures reaching approximately 41,200 degrees Celsius.
The scientists discovered that the higher the ambient temperature, the more effectively the mineral bridgmanite captures and retains water molecules at the moment it forms from cooling magma.
This process could have contained a huge amount of water in the solid mantle, exceeding 0.08 to 1 times the volume of all oceans today. According to scientists, such a “water stockpile” in those days gradually returned to the surface due to volcanic activity. This process helped make Earth a habitable planet.
Photo: Atthapon Niyom /
iStock
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