According to a latest development, a deep water reservoir beneath the Earth's surface, three times larger than Earth's oceans, has been discovered by scientists. If reports are to be believed, it was discovered at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and this cache of groundwater lies about 700 km below us.
In their quest to uncover the origins of water on Earth, researchers stumbled upon this monumental discovery: a vast ocean enveloped in the Earth's mantle, far below the surface. Encased in ringwoodite, a blue-hued rock, this hidden ocean challenges our understanding of the source of water on Earth.
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The scale of this hidden sea prompts a reassessment of Earth's water cycle, suggesting a potential deviation from theories positing comet impacts as the primary source. Instead, the idea that Earth's oceans might have gradually escaped from their core is gaining prominence.
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The scientific effort behind this revelation was led by Steven Jacobsen, a researcher at Northwestern University, who says: “This constitutes significant evidence supporting the idea that Earth's water is of internal origin. » The discovery of this underground ocean involved the deployment of a vast network of 2,000 seismographs across the world. United States, examining the seismic waves emitted by more than 500 earthquakes. These waves, traveling through the Earth's inner layers, including its core, experience deceleration as they pass through wet rocks, indicating the presence of this vast reservoir of water.
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This discovery potentially reshapes our understanding of the water cycle on Earth, proposing that water may exist in the mantle, migrating among rock grains. Jacobsen emphasizes the importance of the reservoir, emphasizing its role in maintaining water beneath the Earth's surface, without which water would primarily reside on the planet's surface, making only mountain peaks visible.
With this groundbreaking revelation, researchers are eager to collect additional seismic data on a global scale to determine the prevalence of mantle melting. Their findings promise to revolutionize our understanding of Earth's water cycle, providing new insights into one of the planet's fundamental processes.
