Researchers Discover Massive Ocean Beneath Earth’s Crust That Contains More Water Than What’s On The Surface

It is somewhat ironic that our planet is called Earth when the majority of its surface is actually covered in water. In fact, 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by the ocean. [1] However, scientists were shocked to learn that there is even a larger body of water right beneath our feet! This new ocean was discovered by scientists from Northwestern University in Illinois in 2014, changing our understanding of the Earth’s interior. 

Theories of The Origins of the Earth’s Water

Was Earth just born with everything required for the creation of our oceans? Or was there a gradual process that led to the formation of the rivers, lakes, and oceans? Were these forces and processes external, or did they come from the Earth itself? Scientists have debated where the Earth’s water originates for many years. Many theorized that perhaps water was introduced through the impacts of icy comets. However, this discovery might change all of that. Geophysicist Steven Jacobsen and his team have discovered an incredibly large reservoir of water within the mantle of the Earth. Hidden 700 kilometers underground, it is estimated to be three times larger than the body of water that cover’s the surface of the planet! 

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The Discovery of the Underground Ocean 

The team from Northwestern University in Illinois was measuring the waves generated by earthquakes in the US using seismometers. They used 2,000 seismometers spread across the US to listen to the faint tremors from more than 500 earthquakes. While running their experiment, they noticed a strange slowing down of the seismic waves as they traveled through various parts of the Earth’s mantle. To the scientists, this slowdown indicated the presence of water deep beneath the surface of our planet. 

Ringwoodite and the Earth’s Mantle

The team then measured the depth and speed of the seismic waves in an attempt to determine what type of rocks were holding the water. They discovered that the water was not held in a liquid, gas, or solid-state but rather a fourth molecular state inside a blue rock known as ringwoodite. This rock acts as a sponge and soaks up water. A unique attribute of the crystal structure of ringwoodite is that it attracts hydrogen and traps water. Under the conditions of the mantle, this crystal structure can contain up to 1.5 percent water. This is a significant amount of water, especially considering that if the ringwoodite contains only 1% water, it would equate to holding three times the amount of water on the Earth’s surface. [2]

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Implications of the Ocean’s Discovery

Scientists believe they are now discovering evidence for a whole-Earth water cycle, which might help explain the massive volume of liquid water on our planet’s surface. What we understand of our planet’s water cycle could be entirely rewritten by this new discovery. No longer is water a surface phenomenon but one that could migrate through crevices and cracks from deep within the mantle. These scientists believe that without this internal water reservoir, the surface of the Earth would potentially be a very barren landscape. They are now very keen to gather more seismic data from across the globe to learn whether this underground ocean is indeed a global phenomenon. 

Does the Theory Hold Any Water?

Whether the water held within the mantle could be responsible for all of the Earth’s surface water is still up for debate. Although the comet theory lost momentum after the 2014 discovery, data collected in 2018 revealed new insights. The water in our oceans and in comets may actually share a common composition. This could potentially suggest that far more comets could have delivered water to Earth than previously suspected. This data was taken from observations of Comet Wirtanen as it was reaching its closest approach to Earth. The data was collected from a high-flying airborne observatory called SOFIA (The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy). After analyzing that data, they found that the comets contained “Ocean-like” water. [3]

The Bottom Line

Scientists are still making groundbreaking discoveries regularly that change our understanding of our the Earth was created and functions. The discovery of a massive underground ocean could potentially revolutionize our understanding of the planet’s water cycle and its origins. While the comet theory holds potential, this new discovery suggests that Earth’s water may have also emerged from its depths. Scientists continue to gather seismic data around the globe which will one day reveal if this is a global phenomenon. Who knows, they may yet uncover more evidence that reshapes how we perceive Earth’s geological history. It’s clear that Earth’s complexity runs deeper than thought, with its hidden depths holding the key to many mysteries.

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