Scientists found water shards trapped inside volcanic rock, prompting them to believe that water was present on Earth at the beginning.
There were many debates regarding how water appeared on our planet. But, according to a new study, water was there in the first place. Lead author, Lydia Hallis, declared in a press interview that this is the first time that we have acquired strong evidence pointing towards water being indigenous to Earth.
The study states that, in the early years following the creation of our planet, water was found and stored in microscopical glass shards. Moreover, it has been discovered that these glass shards got caught in a mineral by the name of olivine. Over the course of many years, due to strong volcanic activity on our planet, the olivine minerals that contain water pockets were encased in volcanic rocks.
During extensive geological surveys, the team managed to uncover this volcanic rocks in Padloping Island and in Iceland.
As stated, the actual water crystals were very small and very difficult to observe. Moreover, the technology necessary to detect these formations has become available in the last couple of years. The watery formations being so tiny, they could only hold so much water. Measurements taken using microscopy determined that the water shards had a very small mass, of approximately 0.0008 inches.
In order to make the necessary determinations, the scientists employed a measuring method named D/H ration. By using an ion microprobe, they went on to measure the ratio of deuterium to hydrogen.
The researchers explained that deuterium is used in the equation because it is considered one of the first elements formed after the Big Bang. Being spread unevenly during the formation of stellar dust, that contributed to the formation of the planets, by measuring the levels of deuterium, we can establish, with a marginal error, the place where every planed formed in our solar system.
So, by using the D/H ration, scientists were able to determine that water was there in the first place. The variations of the D/H ration corresponds with a series of natural hydrological events on cycles. By measuring those cycles, scientists were able to ascertain that water was indeed present on Earth.
More traditional theories suggested that the presence of water of Earth was linked to other astronomical circumstances. For example, one theory argues that water came from a couple of particles detached from our moon during a meteor storm. The water remained in the atmosphere due to Earth’s extreme temperature. As the surface would cool down, the particles descended, thus forming water.
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