In one of the most astonishing geological discoveries in recent memory, scientists have found a vast hidden ocean locked 700 kilometres beneath Earth’s surface â and it may hold three times more water than all of Earth’s surface oceans combined.
Not a Lake â A Rock That Holds Water
This isn’t a buried sea with waves and fish. The water exists inside a blue mineral called ringwoodite, found deep in Earth’s mantle. Under the immense pressure and heat of the mantle’s transition zone, ringwoodite acts like a sponge, trapping water molecules within its crystal structure.
How Did Scientists Find It?
Researchers used a network of over 2,000 seismographs across the United States to analyse seismic waves generated by more than 500 earthquakes. By measuring how the waves slowed down at certain depths, scientists identified the presence of water-saturated ringwoodite sitting 700 km below the surface.
Why Does This Matter?
- Where did Earth’s water come from? This supports the theory that Earth’s oceans may have seeped up from inside the planet over billions of years.
- Why are ocean levels so stable? This deep reservoir acts as a long-term regulator over geological timescales.
- Is this unique to Earth? Similar processes may occur on other rocky planets, making subsurface water more common in the universe.
The Mineral Behind the Mystery
Ringwoodite is a high-pressure form of olivine, a common mineral in Earth’s mantle. It only forms under crushing pressures found 500-700 km underground. A small sample was first found in a meteorite in 1969 â but finding it deep within Earth’s mantle, loaded with water, is another matter entirely.
The Bigger Picture
Earth is far stranger and more water-rich than we imagined. The discovery reshapes our understanding of the planet’s interior and the origins of life itself.
Sources: Daily Galaxy, WION News, EcoPortal, EcoTicias
