Scientists discover gigantic ocean 700 kilometers beneath earth surface
In a recent discovery, researchers from the Northwestern university in Evanston, Illinois, have discovered what resembles a vast ocean beneath the earth surface. They were able to locate a rather vast water reservoir, that traces to about 700 kilometers beneath the earth crust.
From all that we know till now, the vast ocean like space beneath the earth is about thrice the volume of the surface oceans of the planet, combined.
A 2014 scientific research paper titled “Dehydration melting at the top of the lower mantle” mentions about these findings. It also writes about a unique rock “Ringwoodite,” found beneath the earth crust.
One of the members of the team is geophysicist Steve Jacobsen. Earlier, he said, “The ringwoodite is like a sponge, soaking up water. These is something very special about the crystal structure of rigngwoodite that allows it to attract hydrogen and trap water.”
“I think we are finally seeing evidence for a whole-Earth water cycle, which may help explain the vast amount of liquid water on the surface of our habitable planet. Scientists have been looking for this missing deep water for decades.”
It is interesting to note that the discovery was made by scientists after they studied earthquakes and the shockwaves picked by seismometers.
A leading national daily quoted scientists saying, “The high water storage capacity of minerals in Earth’s mantle transition zone implied the possibility of a deep H2O reservoir, which could cause dehydration melting of vertically flowing mantle. We examined the effects of downwelling from the transition zone into the lower mantle with high pressure laboratory experiments, numerical modeling, and seismic P-to-S conversions.”
Ms Kalinga