Earth deep mantle – New research shows that the early Earth may have had more than twice as much water as we thought. Although asteroids and icy comets are thought to have brought most of Earth’s water with them, new evidence suggests that a large amount of it may have existed deep in the planet’s interior.

Experiments show that the rocks of Earth’s lower mantle may have captured enough water to fill an entire ocean. This deep reservoir may be the reason Earth held onto enough water for billions of years to become a habitable, ocean-covered world. Experiments reveal hidden potential of bridgmanite Bridgmanite, one of the planet’s earliest and most common minerals, may contain far more water than previously reported, according to a Science report published Dec.

11. Scientists reported these findings in three laboratory studies that simulate the extreme heat and pressure found beneath the Earth. Using experiments that replicate the temperatures and pressures found in the lower mantle, they showed how heat allows bridgmanite to absorb water.

Bridgmanite crystallized as the magma ocean of the Hadean Eon solidified, locking water into the minerals; Today it constitutes 60 percent of the Earth’s mantle under high temperatures. These deep rocks, which contain water reserves hidden within the deep mantle, were once considered almost dry. New evidence indicates that up to 100 times more water once flowed in the deepest region of the mantle, which was transported by tectonics and plumes and formed the oceans.

Experts said learning how water was stored in Earth’s early minerals would provide important clues about the planet’s long-term water cycle. Scientists suspect that some of that original water may still be trapped thousands of miles deep within the Earth.