Groundbreaking Discovery: Earth Holds Three Times More Water Than Previously Thought

In the quest for more water sources amid a global water crisis affecting around 4 billion people annually, researchers from Northwestern University, Illinois, made a groundbreaking discovery. They found a massive reservoir of water, three times the size of Earth's oceans combined, 700 km beneath the planet's surface in a rock called ringwoodite.

Published in the journal Science in 2014, the study titled 'Dehydration melting at the top of the lower mantle' highlighted the unique properties of ringwoodite and its role in storing water.

This hidden ocean, trapped within ringwoodite, is believed to be the primary source of Earth's surface water. The size of this subterranean ocean is triple the volume of all the planet's surface oceans combined.

Lead author Steven Jacobsen stated, "This is substantial evidence that water on Earth came from within." He explained that ringwoodite's crystal structure acts like a sponge, attracting hydrogen and trapping water.

The discovery suggests a whole-Earth water cycle, potentially explaining Earth's vast surface water. Researchers used an array of 2000 seismographs across the United States to analyze seismic waves from over 500 earthquakes. Slowed waves passing through wet rock in Earth's inner layers, including its core, indicated the presence of this vast water deposit.

The high water storage capacity of minerals in Earth's mantle transition zone implies the possibility of a deep H2O reservoir, which could cause dehydration melting of vertically flowing mantle. The study's results suggest hydration of a large region of the transition zone and that dehydration melting may act to trap H2O in the transition zone.