Where does water come from on Earth: New data refutes popular hypothesis

(ORDO NEWS) — There are many theories about the origin of water on Earth, but the most common of them is that water was brought to Earth during a long and active bombardment by ice-rich celestial bodies.

Such a hypothesis seemed the most likely until recently, but a new study by scientists from the University of California at Los Angeles refutes this theory.

According to new data, water could have formed on Earth right here, due to chemical reactions taking place on the young planet.

The researchers modeled the conditions that might have existed on Earth at a time when the planet still had a hydrogen-rich atmosphere.

The model took into account the high temperature from the surface covered with molten magma, the presence of a variety of chemicals in the crust, including iron, silicates, sodium oxides, methane, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and so on, under a dense layer of hydrogen, which created an additional powerful greenhouse effect.

Modeling showed that under such conditions a wide variety of chemical processes could take place on the planet.

For example, in the model there was an active incorporation of oxygen, silicon and hydrogen into the iron of the earth’s core, which made it less dense than pure iron.

This is also true for the core of the real Earth. But beyond that, the model showed that oxygen escaping from magma can react with hydrogen in the atmosphere to form water.

However, scientists acknowledge that this hypothesis does not exclude the possibility that water also fell on the Earth as a result of a cosmic event, such as a comet or asteroid impact.

There is also a hypothesis that water on Earth could be formed as a result of reactions of hydrogen and oxygen released during volcanic activity.

Studies of meteorites brought back from Mars also indicate that this planet once had liquid water, which confirms the possibility of the origin of life on Mars.

However, no concrete evidence of the existence of life on this planet has yet been found.

In general, the question of the origin of water on Earth and its connection with the emergence of life on the planet remains open and requires further research.

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