A new study suggests water originated from the Earth itself as opposed to the theory that icy comets with frozen water brought water with them as they crashed into the planet.

Researchers from Ohio State University revealed evidence the Earth's plate tectonics gradually pushed the water from inside the mantle towards the surface of the planet. Most scientists believe that when the Earth was at its developing stages, the planet didn't naturally possess water, making it uninhabitable.

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When the solar system was in its infancy, many comets and asteroids crashed into Eart, bringing water life needed to thrive.

The new study examines how the Earth produced its own water and how plate tectonics played a pivotal role in forcing water up to the surface.

The Earth is truly unique since it is the only planet in the whole solar system that has water on its surface and also with active plate tectonics, according to Wendy Panero who is an associate professor of earth sciences at Ohio State University.

The water that's found inside the mantle and the presence of plate tectonics made Earth habitable.

Panero and her team believe rocks and minerals contain hydrogen atoms inside them. Minerals also contain a lot of oxygen and when these rocks and minerals combined, the water inside those rocks formed water.

This process is only found deep inside the Earth's mantle in a specific rock called ringwoodite. Prior studies of ringwoodite revealed evidence the Earth's mantle has a deep water reservoir caused by this unique rock.

During a lab experiment, researchers compressed these rocks and minerals and used a computer how to measure the reaction of these rocks to plate tectonics, They discovered that this process easily transports water from the core to the surface and created the first oceans.

Researchers have estimated that the amount of water inside the Earth's mantle is as much as the water in the Pacific Ocean. This underground water circulates due to plate tectonics.

Panero also adds this water cycle process took about billions of years to form the water on Earth.

TagsAncient Earth Created Water Deep Inside its Core Not From Comets, comets, origin of water on earth, water earth crust mantle underground deep within