Ancient Lava Reveals Earth's Water May Have Formed with Our Planet

First Posted: Nov 13, 2015 12:23 PM EST

Earth's water may have always been on the planet instead of being brought by meteors and asteroids. Scientists have taken a closer look at lava found from deep inside Earth's core to learn a bit more about the origins of water on our planet.

The lava samples actually offer a highly "pristine" representation of a newborn Earth. They suggest that water-soaked dust grains present early in the solar system as the planets were just beginning to form were actually part of Earth when it formed.

Scientists can learn about water's origins by studying the water's deuterium/hydrogen (D/H) ratio. This is the ratio of hydrogen atoms that have one neutron or no neutron, respectively. Different factors, such as tectonic mixing, can affect this ratio over time. Only areas deep within Earth that have not been affected by these processes are likely to preserve Earth's initial D/H ratio.

In this case, the researchers looked at deep lava flows that churned up basalt from the mantle to the surface of Baffin Island, Canada. Analysis of the basalt's D/H ratio revealed lower amounts of deuterium than found in previous studies. This, in turn, provides a new baseline for Earth's original D/H signature.

In fact, the researchers believe that water-soaked dust particles present in the early solar system were embedded within the Earth during its formation. This may show that Earth already had water present on it during formation rather than receiving all of its water after it formed.

The findings are published in the journal Science.

32526, 32367

Diamonds are Not Rare: Formation Deep Inside the Earth a Common Process

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN)

See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone

TagsWater, Earth, Lava, Origin