Chinese researchers have made a groundbreaking discovery about Earth’s early evolution, revealing how the planet may have stored vast amounts of water during its infancy. The study, published in Science, suggests that Earth’s deep mantle acted as a massive water reservoir more than four billion years ago.
The research was conducted by the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It provides experimental evidence showing that the lower mantle could have trapped enormous quantities of water, reshaping our understanding of the planet’s transition from a molten magma body to a life-supporting world.
The Role of Bridgmanite
Bridgmanite, the most abundant mineral in the lower mantle, plays a key role in this discovery. Previously thought to store only limited water, the Chinese team found that bridgmanite has a temperature-dependent ability to trap water molecules efficiently.
Using advanced diamond anvil cells and laser heating, the researchers recreated the extreme pressures and temperatures of the lower mantle, reaching up to 4,100 degrees Celsius. Surprisingly, the mineral’s water storage capability increases as temperatures rise, meaning hotter mantle conditions led to greater water retention.
Vast Water Reservoirs in the Deep Mantle
The study estimates that bridgmanite could have stored an amount of water equal to between 0.08 and 1 times the volume of all modern oceans. Over billions of years, this primordial water stockpile gradually returned to the surface through volcanic activity, contributing to Earth’s oceans and making the planet habitable.
This discovery offers new insights into Earth’s deep mantle processes and provides a possible explanation for the origin of the planet’s water. It also highlights the importance of minerals like bridgmanite in regulating water storage and cycling within the planet’s interior.
The research opens doors for further studies on Earth’s deep mantle and its role in shaping the conditions necessary for life. Scientists hope this will improve our understanding of planetary evolution and the deep-Earth mechanisms that sustain water over geological time.
This study is a major step forward in uncovering the mysteries of our planet’s earliest history and the hidden reservoirs of water locked deep within the mantle.
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