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Researchers Find Evidence That Water May Be Stored in Minerals Hundreds of Kilometers Deep, Revealing a Deep and Little-Known Hydrological Cycle.
Scientists have announced new evidence that a vast reservoir of water may be hidden deep within the Earth. According to a study published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, this subterranean reservoir could contain a volume up to three times greater than all the oceans combined.
However, the water would not be in a liquid state. It would be trapped within the crystalline structure of minerals found between the upper and lower mantle, about 700 kilometers deep.
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How Water May Have Reached the Interior of Planet Earth?
According to researchers, the process of subduction – when a tectonic plate slides under another and sinks into the Earth’s interior – may have been responsible for transporting water from the surface to these deep regions.
This theory was strengthened by the analysis of rock samples collected in southern China, in the Emeishan Igneous Province. The results showed chemical compositions different from the typical ones of the Earth’s mantle, closer to those of subducted oceanic rocks.
The study highlighted the presence of ringwoodite, a mineral that acts like a sponge capable of storing water.
Identified in samples from the mantle transition zone, it reinforces the hypothesis that part of the planet’s water may have internal origins, not just external, as previously believed.
Previous Research and New Possibilities About the Water Reservoir
Seismic investigations conducted in 2014 had already indicated the presence of water in this region. At that time, analyses using thousands of sensors showed that earthquake waves behaved in a way consistent with the existence of moisture.
Now, the new data deepens this line of research, expanding the understanding of the water cycle on the planet.
According to experts, understanding this reservoir may help unravel the dynamics of the Earth and its geological evolution.
Additionally, other locations, such as the Columbia River Igneous Province in the United States, may hide similar clues. Scientists say that new studies are essential to identify the true size of this water stock and understand how it influences the planet’s history.
