There Is 3x More Water Inside the Earth Than All the Oceans Combined

Tenham Meteorite

Do you ever wonder if scientists have found substances in meteorites that have not been found on Earth? The answer is yes, they have. Do these substances slither from the meteorites onto a scientist's unprotected hand, as the first phase of the conquest of Earth? Not yet, to our knowledge. However, some of these substances have led to amazing discoveries about our own planet.

The Mystery From Outer Space

In 1879, near Tenham Station, in the South Gregory district of western Queensland, Australia, a number of witnesses saw a meteor streak across the sky before it scattered across the ground. The Tenham meteorites were quickly recovered before any deterioration or alterations  set in, providing valuable samples of unadulterated extra-terrestrial material. It was not until 90 years later, in 1969, that scientists discovered that some of this material included a substance that had never before been observed on Earth, and analysis of its composition and probable origin led to a discovery about Earth that runs counter-intuitive to all we know about our planet.

Ringwoodite

Synthetic Ringwood Crystals

Scientists discovered the mineral Ringwoodite in the meteorite. Ringwoodite [(Mg, Fe)₂SiO₄] is a peridot (a gem-quality form) of the mineral Olivine. Ringwoodite has qualities unlike any other mineral, including Olivine, ever found on Earth -- for instance, it contains water. About 1.5% of Ringwoodite's weight is in the form of Hydroxide [OH-], which is a major natural constituent of water. It was determined that Ringwoodite is formed under an enormous amount of heat and pressure that does not exist on Earth. Or does it?

Diamond JUc29

JUc29 Diamond

In 2008, 39 years after Ringwoodite was first identified, a particular diamond (catalogued as JUc29) was found in the Juina area of Mato Grosso, Brazil. It was just lying on the ground among Kimberlite -- volcanic rock that is brought to the surface from deep beneath Earth's mantle. The following year, it was discovered that the diamond included a 40-micron piece of Ringwoodite -- the first known appearance of this mineral that did not originate in deep space or Earthly laboratories. Apparently, the amount of heat and pressure necessary to create Ringwoodite does exist on Earth; however, it is only found in the environment in the Earth's "Transition Zone," which is below both the planet's Outer Crust and Upper Mantle. In fact, one needs to drill down between 410-660 km (250-410 miles) to reach this area. Since the deepest hole ever drilled into the Crust could reach only 12.3 km (7.6 mi) [see "The Deepest Hole in the World"], this is an unlikely eventuality in the foreseeable future. The JUc29 diamond would never have been found if not for the lava that spewed upwards from the Transition Zone to the surface.

So, what does all this mean? Who cares that some outer space rock has something in common with some lava deep inside our planet? Well, even though 40 microns of anything usually can't even be seen by the naked eye, scientists have been able to infer that there are vast amounts of water being retained in the rocks within the Transition Zone, and perhaps below that as well. In fact, there is so much water within the Earth that it equals three times the total amount of all the oceans and seas on Earth's surface! And if there is this much water below the surface, and in outer space, it gives hope to those who are looking for life outside our galaxy, as well as a possible way to find water on other worlds once the human race gets around to traveling to them. 

Note: In the Hebrew Bible, there are references to "The Deep," and it has been unclear exactly what that is. As God is creating the Universe, darkness is "over the surface of the deep." [Gen 1:2] Then, the Great Flood of Noah's time apparently was created not only by rain from above (and scientists confirm that there is not enough water on Earth to cover the surface completely to the depth described in the Bible), but "all the fountains of the great deep burst apart." [Gen 7:11] After 150 days, the "fountains of the deep ... were stopped up ... the waters then receded steadily from the earth." [Gen 8:2-3] To where did these waters recede? Up to the atmosphere as clouds? Ok. Frozen as glaciers? Ok. Filling up aquifers? Ok. That still does not account for enough water to cover the entire surface of the planet over 8 km (26,000 feet) deep (plus the amount down to the oceans' floors). Finally, it is said that God "set a circle upon the face of the deep." [PROV 8:27] Could this "circle" refer to the Earth itself? 

In ancient times, it was believed that there were great amounts of unreachable subterranean waters. Also, the Hebrew word for the Deep (תהום) ["t'hom"] is etymologically related to Tiamat, the maritime goddess in the older Babylonian creation story, which many believe is one of the sources of the Genesis creation story. Could it be that humans in ancient times somehow realized the existence of Ringwoodite and the hidden treasure it holds? Maybe not. However, I do like the poeticism of "The Fountains of the Deep" a lot more than "Ringwoodite in the Transition Zone."