Scientists from Oxford University have made a groundbreaking discovery about the origin of the water of the Earth. Contrary to widespread belief, it was revealed that the water of the Earth is formed by hydrogen found in the materials used in the formation of the planet, not by asteroid impacts. The research shows that hydrogen, the main component of water when the Earth was formed about 4.55 billion years ago, is already present in its own structure of the planet.
Rare Meteorite: Instatitis Kondrıt
Researchers have examined the instatitis condesse, a rare meteorite species that resembles early materials in the world. Analyzes on the Meteorite named 12252 in Antarctica revealed that this meteorite contains much more hydrogen than expected. As an important finding, it was confirmed that this hydrogen comes from its own structure of meteorite and did not originate from earthly pollution.
According to Scitechdaily; In the Diamond Light Source synchrobe in Oxford, an analysis using the X-ray absorption close edge structure (Xanes) spectroscopy, a high amount of hydrogen sulfide was detected in sulfur compounds of meteorite. Especially in the thin grain matrix part of the meteorite, the amount of hydrogen was five times higher than other regions. The fact that there are almost no hydrogen in areas with traces of worldly contamination such as cracks and rust proved that this hydrogen belongs to meteorite’s own structure.
Is the Earth’s water indigenous?
These findings show that the materials used in the formation of the Earth already contain the hydrogen reserves necessary for the formation of water. “Hydrogen sulfur is very unlikely to be caused by worldly contamination. This is a very low probability that the water on Earth is indigenous, that is to support the nature of our planet,” he said.
Assoc. Dr. James Bryson said, “This study is the main importance for the planetary scientists looking for an answer to the question of how the Earth has become its state. Now we know that the materials that make up our planet contain more hydrogen than we have previously thought before. This shows that the formation of water in Earth is a natural process and is not dependent on asteroid impacts.
The research was published on April 16 in Icarus magazine. This discovery brings a new perspective to the long -standing debates on the origin of the Earth’s water and is considered an important step in understanding how our planet’s conditions are formed.
