Scientists discover gigantic ocean 700 km beneath the Earth’s surface

As per the latest development, a vast reservoir of water, which is three times the size of all the Earth's oceans combined, lying deep beneath the planet's surface, has been discovered.

This subterranean water source resides approximately 700 km below us.

This remarkable discovery was made by scientists from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

In their quest to uncover the source of Earth’s water, they found a massive ocean concealed deep within the Earth’s mantle, far below the surface.

Locked within ringwoodite, a blue-coloured rock, this hidden ocean defies our understanding of where Earth's water originates.

The magnitude of this hidden sea prompts a re-evaluation of Earth’s water cycle, suggesting a potential departure from theories positing comet impacts as the primary source.

Instead, the notion that Earth’s oceans might have gradually seeped from its core gains prominence.

Discovering the presence of this underground ocean demanded the utilization of an extensive array of 2000 seismographs across the United States.

These devices systematically examined seismic waves produced by over 500 earthquakes.

As these waves traversed the Earth's inner realms, encompassing its core, they experienced slowing down upon interacting with moist rock, indicating the presence of this expansive water repository.

This discovery potentially reshapes our understanding of Earth’s water cycle, proposing that water may exist within the mantle, migrating amid rock grains.

Jacobsen stresses the reservoir's significance, highlighting its role in maintaining water beneath Earth’s surface, without which water would predominantly reside on the planet’s surface, rendering only mountain peaks visible.