March 12, 2014

"[E]vidence of a vast 'wet zone; deep inside the Earth that could hold as much water as all the world's oceans put together."

The evidence is "A small, battered diamond found in the gravel strewn along a shallow riverbed in Brazil."
The water is not sloshing around inside the planet, but is held fast within minerals in what is known as the Earth's transition zone, which stretches from 410 to 660km (250-400 miles) beneath the surface.

16 comments:

PB said...

Just when we think we know it all, reality surprises us.

It's a good thing that a consensus of scientist didn't agree that it was settled science there was no deep water like this.

The Crack Emcee said...

Cool - these people still don't know anything. Didn't you hear?

WE'RE GOING TO RUN OUT OF OIL!!!

traditionalguy said...

Just in time to validate the Flood of Noah.

David said...

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Magson said...

There's a book called "Flood" out there by Stephen Baxter who posited such an idea and then took it to the point where it somehow started seeping out of that area and onto the surface and the earth began losing landmass very quickly as a result. . . . .

Fascinating thought experiment as to how societies behaved and human migrations and wahtnot as the waters rose.

Mark said...

Could. That is a crucial word in science.

Revenant said...

Interesting idea.

chickelit said...

So, could Mars have such a subsurface wet zone?

virgil xenophon said...

Chickenman@8:23pm/

In a word: Yes. Although I would think the band would be much thinner/shallower due to the dessicated nature of Mars.

virgil xenophon said...

@Magson/

About 25 years ago didn't some scientist(s?) who support Intelligent design posit such an underground ocean formed at the time of the Earths creation? Or was it the Creationists themselves?

cubanbob said...

Too bad it isn't like a Jules Verne story with underground seas and lakes. That would have been really cool.

Wince said...

Arne Saknussemm, vindicated.

AS
-->

Fiftyville said...

Just waiting to be bottled and sold as Lava Watta.

Rusty said...

Revenant said...
Interesting idea.

It it is.
A question though. How is the water sequestered? At those depths I doubt the water is in liquid form anymore. Rather it exists as superheated steam-molecules of hydrogen and oxygen.

Revenant said...

Scattered water molecules, yes, but I wouldn't think it would be steam -- the pressure is probably too high for non-liquid water to exist.

Windy Wilson said...

David, you left off "The Club of Rome" in the list of special guests.
:)