Earth's ancient water cycle was key to making continents, study shows

Water was transported much deeper in the early Earth than previously thought, according to a new study.

Questions about the early Earth water cycle were answered in the study.

Dr. Michael Hartnady said how water is stored and transported through the Earth's crust affects everything.

We don't know a lot about how the deep-water cycle worked when Earth was young.

Water was transported all the way back to 3.5 billion years ago, although it is not well understood how it got there.

Modern lavas would have soaked up more water than the primitive high-magnesium volcanic rocks did.

The water locked into the crystals within the rock would have been released as the rocks began to sweat. Dr. Hartnady said that modern lavas have a temperature of 500 degrees.

The findings show that a lot of the water would have been released at higher temperatures.

The water was transported much deeper into the early Earth. It would have caused the surrounding rocks to melt.

The research helped to explain the inner workings of the planet from 2.5 billion years ago.

The Golden Mile near Kalgoorlie is one of the largest gold deposits on the planet.

We don't have a good explanation for where the gold came from. These and other questions may be solved by our new research.

More information: Michael I.H. Hartnady et al, Fluid processes in the early Earth and the growth of continents, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.epsl.2022.117695 Journal information: Earth and Planetary Science Letters