earth big round ball in sky started out hot and dry not a drop of water then we get a flood of water how come and how much is there
2006-09-24 09:36:14 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
The atmosphere. H20 is constantly breaking into and then reforming from H+ and O2- ions.
2006-09-24 09:41:05 · answer #1 · answered by dat 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
That's actually a big question among scientists. Some think that the water was in Earth all along - for example, even today when a volcano erupts, gases, including water vapor, are released from deep within Earth. And since we know there is plenty of water throughout our universe, it's not hard to concieve that Earth formed with plenty of water.
Other scientists think that early Earth was too hot to keep its water or that it didn't form with very much to begin with, and that the abundance of water we see today came from the many comets that crashed into Earth when it was young. The early solar system was littered with asteroids and comets of all sizes, and Earth (along with the Moon and other planets) went through a bombardment period for the first half billion years or so.
2006-09-24 10:41:55 · answer #2 · answered by kris 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The fact that the earth was very hot and largely molten doesn't mean that water couldn't be present in large amounts. Such conditions would simply prevent the water from assuming its liquid phase, but it could exist in huge concentrations in the atmosphere in gaseous form, unable to excape because of the earth's gravity, until the surface cooled sufficiently to allow the suspended vapor to begin condensing. There is still plenty of hot subterranean water today, as evidenced by its emission through geysers and other natural openings.
2006-09-24 12:42:38 · answer #3 · answered by PaulCyp 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Water (simply the oxide of hydrogen) is not uncommon throughout the universe, especially as stars and planet systems develop. Comets are mostly water (existing as ice). As the Earth accreted from the matter in the nascent Solar System, a little water inevitably got included. And it is a little; the "flood of water" you speak of is a miniscule percentage of the total mass of the Earth. The total weight of the Earth is around 6x10^21 tonnes. Free water (seas. lakes, clouds etc.) account for around 1.4 billion tonnes (1.4x10^9 tonnes). Thus free water as proportion of the the Earth is 1 divided by 1 followed by 12 zeroes. 75% of the surface of the Earth might covered in water, but in mass terms, it is "slightly damp".
Or as one of our wise contributors says, read Genesis. You will then learn that "The Waters Above" are separated from the "Waters Below". You might thinks there's planets, stars, galaxies, and a vast volume of space out there, but there's just a dome, with a huge mass of water behind it.
2006-09-24 10:27:49 · answer #4 · answered by Paul FB 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Most of the water came from outgassing, that is it came from within the earths stucture, and came to the surface as part of vlcanic eruptions. Water is a commonn chemical, its found chemically bound into many substances in the earths structure. Some might also have come after the formation on the earth in the form of cometary debris.
2006-09-25 04:29:56 · answer #5 · answered by kbr61263 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
When the world was spewing out lava it has been suggested that the air was approximately 80% water vapour. So when the volcanoes ceased most of their activity and the Earth cooled, the water vapour condensed and hey presto! We got oceans.
2006-09-25 00:26:14 · answer #6 · answered by Katri-Mills 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some science tell us, or suggests that a comet crashed into Earth and the water has been re -cycling ever since ( Comets are made up of ice ).
2006-09-24 09:44:04 · answer #7 · answered by guzzler 1 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I unquestionably have consistently enjoyed staring at a Lava Lamp. the 1st one I remember seeing become in all probability, approximately 1958, it become in a save window in our Downtown section. while the flicks enable loose interior the late afternoon, i might bypass watch the lamp till my brother got here to %. us up. My sister enjoyed to observe the dolls interior the toy save around the corner. yet, me?, I purely love Lava Lamps.
2016-10-17 21:49:36 · answer #8 · answered by templeman 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can cook a big pot of spaghetti sauce and there's no water. But let it cool with a cover and guess what? Condensation! Same thing. The earth cooled and the water came as a result of condensation. Well, rain.
2006-09-24 09:44:10 · answer #9 · answered by T_Jania 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
it puzzles me too, especially at one point the whole of earth was covered with water, but most likely answer is COMET hitting us, hence the origin of life but definitely not enough H and O to react>
2006-09-24 10:06:54 · answer #10 · answered by rastgoo_2 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋