Was the world ever completely covered in water?

Question

Was there a geological era in which the world was completely covered in water? Or was it just that life only existed in water?

I am foggy on my prehistoric facts.

If so, do you know the name of the era, and what data/facts were used to draw this conclusion?

Answer 1

http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~rcb7/globaltext2.html
Brad is correct.
The url above will take you to a very interesting website that shows global views of the earth's continents and oceans through time--from the PreCambrian to the present. Even for those periods when there were no land fossils, geologists have been able to determine that parts of the earth were above water because they have found sedimentary layers consistent with wind-blown dune deposits, river deposits, alluvial fans, etc etc--the kinds of deposits one finds on land and not in the oceans.
I recommend viewing the globes in reverse--starting from the present and moving back in time. It's easier to follow as continents move around, come together and split apart. The reconstructions give you a very nice idea of the effects of rising and falling sea levels as well. Check out the Middle Cretaceous--high sea levels caused a shallow seaway to form right up through the middle of North America, cutting it into two big landmasses separated by a shallow sea.

Answer 2

There have always been places of dry land, but the closest to a world of water was the Silurian era I guess. Although around 700 milion years ago the whole world was covered in ice once before the Permian era, and that phenomenon was called "Snowball Earth". The only thing that saved us was the fact that peaks of volcanoes were sticking up above it and spewed ash on the worldwide ice sheets. It melted the ice because it allowed the dark areas to melt. But back to your question, I think that the Silurian was the "water age"

Answer 3

In fact it is impossible for anyone to answer this question with any certainty as the geological record is not complete (and no honest geologist will ever claim that they know with any certainty the full geological history of our planet).

It can be said that most of the Earth have been submerged at some point (which usually gives rise to the presence of sedimentary rocks). From my understanding of geology (studied it) and in particular plate tectonics it seems unlikely.

Also, the link given above by Carlene is theoretical and does not claim that the Earth was completely submerged.

Answer 4

Mantenga got the "Snowball Earth" wrong, it happened before the Cambrian Period. During the Edicarian (spelling?) Period/Era, there was the "Icehouse" that gave rise to the Greenhouse" in the Cambrian, but as GeoChris pointed out, no reputable geoscientist would claim to know the answer to this question.

Answer 5

From my very little knowledge I believe there has been evidence through out the earth of water. I think that even Everest has shown signs of being underwater. Scientists theorize that a planet or other large object collided with the Earth. This forced the water to vaporize and form an atmosphere of breathable oxygen. It also helped form the moon to my knowledge. Hope what little knowledge could help you.

Answer 6

The world was never completely covered in water (though there have been times when the sea levels were hundreds of feet higher because the ice caps were melted), but life did (probably) originate in the oceans and so there were hundreds of millions of years when there was life in the water but none on land (Precambrian era).

Answer 7

http://mpec.sc.mahidol.ac.th/radok/australia/analysis.htm

Yes, I don't know what it was called.