Where does the water come from?

Question

so i understand, i think, the current paradigm re. the earth's creation....but where does all this H20 come from?? that seems to be the bit that is glossed over in every 'earth history' i've seen(including the current and highly enjoyable wow-sci show on bbc2...even tho last week he stated that man has been around for several million years and not the 40-80,000 years i think is a more conventional understanding!). kknowledgable help would be appreciated - ty in advance

=)

Answer 1

It seems like all of these answers address how water got to Earth, but where it came from in the first place. Hydrogen and Oxygen are both light enough elements to be formed in any star. However I still have to believe that most of the atoms that eventually formed water molecules were created by supernova explosions, the same explosive force responsible for creating all elements heavier than iron.

I linked an interesting article I found on the subject for you. Hope you enjoy!

Answer 2

Well this really is a science question, so I will answer as I understand the science:

In the early universe there was only hydrogen. Stars were born from this and nuclear fusion produced the oxygen needed to create water (this Neucleosynthisis of stars also produced all of the elements up to Iron). Some very massive stars exploded into supernova. Those explosions created all of the elements heavier than Iron. The explosions also scattered the stuff of nearby stars into the void. Gravity causes this material, now containing all of the elements of ordinary matter to coalesce into new stars, planets, comets, asteroids and other debris. Our Solar system was born of the stuff of spent and exploded stars. Oxygen and hydrogen (the elements of water) are among the most common elements produced by stars. These elements formed balls of water ice which rained down on the planets as the solar system took shape.

Answer 3

It's from comets and the ice in the planetesimals that made the Earth. The Earth then heated up due to radioactive substances in the solid matter and the water boiled out to form a thick atmosphere of steam. Then the Earth cooled. Once it got below the boiling point of water, it rained for thousands of years, and that's where the water comes from.

The several million years would be the family that humans are in rather than this species of humans, like saying that dogs have been around for longer than the domestic dog because of including, say, wolves, jackals, foxes and so forth.

Answer 4

I think you better ask this question in science section, particularly chemistry.

Earth started off as an accumulated gas, right? Helium and hydrogen and methane and oxygen and nitrogen, among others. During the evolution there was a period of gaseous condensation and solidification, until all the elements we now know were formed. Elements have their inherent property to interact to one another to attain stability. Hydrogen, being a proton, is unstable by itself. It can donate an electron to other ions in need of it. Oxygen is an electronegative element that has a charge of negative 2. Therefore under certain conditions that favor the formation of H-O bonds, H*O*H results, and with further hydrogen bonding, H*O*H---H*O*H or the tangible water is produced. It is the condensation of these gases that brought about water, because evaporation will break water molecules into oxygen (O2) and free hydrogen gases.

Answer 5

Marcus has it right.

Icy meteors enter Earth's atmosphere every day & "burn up" - this has been going on for millions of years. The scientist who discovered this ~1959 was laughed at - nobody accepted this finding. It took 40 yrs. before the Establishment came around. Today, icy meteors are the accepted explanation for the origin of the Earth's water.

;-)

Answer 6

oxygen and hydrogen are two natural gases. then these gases come in contact of each other in presence of an electric spark they both react and they form water.

after its formation, this water cyclicaly goes under the rocks and in the skies. this is called water cycle.

Answer 7

Take 2 atoms of hydrogen, 1 of oxygen...

Answer 8

I watched a PBS special and they said that earths water came from thousands of meteors made of ice.

Answer 9

Let's learn how to walk before trying to fly, ok dude?!

As I understand it, water came from creation. However existence hasn't been proven 100%, so everything in existence is also in question.

Answer 10

clouds the last time i looked