2007-12-04 14:58:51 · 5 answers · asked by mustin j 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
Water, like most things on Earth evolved as well. The process of degassing released the chemicals needed to form water. When the temperature dropped below 212 F, water condensed from the gasses. This occurred about 3.5 billion years ago.
The PHYSICS of WATER on EARTH
http://witcombe.sbc.edu/water/physicsearth.html
2007-12-04 16:31:35 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Water was a common molecule as hydrogen and oxygen both are quite common. It was probably part of the nebula that the solarsystem formed out of as chunks of ice. The ice then crashed onto the planets as they began forming. There are still huge slabs of ice, or dirty snowballs, out there. We see them as comets. Earth is the only one of the inner planets to have significant amounts of water. Ther others probably had lots of water too but lost it through the eons. The main culprit is the suns ultraviolet radiation which can split watermlecules into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen is then able to reach escape energy to vent off into space. This is how Venus and Mars lost their water. Mercury was so hot that the whole water molecule could be swepped off into space. On earth the ozone layer prevents the suns UV rays from destroying too much water molecules. 40000 tonnes of debris falls onto earth each year. Alot of this debris contain watermolecules so whatever is lost is replenished.
2007-12-04 23:13:16 · answer #2 · answered by DrAnders_pHd 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The same place everything else came from - material orbiting the Sun as the planets accreted.
Although the planets have scavenged a great deal of it over the last 4.5 billion years, some of the same water-rich material persist today - the comets.
2007-12-05 10:49:42 · answer #3 · answered by Ethan 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It is hypothesized that initially a lot of the water came from comet impacts. Comets are mostly ice. Ice melts to water, of course. The development of an atmosphere held this water in and the water cycle eventually began.
2007-12-04 23:44:11 · answer #4 · answered by Lady Geologist 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
2007-12-04 23:03:05 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 4⤋