Earth's primordial water cycle was key to making continents, study shows
Credit: Curtin University A new study from Curtin University has found that water was transported much deeper in the early Earth than previously thought, explaining how the continents originally formed. Studies published in Earth and Planetary Science Letter answers a long-standing question about Earth’s early water cycle. Principal investigator Dr. Michael Hartnady, of the Curtin School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, says how water is stored and transported through the Earth’s crust affects everything from where volcanoes and mineral deposits form to where earthquakes occur. “Although we understand the modern deep water cycle, we know very little about how it worked when Earth was a very young planet,” said Dr. Hartnady. “Some geological evidence suggests that water was transported to great depths on Earth all the way back to 3.5 billion years ago, although it is not well understood how exactly it got there.” The researchers used ad