A new study by American researchers concluded that in the mantle layer that lies between the crust and the core, there are vast reserves of water, probably three times the total volume of water of all oceans on the surface of our planet. Although the study concerns only the territory of the U.S., the researchers believe that something similar is happening around the world and are already planning to expand the study to other countries. The study is published in the Journal Science. This “reservoir” of water, which seems to be stable over time, lies at a depth of up to 700 kilometers beneath the planet’s surface, in the intermediate zone between the upper and the lower mantle. The researchers, led by geophysicist Steven Jacobsen of the Northwestern University and seismologist Brandon Schmandt of the University of New Mexico, estimate that water is “locked” (molecularly trapped) in a mineral called ringwoodite.
Posted on: Wed, 25 Jun 2014 21:18:11 +0000
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