Was the essential chemistry needed for water formation on Earth sourced from outer space or present within our planet initially? A common theory suggests that asteroids carrying either water itself or its constituent elements collided with Earth. However, new findings from a group of scientists indicate that these fundamental components were actually present during the early stages of Earth’s development, as reported in their recent study. published in the journal Icarus .
Identifying when and where Earth acquired its hydrogen is crucial for comprehending how life originated on this planet. Hydrogen is fundamental because it is a component of water, which is indispensable for life as we know it. Without hydrogen, there would be no water, and consequently, life could not have emerged here.
Water Origins on Earth
Paradoxically, scientists used a meteorite with hydrogen to demonstrate that these celestial objects do not supply the essential H2 component for water’s H2O formula. They studied a specific kind of meteorite called an enstatite chondrite, which shares similarities with how our early Earth appeared about 4.5 billion years ago. Upon examination, they found traces of hydrogen within its chemistry. Their reasoning follows: If materials akin to what constituted early Earth possess hydrogen, then it stands to reason that the nascent Earth itself would have contained hydrogen as well.
Perhaps the most important aspect of the University of Oxford team's investigation was determining that the hydrogen present in the meteorite was there all along, not from contamination. This suggests that the material from which our planet was built was far richer in hydrogen than previously thought.
Read More: What Is the Origin of Earth's Water?
Hydrogen on the Meteorite
An earlier study headed by a group from France detected signs of hydrogen in both the organic and inorganic parts of another meteorite. Nonetheless, what remained could not be explained—indicating uncertainty about whether the hydrogen originated from the meteorite itself or resulted from Earth-based contamination.
To locate hydrogen within this meteorite (designated as LAR 12252, initially found in Antarctica), researchers subjected it to intense X-ray beams emitted by an enormous device known as a synchrotron. This method is frequently employed to examine the chemical composition of various materials, whether organic or inorganic.
Initially, the team believed that all the hydrogen within the meteorite would be associated with sulfur compounds and directed the beam consequently. To their astonishment, they discovered regions abundant in hydrogen sulfide right next to zones expected to contain the majority of hydrogen, where the greatest amount was tightly bound within a crystal lattice.
When comparing different sections, regions with fissures or signs of rust—indicating potential earthly contamination—showed minimal to no presence of hydrogen. These observations collectively suggest that the hydrogen has likely been part of the material since its formation rather than having resulted from recent contamination.
We were extremely thrilled when the analysis revealed that our sample included hydrogen sulfide — albeit in an unexpected location! Tom Barrett , a PhD candidate from Oxford University and one of the authors of the paper, stated in an interview press release Since the probability of this hydrogen sulfide coming from earthly pollution is quite minimal, this study offers crucial proof backing the idea that water on Earth is intrinsic—resulting naturally from the composition of our planet.
Rich in Hydrogen
Given that the proto-Earth consisted of materials akin to enstatite chondrites, once this nascent planet grew sufficiently large to attract asteroid impacts, it would have accumulated enough hydrogen to account for the current volume of water on Earth.
Even though this research probably won’t settle the argument about where Earth’s initial water came from, it shifts the balance towards an internal origin rather than an external one.
We currently believe that the material responsible for forming our planet—material we can examine through these uncommon meteorites—contained significantly more hydrogen than we initially presumed," stated James Bryson, an Oxford professor and co-author of the paper, in a press statement. "This discovery backs up the notion that Earth’s water formation was a typical occurrence rather than being due to randomly hydrated asteroids impacting our planet post-formation.
Read More: The water on Earth predates the sun.
Article Sources
Our writers at Wiseova Utilize peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, with our editors ensuring both scientific accuracy and adherence to editorial standards. Please examine the sources utilized below for this piece:
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Icarus. The origin of hydrogen within Earth's constituent materials
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Science. The water on Earth might have originated from materials akin to enstatite chondrite meteorites.
Prior to becoming part of the team at Discover Magazine, Paul Smaglik had an extensive 20-year tenure as a science journalist with expertise in U.S. life sciences policy and international scientific careers. Starting out in newspaper journalism, he later transitioned into writing for scientific periodicals. Throughout his career, his articles have been featured in renowned outlets such as Science News, Science magazine, Nature, and Scientific American.
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