There's a Massive Ocean Below the Earth's Crust: Study

Researchers have discovered a location that contains more water than the earth's surface. This massive storehouse of water is hidden under the Earth’s crust, Indy100 reported. Scientists building upon the 2014 study titled ‘Dehydration melting at the top of the lower mantle’ published in Science have concluded that a huge ocean exists inside the Earth. 

The team behind the study found that water is present inside mantle rock in a state that is neither solid, liquid, nor gas, Indy100 reported. It is a sponge-like fourth state, according to experts. The mineral containing the water was named Ringwoodite by researchers.

The research team was pushed to look for Ringwoodite after discovering that seismometers were picking up shockwaves under the surface of the Earth, Indy100 reported. They analyzed the area beneath the earth's surface and figured out the presence of Ringwoodite.

"The Ringwoodite is like a sponge, soaking up water, there is something very special about the crystal structure of Ringwoodite that allows it to attract hydrogen and trap water," said geophysicist Steve Jacobsen at that time. "This mineral can contain a lot of water under conditions of the deep mantle," added Jacobsen.

Jacobsen believes this discovery gives further evidence of the "whole-Earth water cycle, which may help explain the vast amount of liquid water on the surface of our habitable planet," Indy100 reported.

Another study focused on a unique diamond rather than waves to make their conclusions about Ringwoodite, Discovery reported. Diamond expert, Graham Pearson, of the University of Alberta, found a 3-millimeter piece of brown diamond in Mato Grosso, Brazil, while looking for another mineral. On further analysis of the diamond, the research team discovered that the specimen contained Ringwoodite.

The study states that roughly 1.5 percent of the Ringwoodite’s weight was made up of trapped water. This implies that the place from where the diamond came from, contains a huge water body. Researchers believe that the diamond was pushed from inside the Earth to the surface by volcanic forces.