ANSWERS: 4
  • Comes from the Fusion of hydrogen and Oxygen
  • Mostly from comets in the early solar system.
  • Two of the elements found in the Universe commonly are Oxygen and hydrogen. They are chemically quite reactive, and so they both combined with various other elements to form chemical compounds. One of these compounds is water, and water quickly became an important part of the earth's surficial layer ( Surficial Layer is the layer which is relating to something happening or being on earth), along with many other familiar chemicals like Silica. Water flowed and flowed which eventually became the oceans as we know it as an atmosphere formed. However, in Earths First Billion years and over the past 4.5 billion years, the main source of water was from comets many claim. We know that comets consist chiefly of chemical compounds that are either gases or liquids at earth-surface conditions: methane is one common component of comets and water is another. Although I am not an expert in this field, that's how I currently understand it but neither have been proven to be 100% accurate.
  • 1) "There are several theories regarding the formation of the hydrosphere on the Earth. The planet contains proportionately more surface water than comparable bodies in the inner solar system. Outgassing of water from the interior of the Earth is not sufficient to explain the quantity of water. A hypothesis that has gained popularity among scientists is that the early Earth was subjected to a period of bombardment by comets and water-rich asteroids. Much of the water on the surface today is thought to have originated from the outer parts of the solar system, such as from trans-Neptunian objects." Source and further information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrosphere#Formation 2) "The question of the origin of water on Earth, or more accurately put, the question of why there is clearly more water on the Earth than on the other planets of the Solar System, has not been clarified. There are various popular theories as to how the world's oceans were formed over the past 4.6 billion years. Some of the most likely contributing factors to the origin of the Earth's oceans are as follows: - The cooling of the primordial Earth to the point where the outgassed volatile components were held in an atmosphere of sufficient pressure for the stabilization and retention of liquid water. - Comets, trans-Neptunian objects or water-rich asteroids (protoplanets) from the outer reaches of the asteroid belt colliding with a pre-historic Earth may have brought water to the world's oceans. Measurements of the ratio of the hydrogen isotopes deuterium and protium point to asteroids, since similar percentage impurities in carbon-rich chondrites were found to oceanic water, whereas previous measurement of the isotopes' concentrations in comets and trans-Neptunian objects correspond only slightly to water on the earth. - Biochemically through mineralization and photosynthesis (Guttation, Transpiration). - Gradual leakage of water stored in hydrous minerals of the Earth's rocks. - Photolysis: radiation can break down chemical bonds on the surface." Source and further information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_of_water_on_Earth

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