Water trapped in the solid dust particles that make up the Earth could explain the large amount of water on Earth today. This is the conclusion reached by scientists from the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom, based on computer calculations and simulations. The study will appear in two articles in Astronomy & Astrophysics shortly.
For a long time, scientists have tried to find an explanation for the large amount of water on the surface of our planet. The first scenario indicates that the water was supplied by comets and asteroids that hit the Earth. According to the second scenario, the Earth was born already wet, and water was already present on its large ten-kilometer boulders, from which it was created. However, the amount of water these large boulders can hold is still limited.
At the moment, an international team of scientists has proposed a new scenario for the appearance of water on Earth. Scientists explain that in the region where the Earth once originated, there were many grains of dust with water inside. Water-rich dust grains joined together, creating boulders of impressive size. And these boulders contained a sufficient amount of water.
New calculations also show that dust particles can collect enough water in just one million years. A million years corresponds to the time it takes to form large boulders.