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To: NRx

Any clues as to how it got the water? Or for that matter how we got any.


44 posted on 08/10/2020 7:32:56 PM PDT by Buttons12
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To: Buttons12

The simple explanation is that Hydrogen and Oxygen are common in the Universe, and like to get together, as H2O or as water precursors known as hydroxides. The materials the early Solar System formed out of included H and O, others contained H, O, H2O, and hydroxides. Earth is not even particularly “wet” compared to some other Solar System bodies (some moons, Uranus, Neptune, and perhaps worlds like Ceres?) We just happen to have much of our water on or near the surface.

Early Earth would not have had much in the way of free water, as the surface was molten, and most of the atmosphere is believed to have been blown off by the collision that created Earth’s Moon, but once a crust formed, the rain (reign?) of meteorites, asteroids, and to a lesser degree, comets, over the eons brought in lots of H2O and precursors. (”Type 1” meteorites are highest at ~20% water or precursors.*)

*If you want some rather “thick” reading (or at least I found it so) there is this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asteroidal_water

Hope this helps!


53 posted on 08/11/2020 8:15:21 AM PDT by Paul R. (The Lib / Socialist goal: Total control of nothing left wort h controlling.)
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