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Early Earth’s belly held onto its water

The deep mantle mineral bridgmanite excels at trapping water in high heat

This artist's rendition depicts the early Earth covered with a fiery hot magma ocean. The cooling magma stored more water than once thought.

During Earth's earliest eon, the Hadean, the planet was covered with a deep ocean of molten magma (shown in this artist's rendition). As the magma cooled, it crystallized into rock. That rock, researchers say, may have held an ocean's worth of water.

©Science China Press

By Carolyn Gramling

Early Earth got much of its water from relentless bombardment by water-rich asteroids and icy comets.