
06/20/2025
Scientists Discover Gigantic Underground Ocean Beneath Earth's Mantle
Scientists have made an astonishing discovery of a massive underground "ocean" located approximately 700 kilometers (around 400 miles) beneath Earth's surface, within the transition zone of the mantle, which is estimated to hold three times the amount of water found in all surface oceans combined. This vast reservoir, unlike a liquid body, consists of water trapped within the crystalline structure of a blue mineral called ringwoodite, acting like a sponge under immense pressure and high temperatures. Researchers, primarily led by geophysicist Steven Jacobsen, uncovered this hidden water by analyzing seismic data from thousands of earthquakes, noting how seismic waves slowed down when passing through water-rich rock deep within the Earth. This groundbreaking finding profoundly impacts our understanding of Earth's deep water cycle, suggesting that the planet's water may have originated from within its interior rather than solely from comets, and could play a crucial role in regulating surface ocean levels over geological timescales.