A recent geological study has revealed that water may have played a role in the emergence of volcanic activity on Earth more than 3 billion years ago, by reaching the depths of the mantle and contributing to the formation of magma, during a period believed to have preceded the completion of the plate tectonic system in the form known today.
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An international team of researchers analyzed ancient volcanic rocks from the "Pilbara Craton" region in Western Australia, some dating back about 3.1 billion years, and found chemical signatures indicating the transfer of water from the Earth's surface to the depths of the mantle, before it contributed to the formation of magma that later rose to the surface, according to the science website "Science Daily."
Scientists believe this process occurred through the gradual descent of dense, water-rich portions of the Earth's outer crust into the hot mantle, carrying water with them into the depths.
As those portions reached the mantle, the water was released and helped lower melting temperatures, forming magma that made its way to the surface and fed volcanoes, before the molten material cooled and turned into rocks that preserved traces of these processes for billions of years.
The site noted that the new study provides evidence that the interaction between the Earth's surface and its interior, including water recycling, may have begun much earlier in history than scientists had previously believed.
Researchers say that understanding the timing of when water began moving into the Earth's interior can help explain the formation of continents, the development of volcanic activity, and the distribution of elements necessary for life, while also shedding light on how the Earth gradually transitioned from a young, extremely hot planet to a more stable geological system.
The study relied on collaboration between researchers from universities and geological institutions in Australia, Britain, and Germany, drawing on the rare rock record in the Pilbara region, which preserves some of the best-known evidence of the processes Earth underwent during its early stages.
