• Question: when was the first time we got water? where was it?

    Asked by nilani2002 to Ben, Emily, Hattie, Jemma, Veronica on 24 Jun 2014.
    • Photo: Jemma Rowlandson

      Jemma Rowlandson answered on 24 Jun 2014:

      Hey!

      That’s an interesting question because there is a lot more water on Earth than any other planet in our solar system. It can’t have been there already as the Earth was made of molten rock, meaning any water would have evaporated straight away. The water had to have come from somewhere and scientists have lots of theories for this. One of the most popular is that it came from comets and meteorites hitting the Earth.

      The early solar system when the Earth was young was a very chaotic place. There was lots of debris left around from when the Sun was made, comets and asteroids made of ice and rock were a big part of this. There was so much debris floating around the Sun that a lot of it hit the Earth when it was forming. The comets and asteroids which collided with Earth also brought water (in the form of ice) to the planet.

      Scientists have done tests on the water from Earth and the ice in these comets. The water actually matched! Scientists have to do a lot more testing though, so they absolutely sure that’s where the water came from.

    • Photo: Emily Hayward

      Emily Hayward answered on 24 Jun 2014:

      Great question Nilani2002!

      Scientists dont really know the answer to this as there is much debate about how the earth was created. Some people think the world was created by a big bang, and others think it was created. Personally I think it being created makes more sense as everything coming from nohing and evolving to be as it is now doesnt quite seem possible, whereas intellegent design of some form seems to make a little more sense.

      From an intellegent design point of view its generally believed that water existed from the creation of the earth, but wasnt necesseraly as we have it now.

      Water is so important in absolutely everything as to how the earth and people, and life works therefore it must have been around from before the first people as people are made up of over 50 % water!

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