New research from the University of Copenhagen challenges traditional theories about Earth’s formation and the origin of its water.
The new study suggests that our planet’s development happened faster than we previously believed, with water being a byproduct of the process.
Historically, scientists thought that Earth took over 100 million years to form, with water introduced later through the collision with comets or other water-rich celestial bodies.
The Copenhagen study upends this theory, stating that the planet was actually formed in just a few million years through the rapid accumulation of small, millimeter-sized pebbles.
Professor Martin Bizzarro, one of the researchers, explains, “Based on our findings, it appears that the presence of water on Earth is a byproduct of its formation.”
The results have significant implications for our understanding of other planets in the universe.
The idea that water is a natural outcome of a planet’s formation, rather than a lucky incident, could greatly increase the chances of discovering habitable planets in the galaxy.
Associate Professor Martin Schiller explains that the traditional formation theory, based on slow collision of bodies over 100 million years and the incidental introduction of water, makes the existence of water on exoplanets a rare occurrence.
The new research paints a different picture. In the young sun’s orbiting disk, where planets were growing, a planet could act like a “vacuum cleaner” when it reached a certain size.
It would rapidly suck in the surrounding dust, growing to Earth’s size in just a few million years, according to Ph.D. student Isaac Onyett.
The same process that facilitated Earth’s rapid formation also led to the introduction of water. The disk contained numerous icy particles, which were absorbed alongside the dust.
“With the new knowledge and understanding of the mechanisms, there is a much greater chance of water being present on other planets,” Bizzarro said. “This theory would predict that whenever you form a planet like Earth, you will have water on it.”
The researchers used silicon isotopes to understand the mechanics and timescales of planet formation, analyzing the isotopic composition of more than 60 meteorites and planetary bodies to establish relationships and provide insights into Earth’s building blocks and their assembly process.
The study was published in Nature.
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