Ancient Ocean Water Discovered in Himalayan Mineral Deposits Unlocks Earth's Past Secrets

Scientists discover ancient ocean water in Himalayan mineral deposits dating back 600 million years.

28 July 2023, 11:07 pm

Indian and Japanese scientists discover ancient ocean water in Himalayan mineral deposits dating back 600 million years, providing key insights into Earth's oceanic evolution and the potential origins of life.



TOPSHOT-INDIA-ENVIRONMENT-WATER-CLIMATE-HISTORY
(Photo : XAVIER GALIANA/AFP via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT - This picture taken on October 17, 2022 shows a Sadhu, Hindu Holy man, walking to take a bath in the Bhagirathi River, one of the two headstreams of the Ganges River, in Gangotri.

Unearthing Ancient Ocean Water in Himalayan Mineral Deposits

Researchers from the prestigious Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Niigata University have made a groundbreaking discovery in the Himalayas after finding small water droplets confined within mineral deposits that bear evidence of an ancient ocean existing approximately 600 million years ago.

According to Interesting Engineering, the 600-million-year-old ocean water preserved in the Himalayas holds the potential to unravel crucial insights into the historical evolution of Earth's oceans and could even shed light on the development of life on our planet.

Scientists have compelling evidence suggesting that approximately 700 to 500 million years ago, our planet experienced a momentous glacial event known as the Snowball Earth glaciation.

The remarkable preservation of magnesite in the Himalayan region suggests a prolonged interruption of impurities like calcium in the Deoban Basin, likely caused by river freezing over an extended period.

According to Interesting Engineering, the 600-million-year-old ocean water preserved in the Himalayas holds the potential to unravel crucial insights into the historical evolution of Earth's oceans and could even shed light on the development of life on our planet.

More:
https://www.techtimes.com/articles/294435/20230728/ancient-ocean-water-discovered-himalayan-mineral-deposits.htm

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Ancient ocean water discovery is unlocking secrets of Earth's past

ByChrissy Sexton
Earth.com staff writer

High in the Himalayas, a new discovery has emerged that will ultimately shed light on the mysteries of Earth’s past. An international team of scientists from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Niigata University in Japan has found drops of water preserved in mineral formations that are believed to have originated from an ancient ocean dating back around 600 million years.

“We have found a time capsule for paleo oceans,” said study lead author Prakash Chandra Arya. A detailed examination of these deposits, which contain both calcium and magnesium carbonates, has enabled the researchers to propose a potential sequence of events leading up to a pivotal period of oxygenation in Earth’s history.

Unlocking Earth’s past

According to the widely held scientific consensus, between 700 and 500 million years ago, the Earth experienced a prolonged period of intense glaciation known as the “Snowball Earth” glaciation. Following this icy era, there was a dramatic rise in the Earth’s atmospheric oxygen levels, known as the Second Great Oxygenation Event.

This oxygen increase, it’s believed, played a crucial role in the emergence of complex life forms. The connection between these two monumental events, however, has remained obscure, due to a lack of well-preserved fossils and the disappearance of oceans from that epoch. But the discovery of marine rocks in the Himalayas could potentially provide a key to these mysteries.

“We don’t know much about past oceans,” said Arya. Questions about the composition, temperature, and acidity of the primeval seas continue to perplex researchers. Gaining insights into these aspects could help us comprehend Earth’s past climate patterns, a resource that would be invaluable for improving current climate models.

More:
https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-ocean-water-discovery-is-unlocking-secrets-of-earths-past/

(Sorry the articles are not current, only stumbled into seeing this information this evening.)