Scientists’ discovery of meteorites might explain how Earth got water
Scientists have discovered a group of meteorites that were present during the formation of our solar system held liquid water until 'just' a few hundred thousand years ago.
According to a report of Gizmodo, the meteorites may have seeded Earth with water when it was still very young, then.
The researchers dated the water flow in the rocks using a uranium-thorium combo. As uranium is highly mobile in fluid while thorium is relatively static, the scientists could tell when water last flowed through the meteorites. As that signature goes away over time, its presence makes clear the water was active relatively recently.
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Water isn't all that rare among Solar System objects. Asteroid Bennu has some, for instance, and comets by their nature are spewing thawing ice. These latest findings show just how long that water can stick around, though, and suggest that some chondrites on Earth might still have ice despite the force of their impact.
