Millennial mystery of how water formed on Earth may have come to an end

Scientists at the renowned Lunar and Planetary Laboratory (LPL) at the University of Arizona made a surprising discovery when they found tiny crystals of table salt in a sample of a asteroid. These crystals could be the key to unlocking the mystery of the origin of water on our planet.

According to the researchers, the formation of these crystals is only possible in the presence of liquid water, which strongly indicates that water may have been brought to Earth by asteroids containing these crystals saline.

Using an even more incisive approach, the scientists conducted a thorough analysis of the samples obtained from the asteroid Itokawa during the Hayabusa mission, carried out by the Japanese Space Agency in 2005 and brought to Earth in 2010.

According to Tom Zega, Professor of Planetary Sciences at LPL and senior author of the study, the grains found in the samples closely resemble table salt crystals observed under a microscope electronic.

These crystals have a square and differentiated shape. The finding was quite surprising and generated lively discussions during research group meetings due to its almost unrealistic nature.

The results of this research challenge previous conceptions, revealing that S-type asteroids, which were previously considered dry in terms of water-containing minerals, may actually contain a significant amount of moisture.

The origin of water

For many years, common chondrites, a class of meteorites, were believed to be an unlikely source of water for Earth. However, this discovery challenged the assumption, suggesting that these chondrites could, in fact, contain minerals with water.

This revelation has significant implications for our understanding of the origin of water on our planet and challenges preconceived ideas about the composition of these meteorites.

According to Zega, the samples examined are of a type of space rock called common chondrite, which comes from S-type asteroids such as Itokawa.

These common chondrites make up about 87% of meteorites collected on our planet. Until now, only a small proportion of these meteorites had been found to contain water-carrying minerals.

Today, there is a broad scientific consensus that Earth, along with other rocky planets like Mars and Venus, formed in the inner region of the solar nebula, a swirling cloud of gas and dust.

According to the main author of this line of study, Shaofan Che, the water present on Earth originated in the outer reaches of the solar nebula, where temperatures were cooler and allowed water to turn into ice.

C-type comets or asteroids from more distant regions of the nebula are believed to have migrated inwards and supplied Earth with water through impacts. This is the most plausible explanation for the presence of water on our planet.

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