New research led by Curtin University reveals that freshwater, crucial for life, appeared on Earth approximately four billion years ago—five hundred million years earlier than previously believed. Dr. Hamed Gamaleldien, lead author and Adjunct Research Fellow at Curtin’s School of Earth and Planetary Sciences analyzed ancient crystals from Western Australia’s Jack Hills. Their findings suggest freshwater emerged just a few hundred million years after the planet’s formation.
Dr. Hamed Gamaleldien and the research team dated the origins of Earth’s hydrological cycle, a continuous process crucial for sustaining ecosystems and supporting life. They discovered unusually light isotopic signatures dating back four billion years by analyzing age and oxygen isotopes in tiny zircon crystals.
These light oxygen isotopes likely resulted from hot, fresh water-altering rocks below Earth’s surface. This evidence challenges the prevailing theory that oceans covered Earth four billion years ago. The presence of freshwater within our planet sheds new light on its early history and the vital role water played in shaping life.
Researchers discovered evidence that fresh water on Earth appeared about four billion years ago, much earlier than previously thought. This finding sheds light on Earth’s early history. It suggests that landmasses and fresh water provided the conditions for life to develop relatively quickly less than 600 million years after the planet formed.
Journal reference:
- Gamaleldien, H., Wu, LG., Olierook, H.K.H. et al. Onset of the Earth’s hydrological cycle four billion years ago or earlier. Nature Geoscience. DOI: 10.1038/s41561-024-01450-0.