Scientists Think There's An Ocean Beneath Our Feet

Discoveries in nature are probably one of the most exciting things to learn about for me. As a pretty hardcore science nerd with an even more hardcore group of science pals, I think I may know all the secrets of the universe. Or at least I thought I did, until I heard about this amazing new discovery that may lie under our feet.

According to Counsel & Heal, a massive water reservoir could be trapped under the Earth's surface. But don't go digging in your backyard trying to reach this ocean-like body of water. Scientists at Northwestern University and the University of New Mexico think it may lie four hundred miles beneath the crust, and is locked up in a blue mineral called ringwoodite. This oddly named substance lies between the hot rocks in a zone between the surface and Earth's core.

Even stranger, the water isn't in any form we could recognize. It's not ice, vapor or even liquid water at all but crystal-like because of its mineral prison. Without this underground mystery H20, the world would be completely flooded with it and only the tallest mountain peaks would poke through at all. This means there would be no actual land on the Earth's surface. While we may have evolved into mermaids in that scenario, we probably never would have existed at all. This hidden ocean may be the key to unlocking how the Earth's water cycle has taken shape, and why our ocean sizes don't fluctuate.

This year has been already chock full of awesome scientific discoveries here on the third rock from the sun, and also out in space. From our own moon's age finally getting a close estimation to discovering how some planetary bodies may have originated, we are getting a much better picture of how our universe functions and ultimately where we may have come from. All this knowledge might even allow us to one day live beyond the surface of our home planet .

So while we can't swim in this underground body of water, we have it to thank for not only having water on the surface but possibly for our entire survival. Hopefully with more discoveries and finding a way to get to that ocean, we can learn even more and continue to put together the puzzle of the blue planet. I only wish that I could play a bigger role in the world of science and out-nerd my friends.

Check out the video below from GeoBeat News on YouTube to learn more about this amazing discovery with some sweet infographics that I could never replicate. The narrator does a great job of breaking down some of the more complex parts of the mystery, and I think you will definitely enjoy it.