Something Incredible Has Been Found Beneath Earth’s Crust

The phrase “ocean beneath Earth’s crust” sounds like a hidden sea waiting under our feet. But the real discovery is stranger and more scientific than that. Researchers have found evidence that huge amounts of water may be stored deep inside Earth’s mantle, locked within minerals rather than flowing as an underground ocean.

The key mineral is ringwoodite, a high-pressure form of olivine that can trap water in its crystal structure. Reporting on the discovery notes that this water sits around 400 miles underground, and if the rock contains only about 1% water, there could be more water beneath Earth’s surface than in all the oceans above it.