"This is a fairly simple assumption to say that Earth's water at least began to accumulate on Earth very early, before the planet was fully formed," said researcher Adam Sarafian, in NASA's Astrobiology Magazine, as quoted by Daily Mail on Saturday (1/20/2018).
Researchers analyze a rare type of meteorite called angrites, which measures volumes of volatile elements such as hydrogen and carbon.
Angrite meteorites formed in the inner Solar System very early, about 4.56 billion years ago. The meteorites all originated from one parent-sized asteroid Vesta, the largest rock in the asteroid belt after the dwarf planet Ceres.
"We are trying to build the deepest inner solar system map of where the water was and where it came from. The composition of the angrites shows quite abundant water at the beginning of the solar system," the researchers conclude.
This study adds to previous studies, also handled by Sarafian, which found that water in this meteorite came from the same source as water on Earth, based on two water supplies that have the same arrangement.
"The assumption is simple enough to say that Earth's water was at least beginning to rise to Earth early on, before the planet was fully formed. This means that when the planet was cold enough that liquid water could be stable on the surface, there was already water on Earth," said Sarafian.
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