6 Ways Ancient Earth Was A Hellish Alien Planet

1Earth Was Literally Waterworld

We used to think the overall size of the seas hasn’t changed much since the early eons. But recent studies suggest the ancient oceans (or one giant ocean) may have been nearly twice as big. This would have covered almost the entire, and possibly the entire, planet during the Archean period (circa 4 to 2.5 billion years ago). 

Universal Pictures

Back then, Kevin Costner was still in his thirties. 

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Where did all the water go? Into the rocky, mineral-rich mantle, which sits just below the Earth’s (relatively) apple peel-thin crust. The mantle was once warmer, which reduced its water-holding capacity, with the extra aqua pooling on and covering an overwhelming majority of the surface. 

A Harvard study came up with that, and a separate study scrutinized a particular oxygen isotope that normally gets sucked out of the water by continental landmasses. And, yep, this study agreed: looks like the Earth was a wet world about three billion years ago. However, as in Waterworld, the early Earth may have featured at least a little bit of land. These rare, scattered terrestrial havens were probably nothing more than rocky islets jutting out of the thalassophobia-inspiring Neptunian depths.

Pavel Novak

No, Mount Everest didn’t peek out. It wouldn’t exist for another couple billion years. 

And yet these shreds of land may have harbored simple organisms. If we’ve learned anything from those viral photos of mushrooms sprouting from suspiciously moist towels, it’s that life finds a way. 

6 Ways Ancient Earth Was A Hellish Alien Planet
Source: Pinoy Daily News