Is it true the Earth didn’t have oceans at the very beginning?
Can you imagine what the Earth looked like immediately after it was formed? At the very beginning, the Earth didn’t have any oceans or any land. The Earth was a huge sea of hot magma. Magma is rock that has melted at temperatures over 1,200 degrees Celsius. Many minor planets and meteorites were also crashing into the Earth at this time. High in the sky, water vapor started to gather and make clouds.
Eventually, as fewer minor planets and meteorites hit the Earth, the sea of magma began to cool. When the Earth’s surface temperature fell to around 300 degrees Celsius, clouds formed near the surface and rain started to fall. The rain cooled the hot surface very quickly.
And as the surface cooled more, the water vapor in the atmosphere also cooled, causing more rain. The rainwater pooled on the Earth’s surface, making rivers, ponds, and lakes. Huge floods happened over and over again. The floods joined the pools of water together until they eventually turned into oceans. It poured rain constantly for an incredible 3,000 years. By the way, do you know why the oceans are salty?
