Describe how the Earth's ocean accumulated. What aspects of the initial atmospheric conditions prohibited the formation of liquid water? Once in place, how did the water become saline?
· Early atmospheric conditions prohibited the collection of water. Water vapor was unable to cool enough to form into liquid form due to the extreme surface temperature of Earth. The sun was also unable to penetrate the atmosphere due to thick clouds in the early atmosphere.
· As the upper layer of clouds began to cool, droplets of water were able to form. Eventually, hot rain began to fall toward Earth. The rain that fell boiled once it came in contact with the surface of Earth. The water then evaporated and cycled back into clouds.
· The cycling of water from the atmosphere to the Earth's surface and back again helped cool the surface of the Earth.
· Once the surface of Earth cooled, water began to collect in basins.
· As the water collected in basins, minerals began to dissolve. This created the saline conditions of the ocean.
· The whole process of the formation of the ocean lasted approximately 20 million years.
· The ocean was mostly in place by 4 billion years ago.
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