Where Did All That Water Come From?
Sorry for being away so long, my bubbly friends! Here at Bubble Buddies Bay we have been so busy with a fantastic idea for our Ocean Guardians. It started with “Let’s party there,” then someone else said “Why can’t we party there as well,” and then someone mentioned the coral caves and everything promptly exploded into delightful chaos.
But it is the good kind of chaos, because we are happy to announce that we are preparing a very, very BIG Splash! for you all.
This whole beautiful, confusing mess of planning made me think of the original big chaos of all. The beginning of everything. So here I am again to write my blog, and I hope you enjoy it. Long, long ago, so long that we can barely imagine it, Earth was total confusion. But from that wild, dizzying chaos, life as we know it began. So do not be afraid when things are confusing. Get ready for some amazing events.
If you could travel back in time four and a half billion years, Earth was a barren, rocky world, glowing red from heat and constant volcanic eruptions. It was completely dry.
So how did our beautiful blue planet, the only one in the solar system covered in vast, deep, salty seas, get all that incredible water? It is one of science’s great mysteries, and the answer is part geology, part cosmic delivery service.
Before we dive in, a small note. Since we have no real photos or videos from four billion years ago, I made some playful images with the help of AI. I hope they make you smile and think at the same time.
Steam vents, bubbling mud and a ground that looks alive. This is what early Earth might have smelled like too… which is why I say phew.
Our Watery Origin Story
Scientists think the ocean’s birth was a two-part process, combining Earth’s own ingredients with a cosmic delivery.
Part 1.
The Volcano Sweat Theory (Water from the Inside)
Billions of years ago, Earth was still cooling. Its surface was covered in fierce, continuous volcanoes, which were the key to creating our atmosphere and some of our first water.
Gases Locked Deep. The interior rock was filled with trapped gases, including water vapour.
The Great Release. Volcanoes erupted constantly for millions of years, releasing those gases into the sky.
Endless Rainfall. As the atmosphere cooled, the steam condensed into rain. It rained for thousands of years, filling the planet’s lowest basins to create the first shallow seas.
Part 2.
The Cosmic Cargo Theory (Water from Space)
While the volcanoes worked away, even more water was arriving from the icy edges of the solar system.
Icy Travellers. Young Earth was bombarded by comets and water rich asteroids.
The Big Crash. When these objects struck the cooling crust, their ice melted and added to the oceans.
The Evidence. Water trapped inside ancient meteorites has the same chemical fingerprint as our ocean water. It matches almost perfectly.
The Big Takeaway. The water you swim in today is older than the dinosaurs. It is truly cosmic water.
I want to tell you something fun. There are real places on Earth today that look a little like our planet did four billion years ago. They are dramatic, steamy, sulphur-coloured and wonderfully strange. They are not exact copies of early Earth, of course, but they give us a good clue about how our baby planet might have felt. When we look at these wild landscapes, we are actually peeking into our own distant past, using the world we live in now as a time machine.
Value the Cosmic Water
If our water was delivered by comets and volcanoes, then it is one of the most precious things on Earth.
Only about 3 per cent of the world’s water is fresh, and most of that is frozen. The rest is the salty ocean, home to me and all your Bubble Buddies.
Stop the Flow. Turn off taps while brushing teeth or showering. Every drop matters.
Mind the Runoff. Anything washed into drains eventually ends up in the ocean. Tell your grownups to keep soaps, fertilisers and pet mess away from run-off channels.
Appreciate the Salt. Ocean salt is ancient and essential. It helps stabilise temperatures and keeps marine life thriving. Help keep the ocean healthy by choosing reusable bottles and lunch containers, so less plastic ends up in the salty sea.
Some Fun Activities for you (as usual)
Draw Your Own Baby Planet - Inspired by the whole watery origin story
You need: Paper, crayons or coloured pencils, and a curious mind.
How it works: Draw Earth at four different moments, each one in a small circle like a comic strip. You can label them or simply enjoy the sequence.
Circle 1. Fiery Earth - A rocky orange-red planet with glowing cracks and tiny volcano puffs. (No oceans yet.)
Circle 2. The Steam Planet - Volcanoes releasing big swirls of vapour and the air getting cloudy.
Circle 3. Rain, Rain and More Rain - Huge grey clouds around Earth raining everywhere. Draw funny rain streaks or faces on the clouds.
Circle 4. First Baby Oceans - Pools of blue forming in the low spots, with steam drifting away.
What it teaches:
Earth has changed dramatically over billions of years.
Oceans came from cooling, rain and water delivered from space.
Drawing the stages makes the science stick.
Make a “Rain Cloud in a Cup” - Based on Endless Rain and Condensation
You need: A clear glass or jar, cold water, shaving foam, food colouring.
How it works:
Fill the glass with cold water.
Add a fluffy layer of shaving foam on top (your “cloud”).
Drip diluted food colouring onto the foam.
When the cloud gets “heavy”, the colour falls through as rain.
What it teaches: Clouds hold water until they cannot hold any more, then rain forms. Just like Earth’s first long, long rainfall.
“Comet Balls” that Carry Water - Based on the Cosmic Cargo Theory
You need: Cotton balls, a bowl of cold water, a tray or baking dish.
How it works:
Dip the cotton balls quickly in cold water.
These are your “comets”.
Drop them onto the empty tray.
The water splashes and spreads across the surface.
What it teaches:
Water-bearing comets hit Earth and released the water inside them. It shows how little bits of water can slowly build something big.
Earth’s First Oceans Puzzle - Based on Steam, Cooling and the Formation of Basins
You need: Playdough or modelling clay in two colours.
How it works:
Use one colour to make lumpy, rocky mountains (early hot Earth).
Press lightly with your fingers to make “basins”.
Use the second colour (blue) to fill the low areas.
You create your own baby oceans.
What it teaches:
Water naturally collects in low places, forming seas and oceans.
Exactly like the earliest shallow waters on our planet.
And now, bubble buddies, I need to go… apparently someone hid all my favourite shells inside a volcano model. If you hear a tiny seahorse shouting “It is too early in Earth’s history for this”, that is definitely me. See you soon!
Sophia the Seahorse
