The Sea Within: a creation story

We start our journey on this Earth much the same way she was began: in a warm, wet void, emerging from darkness to form.  The creation story, how Earth came to be, has been described differently by various cultural myths from around the world. Modern science tells us this story not through oral tradition handed down from one generation to the next, but instead Earth scientists have gone straight to the source, to the oldest timekeepers on the planet: rocks. Through meticulous examination, we’ve been able to learn what stories they’ve kept safe within their hardened layers for over four billion years.

When Earth was formed, she was a ball of molten magma. Like peering into the depths of an active volcano, Earth’s surface bubbled and boiled, sending plumes of heat and steam into the surrounding atmosphere. As she slowed, finding her own place in the solar system of planets and stars, the heavier layers sank, and the lighter layers of magma rose to the surface. Covered by a thick, dense layer of clouds, these layers slowly cooled, expanding and contracting over millions of years and eventually forming the crust from which our continents arose.

As the magma cooled, the rain that had been falling from the clouds was finally able to touch Earth’s surface (instead of turning to instant steam) and began to fill the basins. As it is today, the water that fell from the skies was fresh. So, too, were these primordial seas. It’s only through eons of rain running in rivulets down the continents, carving their way back to the oceanic basin and carrying with them the life-giving minerals, that the ocean became salty.

This process continues today, explained through the water cycle that most of us have learned in elementary school. Water evaporates— from rivers, lakes, and the ocean, it transpires through the leaves of the plants that give us life-sustaining oxygen, condensing into clouds that thicken and coalesce, until the bottom drops out, and water is released to Earth again.

Somehow, in the daily movements and rhythms that require our attention, it’s easy to forget that, no matter where you live in the world—arid desert, mountain top, swampland, or seaside— you are part of this timeless cycle. You are not merely on Earth, you are Earth. Almost three quarters of your body is made up of water. You cannot live more than a couple of days without it.

So, a fun little exercise for you today: the next time you take a sip of water, think about where that water came from. Your faucet, most likely. Did it come from a municipality, a well, a spring?  Where does it go after it leaves you?

The total amount of water on the planet has remained relatively constant. We get to play our part in this ancient cycle, which is a fun concept to sit and ponder for a moment.