600 million year old seawater found in Himalayas

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and the University of Niigata (Japan) discovered drops of ancient water in mineral deposits in the Himalayas. They are probably left over from a prehistoric ocean that existed about 600 million years ago.

Some scientists believe that thick sheets of ice covered our planet between 700 and 500 million years ago, which is called the Snowball Earth hypothesis. This was followed by the period of the Second Great Oxygen Event, during which there was an increase in the oxygen content in the Earth's atmosphere. It is assumed that it was he who led to the evolution of complex life forms.

Until now, scientists do not fully understand how these two events were connected - due to the complete disappearance of the ancient oceans and the lack of well-preserved fossils. But the Himalayan find can finally help to understand this issue. In addition, it indirectly confirms the Snowball Earth hypothesis.

Analysis of ancient water showed that the sedimentary basins of that period were devoid of calcium. It is possible that due to the low inflow of rivers and the absence of any current. This means a nutrient deficiency, which contributed to the slow growth of photosynthetic cyanobacteria, which could begin to release more oxygen into the atmosphere.

Now scientists want to find out what led to the melting of the ice, as a result of which the Earth's atmosphere began to fill with oxygen. It is possible that the deposits found in the Himalayas will also make it possible to determine in detail the evolution of the oceans and even life on Earth.