Scientists Found Small Bubbles of Seawater From an Ancient Ocean Stuck on Rocks

In a new study published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, scientists observed small bubbles of seawater trapped within some rocks.

These bubbles could have been trapped for around 390 million years, as noted by ScienceAlert. Such a discovery is also capable of helping scientists and other enthusiasts know more about the evolution of oceans and how these bodies of water adapt to climate change.

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Small Bubbles Trapped in Pyrite Rocks

Such small amounts of fluid represent bodies of water that were once flourishing with different fishes, trilobites, ammonoids, and huge sea scorpions.

ScienceAlert notes that while these bubbles are not the oldest documented water samples, experts think they may be the smallest remnant samples of ancient oceans to have been examined.

These conspicuous water bubbles were preserved in some rocks of iron pyrite in New York. They were discovered by a team of researchers looking into a critical environmental concern: how rocks leach out toxic arson.

As they observed, the researchers noted some defects in the spherical forms of the pyrite's crystals, called framboids.

Scientists Examine the Small Bubbles and Framboids

Sandra Taylor of the US Department of Energy PNNL noted that they examined the samples using an electron microscope. Upon doing so, they saw tiny bubbles and other small features inside the framboid. This raised curiosity for them.

The researchers used mass spectrometry and atom probe tomography, as noted by News Lanes. They deployed well-managed laser pulses and electron beams to ionize the atoms and see whether the trapped bubbles were salt water. They also wanted to check if these samples matched the chemical and component profile of the ancient sea that existed in that area.

Considering the minute sizes of the deposits of framboid, the researchers could also understand the conditions that were present upon the formation of these deposits.

What the Samples Revealed About the Ancient Ocean

Roughly 400 million years before, in the Middle Devonian period, the specific ancient sea should have stretched from present-day Michigan up until Ontario, Canada. The size of the reef should have been at par with Australia's Great Barrier reef, where horseshoe crabs and trilobite species would be flourishing, as noted by ScienceAlert.

While it is not rare for gems and minerals to keep stuck fluids, they rarely get studied at a nano level. In most cases, halite or rock salt is necessary for similar discoveries. However, the scientists demonstrated a related method for pyrite, which is more abundant.

As scientists continue studying deposits of minerals, they aim to understand better how the ancient ocean adapted to temperature rises. Such findings should be able to offer indicators should a similar situation happen today.

They also plan to employ techniques to study hydrogen interaction with rocks further. The safe storage and retrieval of large quantities of hydrogen in below-the-land reservoirs is one methodology that is being explored for a low carbon fuel source.