Creation of Oceans

Our planet is covered almost entirely in water, making the earth's oceans very important in keeping our world healthy.

But how did our oceans come to exist? Was the earth born with them?

A long long time ago, some 4 1/2 billion years ago to be exact, our newborn planet was a very hot mass of fire and explosive reactions! Huge volcanoes erupted and as steam escaped, clouds were formed.

It is believe that for the next thousand years, it rained so much that water began to fill areas of the earth that were the deepest and lowest.

There was one more pivotal event to take place that would help transform our oceans into what they are today...

Scientist have studied comets in outer space and discovered that these amazing formations are made up of rock and ice. After a research expedition deliberately crashed a satellite into a comet, witnesses watched as an immeasurable amounts of water poured into the universe!

This exciting space experience led to the theory that years of rain created the world's oceans, and eventually comets began crashing into the planet releasing 1/2 the water that filled the rest of the oceans up.

Today, more than half of our oceans are at least 3,000 metres deep and are home to more than 230,000 marine species...although scientist believe there could be more than 10 times more wildlife to discover!

The ocean is an ancient wonder of the world, and it drives the health cycles of our planet. Humans must remember to be careful and consider how and what we do to our oceans. Protecting the marine environment is a great way to help conserve and protect our whole planet, so make sure remember to have fun in the sea and keep it clean! ☺