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How much water is there in and under the earth's crust?

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Good question. Probably a lot. Most magma bodies, granitic and basaltic, contain at least a few weight percent water, which suggests that the mantle is fairly water rich. Some of this water is inherent to the mantle composition (juvenile water), but perhaps much of it is brought in by subducted oceanic crust. read more

The people who are saying 70% are telling you how much of the surface is COVERED by water, not the VOLUME of water of the WHOLE EARTH. The volume of water is a very small amount of the total volume of the Earth. At most, the ocean is about 7 miles deep. Compare that to the diameter of about 8000 miles. 7 miles is a drop in the 8000 mile bucket. read more

If water exists in huge volumes beneath Earth's crust, it is bound to have a big impact on the mechanics of volcanoes and the movement of tectonic plates. 'One of the reasons the Earth is such a dynamic planet is the presence of some water in its interior. read more

If there were no water in the Earth's interior, mantle convection would be inefficient and would eventually cease. 'The surface expression of the mantle convection is plate motion/tectonics will also stop. 'Volcanoes plays an important role in generating the Earth's crust on which we live. read more

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