Robert Kandel on the Violent Origin of Earth's Water
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PBS Learning Media
Robert Kandel on the Violent Origin of Earth's Water
Scientists believe that Earth's water was brought here early in Earth's history. They think icy comets and asteroids bombarded the young Earth for hundreds of millions of years. According to astronomer Bob Kandel, the impacts heated the ices, causing them to evaporate. Eventually there was so much water vapor in the atmosphere it would have rained out onto Earth's surface.