Composition of the Primordial Ocean Just after Its Formation: Constraints from the Reactions between the Primitive Crust and a Strongly Acidic, CO₂-Rich Fluid at Elevated Temperatures and Pressures

Abstract

The Hadean was an enigmatic period in the Earth’s history when ocean formation and the emergence of life may have occurred. However, minimal geological evidence is left from this period. To understand the primordial ocean’s composition, we focused on the ocean’s formation processes from CO2- and HCl-bearing water vapor in the high-temperature atmosphere. When the temperature of the lower atmosphere fell below the critical point, high-temperature rain reached the ground surface. Then, hydrothermal reactions between the subcritical fluid and primordial crust started. Eventually, a liquid ocean emerged on the completely altered crust as the temperature decreased to approximately 25 °C. Here, we conducted two experiments and modeling to simulate the reactions of hypothetical primordial crustal rock (basalt or komatiite). The results indicate that the primordial ocean was mildly acidic and rich in CO2, Mg, and Ca relative to Na, irrespective of the rock type, which is different from the modern equivalents. Therefore, unlike the present seawater, the primordial seawater could have been carbonic, bitter, and harsh rather than salty.

Keywords

• ocean formation
• primordial ocean composition
• water–rock reactions
• Hadean
• experiment
• thermodynamic calculation