Earth’s first oceans may have formed within 10,000 years after the global magma ocean solidified, according to a study by researchers at the University of Science and Technology of China. 

The team, led by Huang Fang, a professor at the university, used a heat-budget model to estimate how quickly the early atmosphere cooled and water vapor condensed. The findings were published online in National Science Review.

Surface cooling and ocean formation after the magma ocean solidified. (Photo: ustc.edu.cn)

According to the research, the giant impact that formed the Moon created a global magma ocean. As it solidified into the mantle, it released large amounts of water vapor and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Under baseline conditions, the surface cooled to water’s critical temperature in about 1,800 years, followed by ocean formation in roughly another 2,500 years. Most modeled scenarios put ocean formation within 10,000 years.

The findings suggest Earth’s earliest oceans formed almost alongside its earliest crust. The model could also help scientists study Mars, Venus and other terrestrial planets.