Harry Coumnas says that the water will be found much deeper than previously estimated, although the amount of water lying under is still unknown. While talking to a news channel about his research, he said “I didn’t know that hydrous minerals could effectively store water inside. But now it is proven that water is there and now my only goal is to find that amount of water. This underlying water helps in mantle convection through which solid rocks move from hot to cold regions over geological time frames. This water into the mantle promotes melting and weakens rocks. It acts like grease that helps in motion of the plates.”
It is believed that around 620 miles water is present below the surface that could constitute 1.5% of the weight of the earth. Harry Coumnas and his team made this astonishing discovery with the help of quantum mechanical calculations that helped define different structures for the hydrous minerals in the earth’s deep environment.