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Difficulty: EasyIdentifying Hypotheses and Beliefs

Two scientists present competing hypotheses regarding the origin of Earth's water.

Scientist 1
Earth's water originated primarily from volcanic outgassing. As the early Earth cooled, water vapor released from molten rock in the mantle condensed to form the oceans. This water was present within the planet's building blocks during its initial formation.

Scientist 2
Earth's water was delivered primarily by icy comets and carbonaceous meteorites that bombarded the planet after its crust had solidified. The isotopic ratio of hydrogen in Earth's oceans matches that of outer solar system comets, suggesting an extraterrestrial origin.

According to Scientist 1, Earth's water was originally introduced to the surface through which of the following processes?

  1. It was released from within Earth's interior during volcanic outgassing.Answer
  2. B
    It was delivered to Earth's surface by comets from the outer solar system.
  3. C
    It was formed by the chemical combination of gaseous hydrogen and oxygen in the early atmosphere.
  4. D
    It was brought to Earth by carbonaceous meteorites after the crust solidified.

Answer

The correct answer states that Earth's water was released from within Earth's interior during volcanic outgassing.
The correct answer is supported by Scientist 1's statement that water vapor was released from molten rock in the mantle (which represents Earth's interior) during volcanic outgassing as the planet cooled.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the scientist mentioned in the question.
The question specifies Scientist 1.
This focus ensures that we look at the correct set of claims rather than mixing up the two viewpoints.
2
Locate the description of the water-introduction process within Scientist 1's paragraph.
Scientist 1 states that water vapor was released from molten rock in the mantle during volcanic outgassing.
This provides the factual premise of Scientist 1's hypothesis.
3
Evaluate the answer choices to find the one matching volcanic outgassing from the interior.
The option describing water being released from within Earth's interior during volcanic outgassing is the correct match.
This aligns directly with Scientist 1's stated belief.

Key Concept

Identifying Hypotheses and Beliefs
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Topics

Identifying Hypotheses and Beliefs

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