Is there a secret ocean under the earth?

Tweet

This could be an interesting topic for a Sci-Fi movie. But it could be real. The other day I read a local newspaper article which raised this question and I did a bit of my research. Almost 1.4 billion cubic kilometers water exists on the surface of the earth which can be in Solid, liquid or gas states. According to a study of University of Alberta,water exists under the surface of the earth in a fourth state where water is bound in minerals called Ringwoodites as hydroxyl (-OH) molecules. It is 2% of the actual weight of water and hence all together, water under earth would account to 3 times the amount of water above the surface of the earth. It exists in the geological transition zone beneath North America. This is the area in the upper mantle of the earth which is between 400 km and 650 km deep. Here large swathes of rock melt, which indicates the presence of water. Imagine if all that water came above the surface, 100% of the earth's surface would be under water.