How come the ocean hasn't been absorbed into the ground?

billiards

Whilst intuition can be a useful guide in dreaming up hypotheses, predictions and experiments, intuition is not a strong pillar of truth. Scientific knowledge comes by researchers applying the scientific method.

It is well established fact that water lowers the melting temperature of rock, and this has been verified over and over again in labs all around the world. I suspect that your conceptual model of what is happening is wrong. The water itself gets into the crystals that make up the rock, I suspect you are thinking of the water as being "free", but we are actually talking about the water as getting incorporated into the very rock itself. In this case the water is part of a solid constituent, not liquid or vapour. The effect of the water on this constituent is what we are talking about.

sheshank

Let me tell you my point of logic (Warning ! it may be a false reasoning). A hard rock when is complete solid, can never allow water into it. But, gradually as the temperature increases (pressure is constant here), the rock starts to become soft giving chance for the pores to form. In our case, these pores are filled with water molecules which is the Absorption (Adsorption) phenomena. It obviously reduces the temperature conditions of the rock. But, when the same is subjected to conditions under pressure, the rock pores will compress leading the water to exhaust outside - just like a sponge squeased out of water. How much ever you may squease a sponge, it still remains wet. I expect the same to happen with the rock and Earthly conditions. A squeased sponge's properties obviously changes, but not considerably - compared to the case where the sponge is completely adsorbed with water. But, remembering that sponge particles, the particles of which the sponge is actually made, don't keep water molecules attached with them or react with them.

I am very sorry, My English is so limited and I can't explain better than this. If it doesn't reach you, then I am helpless. I'll try to improve my english.

billiards

Um, I think you should really challenge your underlying assumptions. If this turns out not to be true, anything you infer from it is likely to be wrong no matter how solid your reasoning.

From your post, again I would reinforce that you are not "seeing" what's happening properly, your conceptual model of the situation is flawed. The water molecules themselves become incorporated into the crystal lattice of the rock. The water does not exist in pores -- the water itself becomes part of the rock! At high pressure rocks don't even have pores. Perhaps you need to review your whole conception of what a rock is?

sheshank

I think my conscience is too much effected here, or is it that all of you are misconceived. Or is it my English fault. I don't know, my eyes and knowledge is getting masked.

Borek

See for example http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mineral_hydration, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_of_crystallization, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrate...anic_chemistry

sheshank

Thanks for the links...

I heard and read about Hydration. As that was not my branch, I didn't care much about it. But, it still makes me wonder, if that could be applied at extreme conditions. I have to accept the fact having looked at the links.
Water of crystallization is something which I have heard just the second time. Somebody in my childhood said, rocks contain water inside themselves. I didn't believe him. I think, I should believe him now.