Historical event

Formation of Earth's Oceans

Date: about 4.4-3.8 Billion Years Ago

Water delivered by comets and asteroids, along with outgassing from Earth's interior, accumulates to form the planet's first oceans.

Tags: ocean formation, origin of water, early earth, comets, asteroids, outgassing, planetary science, hydrosphere

Open the interactive timeline viewer to explore this event in historical context.