Ocean floor rocks were discovered as an unexpected oxygen source

Scientists have made an astonishing discovery at the bottom of the ocean, potentially significantly impacting our understanding of the origins of life. "We now know that there is oxygen produced in the deep sea, where there is no light," said Andrew Sweetman, a marine ecologist at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) and one of the study's authors.

The long-held belief that oxygen is produced solely through photosynthesis, where organisms use solar energy, appears incomplete. The latest research, published in the journal "Nature Geoscience," indicates that oxygen is produced in the ocean depths – below 13,000 feet.

According to the discovery, oxygen is produced by metallic rocks present at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

Andrew Sweetman's team researched the ocean floor in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, a large underwater geological formation near Hawaii.

A particular research device was deployed into the ocean and sat on the bottom while conducting automatic experiments. It released cylindrical devices that enclosed a small fragment of the seabed along with water, creating a "closed microcosm." The changes in oxygen concentration within the enclosed area were then measured.

The instrument indicated that oxygen was being produced in this location. Initially, scientists thought the device was damaged, so the readings were conducted over 10 years.

Photosynthesis was ruled out as a possibility since no sunlight reaches the ocean floor. A possible explanation for this phenomenon involves small metallic rocks, one of which generated a voltage of about 1.5 V.

Scientists explained that such a voltage constitutes about 60 percent of the electric potential required for water electrolysis, which splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. Therefore, larger rocks are likely capable of conducting this process. Researchers indicate that they are responsible for oxygen production on the ocean floor.