Tiniest ancient seawater pockets revealed in 390-million-year-old rocks

The discovery could identify ways to safely transport hydrogen as a carbon-free fuel source, writes Aisha Rimi

Ancient seawater pockets trapped in an iron pyrite framboid offer a new source of clues to climate change in vanished oceans and our own (Daniel Gregory/ University of Toronto)

Scientists have discovered the tiniest ancient seawater pockets trapped in rocks in North America for 390 million years.

It is not uncommon for minerals and gems to contain small pockets of trapped liquid. But the surprising discovery revealed what was inside the tiny liquid remnants.

The results confirmed that the water trapped inside the rock fit the chemistry profile of the ancient inland saltwater sea that once occupied upstate New York, where the rock originated.