How do bodies of water exist above ground?

Question

How come bodies of water (lakes, rivers, wetlands, oceans even…) exist above ground instead of the water simply being absorbed by the earth?

In: 855

Answer 1

The closer dirt is to the center of the earth the more dense it becomes, this happens rapidly due to gravitational force. The more intense gravitational pull at the center of the earth causes dirt and sediment to become denser and subsequently hotter, eventually impenetrable. Water and it’s relation to how far underground it can sink is a similar principle to oxygen and how high into our atmosphere it can exist, except in reverse. Eventually the dirt and sediment becomes denser and heavier than the water and so it cannot sink below that level, oxygen and the other elements which make up our atmosphere like methane alternative are too dense to reach out into space, thus creating our atmosphere.