By this time, water could be found on Earth's surface, though it would have been highly acidic.
# Metadata
Title: Latest appearance of water Movietime: 0:26 Geographical Time: 4410 Ma
The presence of liquid water on Earth's surface is a major milestone in planetary evolution. Geological evidence — including ancient zircon crystals dated to around 4.4 billion years ago — suggests that surface water had already begun to accumulate during the Hadean eon. However, the conditions of this early Earth were hostile: high temperatures, frequent asteroid impacts, and an atmosphere rich in carbon dioxide, methane, and other volcanic gases. This would have made the oceans extremely acidic, more akin to dilute sulfuric acid than the relatively neutral waters we know today. Even so, the stabilizing presence of surface water helped regulate planetary temperatures and may have contributed to the eventual emergence of life. This event represents the latest possible point at which stable surface water must have existed — though it could have appeared even earlier.