clipped from: www.parade.com   

June 21, 2009
Sunday's Column - June 21, 2009
When the Earth was new, did the oceans have freshwater?
—Robert Oshust, Bayonne, N.J.

Yes, virtually. All water—even pure rainwater—contains chemicals called “salts.” Freshwater, though, tastes saltless compared to ocean water with its immense amount of salt, which has accumulated in the seas over hundreds of millions of years. Experts say the volume of salt in the oceans would cover the Earth’s land surface hundreds of feet deep.

As ocean water has gradually become unfit for nearly all animals to drink, the process is an example of natural environmental change.