# What's the second-most-abundant liquid on earth? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 9, 2005, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-second-most-abundant-liquid-on-earth/320859 "2005-09-09T18:57:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-second-most-abundant-liquid-on-earth/320859/1 "2005-09-09T18:57:04Z")
Water, of course, is [the most abundant liquid on earth](http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/ALS-nature-of-water.html). Which liquid comes in second? Related question: if that liquid is based on water (like milk, or Coca-Cola, or whatever), what’s the most abundant non-water-based liquid? (Let’s assume, for purposes of the question, that “liquid” means “liquid in the conditions you’d usually find it on earth.”) ---
**Author:** ![citybadger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/45deac/32.png) [@citybadger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/citybadger)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-second-most-abundant-liquid-on-earth/320859/2 "2005-09-09T18:59:39Z")
> [@Interrobang!?](#): > > Water, of course, is [the most abundant liquid on earth](http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/ALS-nature-of-water.html). > > Which liquid comes in second? > > Related question: if that liquid is based on water (like milk, or Coca-Cola, or whatever), what’s the most abundant non-water-based liquid? > > (Let’s assume, for purposes of the question, that “liquid” means “liquid in the conditions you’d usually find it on earth.”) you’re going to quickly get into silly definition arguments. how about “brine”. Also the correct answer for the most abundant liquid may be “magma” ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-second-most-abundant-liquid-on-earth/320859/3 "2005-09-09T20:06:01Z")
I’d susspect Iron, though that may be the most common liquid, as much of the earth’s core seems to be molten Iron from the cites I have read. ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-second-most-abundant-liquid-on-earth/320859/4 "2005-09-09T20:16:08Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > I’d susspect Iron, though that may be the most common liquid, as much of the earth’s core seems to be molten Iron from the cites I have read. The OP said “on Earth,” not IN Earth. I think magma doesn’t count. I’d guess blood. The average human contains eight pints, or one gallon, of blood. So that’s over six billion gallons right there. If you add in animal blood, that is probably at least another twenty billion. Of course, we hardly ever see all this blood, but it’s out there. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-second-most-abundant-liquid-on-earth/320859/5 "2005-09-09T20:23:08Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > I’d susspect Iron, though that may be the most common liquid, as much of the earth’s core seems to be molten Iron from the cites I have read. Yes, molten iron would be by far the most abundant liquid component of the Earth. Although [only the outer core is liquid](http://www.seismo.unr.edu/ftp/pub/louie/class/100/interior.html) (the inner core remains solid due to extreme pressure), it would greatly exceed in volume all the oceans. So water would be the second most abundant liquid on Earth. I think you would have to exclude all other aqueous solutions, if you want to do a comparison with water. After all, the most abundant liquid is really salt water rather than just “water,” and salt water is more similar in composition to blood than it is to fresh water. The next most abundant liquid after water (and aqueous solutions) may be petroleum. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-second-most-abundant-liquid-on-earth/320859/6 "2005-09-09T20:23:22Z")
Coca Cola ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-second-most-abundant-liquid-on-earth/320859/7 "2005-09-09T20:24:33Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Coca Cola I was thinking ketchup, myself, but it could be soy sauce. ---
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-second-most-abundant-liquid-on-earth/320859/8 "2005-09-09T20:29:52Z")
Magma and molten iron were both things that occurred to me after I posted the OP, and they’re good answers. But **davenportavenger** helps me clarify my question – I’m more interested in what’s on the earth’s surface (or above, as with clouds) than in what lies beneath. Petroleum was my WAG, but that opens up the on vs. in earth question again. > [@citybadger](#): > > you’re going to quickly get into silly definition arguments. Isn’t that the SDMB’s raisin detour? ---
**Author:** ![threemae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@threemae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threemae)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-second-most-abundant-liquid-on-earth/320859/9 "2005-09-09T20:41:12Z")
It has to be alcohol, right? I mean given natural fermenation processes plus whatever humans make, I think that EtOH should be the most abundant other liquid on earth. Maybe this is pulling teeth, but I don’t think that Coca Cola or what have you should count. Because it’s still really just water with a bunch of sugar, some flavor, and coloring in solution. I mean, we aren’t going to distinguish between water, salt water, brackish water, etc. are we? So why does Coca-Cola count seperately? I think that it should have to be some compound that would be liquid at room temperature and isn’t just a solute in something else. So I think that ethanol wins hands down. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-second-most-abundant-liquid-on-earth/320859/10 "2005-09-09T21:02:43Z")
I’d guess that there are more petroleum distillates on earth than there is alcohol, even just considering the surface (or very near the surface. Underground storage tanks count, right?). Even if you make me pick one, I’d bet there’s more gasoline than there is alcohol. Certainly there is more human-produced gasoline than ethanol, so the question would rest on how much ethanol is produced in natural fermentation and how long it lasts before it’s consumed by something? ---
**Author:** ![deevee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@deevee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deevee)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-second-most-abundant-liquid-on-earth/320859/11 "2005-09-09T21:13:08Z")
Blood? ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-second-most-abundant-liquid-on-earth/320859/12 "2005-09-09T21:19:18Z")
> [@Interrobang!?](#): > > Isn’t that the SDMB’s raisin detour? I’ll never understand the purpose of detouring raisins. Can’t we just let them be on their way? Anyway, I’d have to vote for iron as well. Now how about another twist to this. Would the density be taken into account? (if so it seems iron is #1 over water) Or are we just talking about volume? ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-second-most-abundant-liquid-on-earth/320859/13 "2005-09-09T21:19:42Z")
Glass. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-second-most-abundant-liquid-on-earth/320859/14 "2005-09-09T21:21:23Z")
> [@duffer](#): > > Or are we just talking about volume? Works for volume too. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-second-most-abundant-liquid-on-earth/320859/15 "2005-09-09T21:21:41Z")
For the surface of the earth second behind water is liquid oil seeping to the surface. ---
**Author:** ![threemae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@threemae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threemae)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2005, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-second-most-abundant-liquid-on-earth/320859/16 "2005-09-10T01:21:58Z")
Ehhh, forgot about petrolium distillates etc. Okay, I’m changing my answer. I say no, blood doesn’t count because it’s still really just water with a bunch of red blood cells and stuff mixed in.