An artist's conception of the early Earth (IMAGE) European Geosciences Union Caption An artist's conception of the early Earth, showing a surface bombarded by large impacts that result in the extrusion of magma onto the surface. At the same time, distal portions of the planet's surface may have retained liquid water. Credit Simone Marchi/SwRI Usage Restrictions Per NASA and SwRI requirements License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.