Studies have shown Earth's mantle holds several oceans' worth of water Water is pulled underground by tectonic plates and sinking ocean floors Without water being brought back to the surface by volcanism, the oceans would soon disappear Experts used simulations to verify if the process happens on super-Earths They found oceans were more likely to be found on planets having two to four times the mass of the Earth Most scientists agree liquid water is needed for the development of life

By Victoria Woollaston for MailOnline

Published: 14:14 EST, 5 January 2015 | Updated: 15:32 EST, 5 January 2015

Habitable super-Earths - that have up to five times the mass of our own planet - could possess vast, long-lasting oceans.

Oceans cover more than two thirds of the Earth's surface and are continually replenished by volcanic activity dragging up water buried deep underground.

And now a new study indicates that habitable zone planets may be even better at establishing and maintaining these large bodies of water.

Researchers from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics believe that habitable super-Earths with up to five times the mass of our own planet, could hold vast oceans. This image shows an artist's impression of a gas giant planet rising over the horizon of an alien waterworld

A planet occupying a star's habitable zone is in an orbit where temperatures are mild enough to allow the existence of liquid surface water, making lakes, rivers and oceans possible.

Most scientists agree that liquid water is needed for the development of life as we know it.

Dr Laura Schaefer, from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, who led the study said: 'When people consider whether a planet is in the habitable zone, they think about its distance from the star and its temperature.

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Super-Earths have huge oceans that last billions of years