Iodine was originally discovered by accident by Bernard Courtois. One day in 1811 Courtois was isolating sodium and potassium compounds from seaweed ash, and he discovered iodine by adding sulfuric acid to the ashes. When this acid was added a purple gas was created and so the name iodine was given to this new element. Iodine coming from the Greek lodes which means purple. This being said iodine is in all sea water and sea plants. It is a large part of our planet. Since water covers more than 70% of the earths surface there is an abundance of iodine. There is approximately 76 billion pounds of iodine in the ocean. Naturally iodine evaporates from salt water and then creates clouds. Later when the clouds create precipitation iodine will mix with surface water and soil. This allows iodine to be distributed to animals through drinking water and through the plants that they eat, since plants also survive off of rain water and soil which both contain iodine. This prevents iodine deficiency world wide.