Scientists have discovered the oldest source of water in the whole world. An ancient basin formed under the territory of Canada was discovered back in 2016.
Experts estimate that this water is at least 2 billion years old. The pool was discovered in a mine more than 3 kilometers deep.
The mine itself is the deepest in the world and contains no precious metals.
The discovery belongs to geochemists at the University of Toronto. Scientists were simply interested in the lifespan of running water.
Initially it was assumed that the depth of the mine did not exceed 2.4 kilometers. Later it turned out that it goes to a depth of more than 3 kilometers.
The flow rate of underground water in the mine was 2 liters per minute, which significantly exceeds the indicators known to science.
Then they analyzed the composition of gases in the groundwater of the ancient basin. As a result, helium, argon and xenon were discovered in the water.
Thanks to these gases, it was possible to establish that the ancient deep-sea source has existed for about 2 billion years.
At the same time, it turned out that such isolated reservoirs can support the independence of an underground ecosystem in which microbial life can exist for billions of years.
