FAQs
Deep within a mine in Canada, there is a pool of water bubbling out of the ground. It's close to 2 miles below the surface of the earth and, according to the scientists who discovered it, it's been there for 2 billion years, making it the oldest pool of water in the world.
What is the 2 billion year old water Canadian mine? ›
However, scientists have found water that is a lot older. The water trapped in Ontario's Kidd Creek Mine is more than 2 billion years old!
Where is the world's oldest water? ›
In the deepest chambers of a northern Ontario mine, scientists have discovered the oldest water on Earth - over 2 billion years old.
Did scientists recently found 1.5 billion year old water in Canada? ›
(Phys.org)—A team of researchers working deep in a mine in Canada has found water samples that date back approximately 2 billion years, breaking the record of oldest discovered water on the surface of the Earth by approximately 500 million years.
What is the oldest water system in the world? ›
India's Indus River Valley contains the world's oldest known water pipes. The copper pipes ran through a palace complex around 4000–3000 BCE. Around the same time, Ancient Egyptians and Minoans had established vast networks of underground water systems.
Which world's oldest water lies at the bottom of a Canadian mine? ›
It's almost 2 miles down in a Canadian mine.
Deep within a mine in Canada, there is a pool of water bubbling out of the ground. It's close to 2 miles below the surface of the earth and, according to the scientists who discovered it, it's been there for 2 billion years, making it the oldest pool of water in the world.
How much of the world's water comes from Canada? ›
Canada has 7% of the world's renewable fresh water. It is easy for Canadians to assume that they have an almost endless supply of clean, fresh water. After all, we're often told that Canada has some 20% of the world's total freshwater resources.
What does billion year old water taste like? ›
"Because of the reactions between the water and the rock, it is extremely salty. It is more viscous than tap water. It has the consistency of a very light maple syrup.
What is the oldest living thing on Earth? ›
The Great Basin Bristlecone Pine (Pinus longaeva) is a species of pine tree. It is found in the American West, mostly in Utah, Nevada, and California. One of these trees has been measured to be over 4,850 years old!
Is our water older than the Earth? ›
"This means that water in our solar system was formed long before the sun, planets, and comets formed," Merel van 't 'Hoff, a University of Michigan astronomer and co-author of the paper, says in the news release.
They could also dig deep into the earth to find water. “What people did way back in ancient times is they looked for water that was flowing or they used groundwater,” Padowski said. “Groundwater from deep down in the earth is often safer to drink because it's more protected from contamination.”
Is Canada selling its water? ›
Canada has 7% of the world's renewable supply of freshwater. Freshwater export between Canada and the US currently takes place at a small scale, mostly as bottled water exports. The bottled water industry exports water in containers usually no larger than twenty litres.
Do we drink the same water that was on Earth a million years ago? ›
Did you know that the Earth has been recycling water for over 4 billion years? Every living thing on Earth needs water to survive and the water that we drink today is the same water that wooly mammoths, dinosaurs, and the first humans ever drank!
Was water ever free? ›
Of course it wasn't. Nothing is ever free. Before privatisation, you paid for your water via “water rates”. It was like a tax.
Where was water before Earth? ›
There are numerous theories about how Earth got its water. Most fall into two categories: Either Earth was born with the molecular precursors of water already present, or water-laden space rocks like asteroids and comets brought water here after the planet's formation.
How old is the oldest water? ›
In 2016, geologists studying a Canadian mine made an incredible discovery. At a depth of about 3 kilometers (1.8 miles), they found flowing water, which tests revealed to be between 1.5 billion and 2.64 billion years old. Having been isolated for all this time, it was the oldest water that had been found on Earth.
What is the oldest mine in Canada? ›
The first truly industrial mining operation in what is now Canada was an iron mine at Forges du Saint-Maurice near Trois-Rivières in Quebec, which remained a going concern from 1738 to 1883. Copper mining in Bruce Mines, Ontario—the first industrial-scale mine of a substance other than iron—followed in 1848.
What is the most contaminated mine in Canada? ›
Three of Canada's top five most expensive federal contaminated sites are abandoned mines in the North: Giant Mine in the Northwest Territories at an estimated $4.38 billion and the Faro and United Keno Hill mines in Yukon at $1 billion and $125 million, respectively.
Why is mine water so blue? ›
But the culprit for the beautiful blue is the limestone! Limestone is composed primarily of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and is white in color.