A team of geoscientists discovered a huge underground ‘pool’ fresh water It remained hidden beneath the Sicilian mountains. The capacity of this deposit is equivalent to approximately one-third of the entire storage capacity of Spain’s reservoirs.
In a newly published study in the journal Contact Earth and EnvironmentThe group explains this. The research used data used to search for oil fields. These data were used to examine the presence of groundwater around the Gela formation, which lies beneath the mountains of the island of Sicily.
Sicilian officials worried about water supply Given the constant growth of this crowded Mediterranean island. For this reason, researchers started a detailed study on underground freshwater resources that have not yet been exploited.
The researchers analyzed data from maps and surveys that had previously been used to search for oil fields. This is how they discovered what they believed to be a previously unknown aquifer beneath the Hyblaean Mountains.
Large amounts of fresh water
Location of the discovered deposit 800 to 2,100 meters deepAccording to the results obtained.
They then created 3D models of the aquifer to confirm their findings and found evidence that it was not just an aquifer, but contained approximately 17.5 cubic kilometers of water.
This is a really significant amount when it comes to fresh water. For example, The total storage capacity of all reservoirs in Spain is 54 cubic kilometers.
Following this unexpected discovery, the team set out to explain how so much fresh water could reach this point and become trapped beneath a mountain range. Scientists believe it was trapped there millions of years ago during the Messinian salinity crisis; During this 700,000-year period, blockage in the Strait of Gibraltar caused many parts of the Mediterranean to dry out and expose the seabed to rainwater.
The research team suggests that: This rainwater seeped into the earth’s crust. Researchers point out that this rainwater may have been absorbed by the carbonate rock that acts as a sponge and accumulated underground. When sea levels returned to normal, underground freshwater became trapped due to seawater pressure.
The researchers also found what they believe is a possible channel for ancient rainwater: the Malta Escarpment, a formation that extends around eastern Sicily.
Reference work: DOI: 10.1038/s43247-023-01077-w
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Contact address of the environmental department:krisclimatica@prensaiberica.es
Source: Informacion
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