Revolutionary Discovery: 6 Million-Year-Old Freshwater Lake Found Beneath Sicily Offers Hope for Italy and Africa’s Drought Crisis

Deep under the Hyblaean Mountains in southeastern Sicily, a large deposit of fresh water was recently discovered, trapped there for millions of years. The large deposit was discovered by scientists from the University of Malta, the University of Roma Tre and the University of Bologna and could bring hope to areas of the Mediterranean that suffer from a growing problem of shortages water

Aquafer million years old

According to geologists, the freshwater deposit is located between 700 and 2,500 meters below the Hyblaean Mountains and contains approximately 17.5 km³ of water. The underground reservoir is unique not only in its area, but also in its age – water was hidden in these depths for about 6 million years.

According to scientific estimates, the water entered the aquifer (undersea reservoir of fresh water) during the so-called Messinian Salinity Crisis, a geological event that lasted about 700,000 years when the Central -terrestrial almost dried up.

The crisis was caused by the closure of the Strait of Gibraltar, which connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Mediterranean Sea. As a result, the sea basin dried up, allowing rainwater to penetrate deep into the Earth’s crust, where it was still trapped in porous rocks. Geologists believe that this fresh water could be a source of drinking water for areas that suffer from chronic drought today.

Hope for Italy and Africa

The Mediterranean region is currently one of the most vulnerable to climate change, mainly due to an increase in temperature and a decrease in rainfall. Several countries, such as Morocco, Tunisia or Egypt, are already struggling with a lack of drinking water for a long time, and the situation is likely to worsen in the coming decades.

The water sources under Sicily could play a key role in solving this problem, not only in the south of Italy, but also in North Africa and other areas that nearby.

Scientific innovation with practical implications

The large underground water deposit was discovered by analyzing data from older explorations that were originally looking for oil. Scientists used the information obtained to create a 3D model of the underground aquifer, allowing them to better understand its level and capacity. Of them research it follows that the source found could be used as an alternative source of drinking water for areas that do not receive it.

Resources: euronews.com, iflscience.com, living science.com
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