Almost 100 percent Lithuanian drinking water comes from underground layers, so Lithuania is one of the few countries in the world that can boast of such clean and high-quality water. This fact becomes even more important knowing that in some parts of the world clean water is difficult to access or heavily polluted, and in some places there are already conflicts over water resources.
“In Lithuania, underground water accumulates in underground layers formed over millennia. The geographical location, climatic conditions and geological structure led to favorable conditions for the formation of clean underground water. However, this resource is not infinite, so it is necessary to protect it,” points out Rasa Radienė, head of the Hydrogeology Department.
By the way, scientists found that the oldest underground water in Europe is located in Lithuania, at a depth of 1100 m, and its age is 1 million 157 thousand years.
And can you imagine water that has been trapped in the depths of the earth for billions of years and never reached the surface? One of the most impressive discoveries is almost two and a half kilometers of water found in the province of Ontario, Canada, which is about 2 billion years old. This rock-trapped water is the oldest water found on Earth so far. During all this time, the water did not penetrate the surface and retained its chemical composition.
Paleowater, also called ancient water, is a unique natural phenomenon where water remains isolated underground for millions or even billions of years. It can be preserved in rocks or glaciers (for example, this is Lake Vostok in Antarctica).
It is interesting that the movement of underground water is extremely slow – often only one meter per year. Why? Because water has to travel through dense rocks and their microcracks and pores. Because of this, the water remains isolated for millions of years and maintains its unique composition, and the scientists who discover it get a rare opportunity to look into the distant past of the Earth.
Therefore, the next time you pour yourself a glass of water, remember – you are drinking one of nature’s oldest treasures.
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