The World’s Oldest Flowing Water

The world’s oldest flowing water has been found in a buried reservoir beneath a copper and zinc mine in Timmins, Ontario in Canada. The numbers are staggering, both for its age and the depth at which it was found.

The water was found by a team of miners drilling into bedrock about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) beneath the surface. It did not start out there, however. Originally it seeped from above ground from primeval oceans. Chemical analyses of the water indicate that it contains high levels of hydrogen as well as methane and xenon gases. The xenon, which is an isotope, was used to estimate the water’s age. The tests revealed that the water is no less than 1.5 billion years old and may be more than 2.6 billion years old. This means that it existed during the time that the first multi-celled life forms were making their appearance on the planet. It also provides insights into the chemical composition of earth’s ancient oceans and atmosphere.

It is the possibility that microbial life forms might be present in this ancient water that excites many scientists. They are testing water samples to see if they can detect life forms. If they do, there may be a chance that some form of life may still exist on Mars, which once contained significant oceans. They may also offer insights into how microbes evolve in isolation. There is a precedent for this theory. Microbes have been found in water with a similar chemistry that was isolated beneath a South African gold mine. These tiny creatures used hydrogen gas as an energy source.
The Canadian water offers scientists an invaluable look at our planet’s evolution. It will be interesting to see what scientists learn as they study this remarkable discovery.

If you’d like more technical information about the water and its implications, go here.