An international scientific team led by the University of Toronto, Canada, has discovered the oldest groundwater on Earth, estimated to be around one billion and 200 million years old, in the depths of a gold and uranium production mine in Moab Khotsong Province, South Africa.
According to the press release issued by the University of Toronto, and published by the site "phys.org" (phys.org), the discovered groundwater is rich in the highest concentrations of radioactive components found so far in liquids, as they contain radioactive elements naturally in The rocks surrounding the mineral deposits.
The results of the study were published in the journal Nature Communications on June 30, in which researchers expect that this discovery will shed light on how life continues underground, and how it can flourish on other planets.
Ample diffusion of helium and neon produced from radioactive interactions that are transported across the Earth's crust (Vis.org)
Energy stored deep in the earth's interior
According to the University of Toronto statement, researchers have found large amounts of radioactive elements helium, neon, argon and xenon in the Moab Kutsong mine, and an unprecedented discovery of the interaction of the isotope of krypton (Kr).
The statement states that these found elements interact in a process called radiolysis, which is the disintegration of molecules by ionizing radiation, as the radiation resulting from the decomposition of such elements breaks down water molecules, resulting in large concentrations of hydrogen, which is a primary energy source. For subsurface microbial communities deep underground that are unable to access energy from the sun in photosynthesis, it also suggests that ancient groundwater sites may one day serve as energy sources.
The researchers also observed in this process an abundant spread of both helium and neon, originally produced from radioactive reactions, which are transported through the crust above it.
"For the first time, we have insight into how energy stored deep in the Earth's interior is released and distributed more widely through its crust over time," said Oliver Warr, lead author of the study and a research associate in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Toronto.
10 years ago, the team discovered a billion-year-old aquifer beneath the Canadian Shield (Wikimedia)
War added, "Our discovery enabled us to take a look at the energy of the Earth's depths, and learn how to harness it for the benefit of the deep biosphere on a global scale. It produces both helium and hydrogen, sustaining the subterranean microbes.”
The oldest and deepest discovery
“Ten years ago we discovered a billion-year-old groundwater from beneath the Canadian Shield, and that was apparently just the beginning, but we are now 2.9 kilometers underground in Moab Kutsong,” says Barbara Sherwood Lawlar, a professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Toronto and co-author. We found that the world's water cycle outposts are more widespread than previously thought."
Barbara adds, "Uranium and other radioactive elements are found naturally in the surrounding host rocks that contain mineral deposits and ores, and these elements contain new information about the role of groundwater as an energy generator for chemical-feeding groups (or rock eaters) of symbiotic microorganisms previously discovered in the interior In the deep Earth, when elements such as uranium, thorium and potassium decay in the earth's interior, the resulting alpha, beta and gamma radiation have a multiplier effect, leading to so-called radioactive reactions in the surrounding rocks and fluids.
The results may be useful in studying other planets and moons in the solar system and beyond (Wikipedia)
Warr says that "although the study was on Earth, understanding how life continues under the surface, may be useful in studying other planets and moons in the solar system and beyond, and thus will be useful for upcoming missions to Mars and the moons of Saturn and Jupiter (Titan and Enceladus). and Europe).
On the other hand, the researchers stress that the new insights of the study, which also showed the spread of helium deep in the Earth, is a critical step forward as global helium reserves are depleted, and the transition to more sustainable resources.