It has a capacity of 17.5 cubic kilometers, a third of the entire capacity of Spanish reservoirs.
A team of geoscientists has discovered a gigantic underground ‘pool’ of sweet water which remained hidden under the mountains of Sicily. The capacity of this deposit is equivalent to approximately one third of the entire storage capacity of Spain’s reservoirs.
In his study, which has just been published in the journal Communications Earth & Environmentthe group explains that used in his research data used to search for oil deposits. These data were used to study the existence of groundwater in the surroundings of the Gela formation, located under the mountains of the island of Sicily.
Sicilian authorities worried about water supply given the constant growth of this populous Mediterranean island. For this reason, researchers undertook a detailed study of underground freshwater resources that have not yet been exploited.
Location of the explored area
| Communications Earth & Environment
The researchers analyzed maps and data from surveys that had previously been used to search for oil deposits. This is how they discovered what they believe to be a previously unknown aquifer beneath the Hyblaean Mountains.
A large amount of fresh water
The discovered deposit is located at a depth of between 800 and 2,100 metersaccording to the results obtained.
They then created 3D models of the aquifer to validate their findings and found evidence suggesting that it is not only an aquifer, but that it contains approximately 17.5 cubic kilometers of water.
It is a really important amount when it comes to fresh water. As an example, All reservoirs in Spain have a combined storage capacity of 54 cubic kilometers.
Deposit formation scheme
| Communications Earth & Environment
After this unexpected discovery, the team set out to explain how so much fresh water could have reached this point and been confined under a mountain range. Scientists believe it was trapped there during the Messinian salinity crisis millions of years ago; In that 700,000-year period there was a blockage in the Strait of Gibraltar that allowed many parts of the Mediterranean Sea to dry up, exposing the seabed to rainwater.
The research team suggests that This rainwater infiltrated into the earth’s crust. The researchers point out that this rainwater could have accumulated underground by being absorbed by the carbonate rock, which acted like a sponge. When sea levels returned to normal, groundwater freshwater was trapped due to seawater pressure.
The researchers also found what they believe is a likely conduit for ancient rainwater: the Malta Escarpment, a formation that extends around eastern Sicily.
Reference study: DOI: 10.1038/s43247-023-01077-w
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