Home to over 250,000 lakes, 100,000 kilometres of rivers, countless ponds, and dozens of active mines, it might not come as a surprise that the world’s oldest pool of water was discovered right here in Ontario.
Back in 2016, a team of geoscientists and researchers from the University of Toronto discovered a pool of water that dates back two billion years in the Kidd Creek Mine in Timmins, Ontario.
The investigation, which was led by Dr. Oliver Warr, found the water at a depth of nearly three kilometres and is believed to be the oldest H20 ever found.
The site where the water was discovered is the world’s deepest base metal mine below sea level and boasts massive deposits of silver, copper, and zinc.
The team previously found a 1.5 billion-year pool of water in 2013.
At the time, Warr revealed that several gases, including helium, argon, neon, krypton, and xenon were found in the water, which helped scientists calculate its age.
Along with this, the water was found to contain chemical traces left behind by a single-celled organism that once lived there, which could give researchers more clues about ancient life on Earth, as well as life on other planets.