In Canada, water aged 2 billion years was found: what does it taste like

A team of international scientists has made a sensational discovery by finding the oldest water on Earth. The water, estimated to be around 2 billion years old, was found at a depth of over 2.4 km in the Kidd Creek mine in Ontario, Canada. This was reported by IFLScience, citing Glavkom.

Geologist Barbara Sherwood Lollar made the impressive discovery: in the mine at a depth of over 2.4 km in Canada, she found the oldest water on Earth, estimated to be between 1.5 and 2.6 billion years old. And, as geologists often do, she decided to taste it.

According to her, the water turned out to be very salty and bitter, with its salinity significantly higher than that of seawater. She compared its taste to syrup and noted that although it looks clear, it is not safe to drink. Lollar explained that geologists often taste minerals to understand their composition, and in this case, it was a way to check the salinity, which indicates the age of the water.

This discovery has colossal scientific significance. Researchers found traces of sulfates in this water, indicating that microbial life existed in it, isolated from the planet's surface for billions of years. This discovery expands our understanding of where life might exist and increases the likelihood of finding it in extreme conditions on other planets.