Scientists found water that has not had contact with Earth’s atmosphere for roughly two billion years—making it possibly older than the dawn of multicellular life—in a Canadian mine two miles below Earth’s surface. “Water can flow into fractures in rocks and become isolated deep in the crust for many years,” said Barbara Sherwood Lollar, geoscientist at the University of Toronto, “serving as a time capsule of what their environments were like at the time they were sealed off” (Choi, 2013, par. 3).
Charles Q. Choi, "Oldest water on Earth found deep underground," NBC News: Science [blog], posted May 15, 2013, http://science.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/15/18278807-oldest-water-on-earth-found-deep-underground (accessed May 17, 2013).
“Billions-year-old sparkling water may hold clues for life on Earth and Mars,” University of Toronto Media Room, posted May 15, 2013, http://media.utoronto.ca/media-releases/billions-year-old-sparkling-water-may-hold-clues-for-life-on-earth-and-mars/ (accessed May 17, 2013).
Deborah Byrd, “Billion-year-old water found in reservoir under Ontario,” EarthSky [blog], posted May 16, 2013, http://earthsky.org/earth/billion-year-old-water-found-in-reservoir-under-ontario (accessed May 17, 2013).
G. Holland, B. Sherwood Lollar, G. Lacrampe-Couloume, G. F. Slater, & C. J. Ballentine, “Deep fracture fluids isolated in the crust since the Precambrian era,” Nature 497 (May 16, 2013), 357–360; http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v497/n7449/full/nature12127.html
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