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Fossil water or paleowater is groundwater
Groundwater

Groundwater is water located beneath the ground surface in soil porosity spaces and in the fractures of lithologic formations. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water....
 that has remained in an aquifer
Aquifer

An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well....
 for millennia. Water can rest underground in aquifers for thousands or even millions of years. When geologic changes seal the aquifer off from further "recharging," the water becomes trapped inside and then becomes known as fossil water. Radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating

Radiocarbon dating, or carbon dating, is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring radioisotope carbon-14 to determine the age of carbonaceous materials up to about 60,000 years....
 has revealed that some aquifer water has been there for 40,000 years, since before the end of the last ice age
Ice age

The general term "ice age" or, more precisely, "glacial age" denotes a geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in an expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers....
.

The Ogallala Aquifer
Ogallala Aquifer

File:Ogallala changes 1980-1995.svgFile:High plains fresh groundwater usage 2000.svgThe Ogallala Aquifer, also known as the High Plains Aquifer, is a vast yet shallow underground water table aquifer located beneath the Great Plains in the United States....
 and Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System
Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System

The Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System is the world?s largest fossil water aquifer system. It is located underground in the Eastern end of the Sahara Desert and spans the political boundaries of four countries in north-eastern Africa....
 are among the most notable of fossil water reserves.






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Encyclopedia


Fossil water or paleowater is groundwater
Groundwater

Groundwater is water located beneath the ground surface in soil porosity spaces and in the fractures of lithologic formations. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water....
 that has remained in an aquifer
Aquifer

An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well....
 for millennia. Water can rest underground in aquifers for thousands or even millions of years. When geologic changes seal the aquifer off from further "recharging," the water becomes trapped inside and then becomes known as fossil water. Radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating

Radiocarbon dating, or carbon dating, is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring radioisotope carbon-14 to determine the age of carbonaceous materials up to about 60,000 years....
 has revealed that some aquifer water has been there for 40,000 years, since before the end of the last ice age
Ice age

The general term "ice age" or, more precisely, "glacial age" denotes a geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in an expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers....
.

The Ogallala Aquifer
Ogallala Aquifer

File:Ogallala changes 1980-1995.svgFile:High plains fresh groundwater usage 2000.svgThe Ogallala Aquifer, also known as the High Plains Aquifer, is a vast yet shallow underground water table aquifer located beneath the Great Plains in the United States....
 and Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System
Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System

The Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System is the world?s largest fossil water aquifer system. It is located underground in the Eastern end of the Sahara Desert and spans the political boundaries of four countries in north-eastern Africa....
 are among the most notable of fossil water reserves. Extraction of fossil water is sometimes referred to as water mining
Water mining

In hydrology, water mining is the extraction of water from non-replenishing groundwater or glacier reserves.By necessity, any community engaging in water mining has some a deadline at which point it will have exhausted any water reserves and, presumably, would be forced into an unstable position lacking necessary water to maintain standards...
 because it is a non-renewable resource.

See also

  • Artesian aquifer
    Artesian aquifer

    An artesian aquifer is a Aquifer#Confined versus unconfined containing groundwater that will flow upward through a water well without the need for pumping....
  • Hydrogeology
    Hydrogeology

    Hydrogeology is the area of geology that deals with the distribution and movement of groundwater in the soil and rock of the Earth's crust , ....
  • Water resources
    Water resources

    Water resources are sources of water that are useful or potentially useful to humans. Uses of water include agricultural, industry, household, recreational and natural environment activities....