Fossil water

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Fossil water or paleowater is groundwater that has remained in an aquifer 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 has revealed that some aquifer water has been there for 40,000 years, since before the end of the last ice age.

The Ogallala and Nubian aquifers are among the most notable of fossil water reserves. Extraction of fossil water is sometimes referred to as mining because it is a non-renewable resource.

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