Scientists Discover a Massive Underground Water Vault in Oregon - 3x the Size of Lake Mead
Researchers have discovered an underground aquifer in Oregon’s Cascade Range that’s significantly larger than previously thought — three times the size of Lake Mead.
This vast water reserve holds potential for both resource management and volcanic activity insights, with water largely replenished by snowpack which is vulnerable to climate change impacts.
Unveiling a Hidden Water Treasure in Oregon’s Mountains
Oregon’s Cascade Range mountains may not contain gold, but they are home to another precious resource in abundance: water.
Researchers from the University of Oregon, along with their collaborators, have mapped the vast underground water reserves beneath the volcanic rocks at the crest of the central Oregon Cascades. They discovered an aquifer far larger than previously thought — holding at least 81 cubic kilometers (21 trillion gallons) of water.
To put that in perspective, this underground reservoir contains nearly three times the maximum capacity of Lake Mead, the depleted reservoir on the Colorado River that supplies water to California, Arizona, and Nevada. It also holds more than half the volume of Lake Tahoe.
Implications for Water Policy and Volcanic Hazards
This discovery carries significant implications for water management and policy in the region, where the effects of climate change — dwindling snowpack, prolonged droughts, and increasing pressure on water supplies — make sustainable resource planning more critical than ever.
Read more at: https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-discover-a-massive-underground-water-vault-in-oregon-3x-the-size-of-lake-mead/
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