Scientists Discover Massive Underground Freshwater Basin in Sicily, Potential for Similar Finds in Morocco

Researchers from the University of Malta, the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) and the University of Rome have recently made a groundbreaking discovery: a large freshwater basin located between 700 and 2,500 meters deep below the surface of the city of Gela, on the southeast coast of the island of Sicily in Italy.

According to them, this is one of the largest and least known accumulations of freshwater in the world. This mass of water was created during the Triassic period about six million years ago, the researchers detail. This significant amount of water, estimated at nearly 17.4 million cubic meters, could be used for both human consumption and agriculture, they assure.

This discovery of freshwater in Sicily suggests the possibility of the existence of other large underground water reservoirs in countries south of the Mediterranean such as Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya or Malta. It could be a relief for these countries hit by severe drought in recent years.