Chapter 04 of 5
The Nubian Sandstone Aquifer
Discover the world's largest fossil water system buried beneath the Libyan desert.
- The Deep Secret
A Subterranean Ocean
Beneath the eastern Sahara lies the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer, the largest fossil water system on Earth. It spans over two million square kilometers across four nations.
- Staggering Scale
Volume Beyond Belief
This aquifer holds an estimated 375,000 cubic kilometers of water. That is enough to cover the entire continental United States in a layer 45 meters deep.
- The Origin
The Pluvial Periods
Most of this water was deposited during the last ice ages and 'Green Sahara' eras. Thousands of years of heavy rainfall seeped into porous rock before the region turned to dust.
17 more cards in this chapter
Could you answer this?
Why is the water in the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer called 'fossil water'?
⏳ The Secret Sahara
- 01The Green Sahara CycleDiscover how Earth's orbital wobble transforms the Sahara into a lush paradise.
- 02Mega-Lake Chad and the Dust HighwayHow a prehistoric African lakebed feeds the entire Amazon rainforest from across the sea.
- 03The Richat Structure (The Eye of the Sahara)Discover the 25-mile-wide geological mystery visible from outer space.
- 04The Nubian Sandstone AquiferDiscover the world's largest fossil water system buried beneath the Libyan desert.
- 05Bir Tawil (The Land unclaimed by Earth)Discover Bir Tawil, the 800-square-mile desert claimed by no nation on Earth.