Hidden Lakes Under The Canadian Arctic Glaciers Are Similar To Jupiter’s Moon – They Could Support ET Life Research
Two hidden lakes might hold the key to more in-depth research for extraterrestrial life. Two bodies of water in the liquid state under 500 meters of ice have been discovered by a team of researchers from the University of Alberta. The water was under the glaciers of the Canadian Arctic region.
The water’s temperature is somewhere around minus 10.5 degrees Celsius. Researchers also said that it has a high salt concentration and this is also the reason for which it didn’t freeze.
One of the study’s authors, Anja Rurishauser claimed that she was both stunned and excited to discover this especially since the team wasn’t looking for subglacial lakes.
The water under the glaciers is not something uncommon, and it’s believed that the water in Devon Ice Cap was frozen from the base up. These two lakes are the first ones in Canada, covering 8 and 5 square kilometers.
“The probability of life in these systems is high, although temperatures suggest that biological activity would be severely limited.”
What makes these lakes different from the ones found in Antarctica and Greenland is the fact that the last mentioned ones consist of fresh water that was generated by the ice melting due to the rocks’ geothermal energy. Massive ice isolates them.
The two lakes under the Canadian glaciers can support searching for ET life
If you’re wondering how can these two lakes support the search for extraterrestrial life, the explanation is not hard to understand.
Researchers believe that the same salinity and temperature as the ones of these lakes’ are present in the oceans under Europe’s glaciers.
We are referring to Jupiter’s moon, not our continent. These environments might have potential to hold life, and the issue is more than exciting. “The probability of life in these systems is high, although temperatures suggest that biological activity would be severely limited,” according to Alison Murray of the Nevada Research Institute.
These lakes have the ability to help researchers understand the possibility of life existing in the hypersaline environments under the ice layers.
The Canadian Arctic region is said to have an extended network of lakes besides these two that have recently been discovered. They have been probably hidden for more than 120,000 years, according to researchers.
I have been blogging and posting articles for over eight years, but my passion for writing dates back in 2000. I am especially enthusiastic about technology, science, and health-related issues. When I’m not researching and writing the latest news, I’m either watching sci-fi and horror movies or checking out places worth visiting and building deep memories for later in life. I believe in empathy and continually improving myself.
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