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the claim
Earth's groundwater dates back millions of years
the verdict
SUPPORTED
the evidence backs this
Recorded sources
3 sources for · 0 against
Is it true that Earth's groundwater dates back millions of years?
Yes. Multiple scientific studies utilizing isotopic dating and noble gas tracers confirm that deep groundwater in Earth's crust can date back millions, or even billions, of years.
Verdict: SUPPORTED · 3 sources for, 0 against · Last checked
The analysis
The claim states that Earth's groundwater dates back millions of years. Papers [1], [5], and [6] provide direct empirical evidence showing that deep groundwaters and fracture fluids in various basins have residence times ranging from millions to billions of years, supporting the claim entirely with no conflicting evidence.
Evidence for · 3
Using 81Kr and noble gases, this study dated groundwater and brines in the Baltic Artesian Basin to over a million years old.
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Gerber, C., Vaikmae, R., Aeschbach, W., Babre, A., Jiang, W., Leuenberger, M., Lu, Z., Mokrik, R., Muller, P., Raidla, V., Saks, T., Waber, N., Weissbach, T., Zappala, J., & Purtschert, R. (2017). Using 81Kr and noble gases to characterize and date groundwater and brines in the Baltic Artesian Basin on the one-million-year timescale. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2017.01.033
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More for · 2
This study found fracture fluids in South Africa with residence times up to tens of millions of years, representing some of the oldest paleometeoric waters recorded.
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Heard, A., Warr, O., Borgonie, G., Linage, B., Kuloyo, O., Fellowes, J., Magnabosco, C., Lau, M., Erasmus, M., Cason, E., Heerden, E. v., Kieft, T., Mabry, J., Onstott, T., Lollar, B. S., & Ballentine, C. (2018). South African crustal fracture fluids preserve paleometeoric water signatures for up to tens of millions of years. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CHEMGEO.2018.06.011
Noble gas-derived residence times confirmed deep groundwaters in Earth's crust preserved on timescales exceeding a billion years.
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Warr, O., Ballentine, C., Onstott, T., Nisson, D., Kieft, T., Hillegonds, D., & Lollar, B. S. (2022). 86Kr excess and other noble gases identify a billion-year-old radiogenically-enriched groundwater system. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-31412-2
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Receipt History
first checked04 Aug 2026
judged → SUPPORTED · 8604 Aug 2026
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