Revealing Nature’s Secret: A Research Team Uncovers Hidden Treasures in the Cascade Mountains!

• The Western United States is in dire need of water, and researchers have recently discovered an aquifer that was not on any map, measuring three times larger than Lake Mead.
• This revelation occurred when scientists, examining drill holes left from earlier geothermal research, discovered that the rock continued to show moisture at greater depths than previously thought.
• While this is a significant gain for the thirsty West, the aquifer relies on snowpack, and experts predict substantial decreases in snowfall in the Cascades over the next few decades.

As global temperatures rise, water resources in the American West are increasingly crucial. Lake Mead and Lake Powell, some of the most significant reservoirs in that region, hit record lows in 2023, and significant drought conditions in some areas are resulting in increasingly expanding desertification, transforming fertile grasslands into barren land as the water supply, figuratively speaking, diminishes.

Although this presents a troubling situation for residents in the southwestern U.S., the Pacific Northwest, which experiences dryness during summer, receives a considerably larger amount of rainfall due to prevailing winds from the Pacific Ocean and mountain ranges like the Cascades, which release moisture over extended periods. A recent study by the University of Oregon suggests that the Cascades may have stored a substantial amount of that water underground.

A group of experts, spearheaded by geoscientists at the University of Oregon (UO), examined decades-old drill holes made by scientists exploring geothermal energy. After discovering signs of moisture deeper in the holes, they estimated that the Cascades could hold 81 cubic kilometers of water—that’s three times the volume of Lake Mead at full capacity. The findings were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

“It is like a continental-scale lake contained within the rocks atop the mountains, functioning like a substantial water tower,” stated Leif Karlstrom, a co-author of the study at UO, in a press release. “The fact that there are similarly expansive volcanic aquifers north of the Columbia Gorge and near Mount Shasta suggests the Cascade Range could be the largest aquifer of its type globally.”

The revelation of this water source was entirely unexpected. Initially, the research team aimed to gain a clearer understanding of how the Cascades developed throughout history, particularly in regard to water movement in the area. To achieve this, they examined rocks at the intersection of two Cascades zones at Santiam Pass in central Oregon. Typically, as one drills deeper, the rocks heat up, but while investigating these long-abandoned drill holes, the scientists observed that the usual temperature gradient in the rocks was disturbed—an unmistakable indication of water permeating through the rock. They gauged where the rock temperatures started to rise again and inferred that the Cascades were concealing a vast aquatic mystery.

Since the scientists were investigating holes drilled for geothermal explorations, not specifically for groundwater mapping, their estimate of 81 cubic kilometers is probably on the lower end regarding the actual size of this concealed water reserve. While the potential of an unexploited freshwater source is exciting, the researchers also caution for prudence. The groundwater in the Cascades relies on snow, and snowpack is projected to decrease markedly in the Cascades in the years ahead.

“This currently represents a substantial, dynamic groundwater reservoir, but its sustainability and resistance to change depend on the availability of replenishing water supplies,” Karlstrom stated.

Darren resides in Portland, owns a cat, and writes/edits about sci-fi and the workings of our world. His prior works can be found in Gizmodo and Paste if you seek them out.