Expedition to drill ancient mega-lake gathers pace

From New Scientist - Latest Headlines:

An expedition to seek out a huge underground pocket of ancient water in Darfur, Sudan, is being prepared by geologists. About 100 metres beneath the arid sands in the north-west of the region there just might be the makings of an oasis - in the form of a hidden mega-lake, discovered in April 2007 using satellite imagery. The lake could provide much-needed relief to the war-torn African region, believe several UN agencies, the government of Sudan, and non- governmental organisations, which are backing the project. The "1000 wells for Darfur" initiative was launched by the Sudanese government in July, seeking to raise money to exploit the underground water. In the first instance, this initiative plans to drill up to four wells, reaching between 30 and 100 metres deep.

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