Oregon's Cascade Range mountains might not hold gold, but they store another precious resource in abundance: water. Scientists from the University of Oregon and their partners have mapped the amount of water stored beneath volcanic rocks at the crest of the central Oregon Cascades and found an aquifer many times larger than previously estimated—at least 81 cubic kilometers.

The previously unmapped aquifer is estimated to be more than three times the size of the Lake Mead reservoir in Nevada.

In a monumental discovery that has captivated scientists, researchers have uncovered a massive underground water reservoir hidden beneath the volcanic terrain of Oregon’s Cascade Range. This astonishing natural vault holds more than 81 cubic kilometers (21 trillion gallons) of water,

An enormous body of water has been found in volcanic rocks below the peak of the Oregon Cascade Range. The volume is so large, the push to use it to address regional water shortages is likely to come quickly,