Aquifers Concentrate Electric Charge

When water in an aquifer is forced, under its own pressure, through tiny pore spaces present in the surrounding rock, scientists have discovered that electro-kinetic effects (streaming potential) and electromagnetic fields are generated due to the friction, pressure and ion content of the water.

Mechanical engineers from the University of Alberta, showed how water can produce electro-kinetic effects in a recent study. By flowing regular tap water, under its own pressure, through porous material (glass, or rock & soil) with tiny holes for the water to flow through, a continuous electrical current could be generated. They converted the hydrostatic pressure of water into electricity. They could also control the amount of electricity generated in several ways. They could do this by increasing or decreasing the size of the holes for the water to travel through, as well as by increasing or decreasing the ion content of the water.

This is exactly what happens when water travels inside an aquifer. When charged particles (ions) from metals such as calcium, magnesium, and iron are dissolved in the underground water, they have the ability to carry an electric current. When friction is created by the water (and the ions in the water) traveling through the tiny pore spaces in an aquifer, electrical fields of different force and wavelengths are generated.The parameters of these fields are dependant on the nature and concentration of the metal ions being absorbed, the pore sizes they travel through, and the speed and mass of the water.