Cave stalagmites show that flooding destroyed Liangzhu City: How an ancient Chinese culture met its end

The Liangzhu excavation site, on the Yangtze River Delta, southwest of Shanghai in China, is home to the remains of a 5,300-year-old civilisation. Liangzhu City was once an advanced culture, with hydraulic infrastructure including dams, reservoirs and canals. Despite not having metals, the Neolithic people of Liangzhu operated a complex water system that allowed agriculture to flourish.

There is still much to learn about Liangzhu, which was only declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019. It was inhabited for 1,000 years, but it’s still not entirely clear what caused the city’s downfall, which was thought to be abrupt...

Moisture affects stalagmite growth, so determining the age of specific parts of the stalagmites can help researchers to figure out wetter and drier periods in the caves’ history.

The researchers used carbon isotope analyses on the stalagmites to determine humidity levels when they were formed, and uranium-thorium dating to find their age. Uranium-thorium dating can determine a rock’s age to around a 30-year window.

“This is amazingly precise in light of the temporal dimension,” says Spötl.

The researchers found that between 4,345 and 4,324 years ago, there was a period of extremely high precipitation. This coincides with the decline of Liangzhu.

“The massive monsoon rains probably led to such severe flooding of the Yangtze and its branches that even the sophisticated dams and canals could no longer withstand these masses of water, destroying Liangzhu City and forcing people to flee,” says Spötl.

The researchers determined that the humid conditions persisted for another 300 years after these proposed floods.

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Best to know: Do not build a city on an island in the middle of a River Delta. ..Because, after about 1000 years there may be a Thousand Years Flood. And of course there is the story of the town located next to an active volcano. And the story of the Minoans who had their town located near the beach in earth-quake tidal wave area.

Cave stalagmites show that flooding destroyed Liangzhu City: How an ancient Chinese culture met its end

Watch history repeat itself if China attempts to invade Taiwan.

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