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Cave stalagmites show that flooding destroyed Liangzhu City: How an ancient Chinese culture met its end
Cosmos Magazine ^
| November 25, 2021
| Ellen Phiddian
Posted on 12/12/2021 11:25:06 AM PST by SunkenCiv
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.
(Excerpt) Read more at cosmosmagazine.com ...
TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: fauxiantroll; fauxiantrolls; globalwarminghoax; godsgravesglyphs; liangzhu; stalactite; stalactites; stalagmite; stalagmites
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- A Shocking Find in a Neanderthal Cave in France ( inhabited 176,000 years ago ) [09/29/2020]
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- The Intriguing Problem Of The Younger Dryas—What Does It Mean And What Caused It? [06/21/2012]
- Huge Ancient Civilization’s Collapse Explained [05/29/2012]
- Ancient Egypt was destroyed by drought, discover Scottish experts [08/04/2011]
- Asteroid Strikes Colombia -- American Media Buries It! [09/07/2010]
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- Climate, Culture, and Catastrophe in the Ancient World [02/27/2010]
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1
posted on
12/12/2021 11:25:06 AM PST
by
SunkenCiv
To: StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; 31R1O; ...
My list of links may be lacking a few.
2
posted on
12/12/2021 11:25:42 AM PST
by
SunkenCiv
(Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
To: SunkenCiv
Some kind of flood happened long ago. Hmmmm.
3
posted on
12/12/2021 11:27:34 AM PST
by
\/\/ayne
(I regret that I have but one subscription cancellation notice to give to my local newspaper)
To: \/\/ayne
4
posted on
12/12/2021 11:30:15 AM PST
by
Sacajaweau
( )
5
posted on
12/12/2021 11:32:03 AM PST
by
SunkenCiv
(Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
6
posted on
12/12/2021 11:33:57 AM PST
by
SunkenCiv
(Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
To: SunkenCiv
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.
7
posted on
12/12/2021 1:13:09 PM PST
by
Trumpet 1
(US Constitution is my guide.)
To: SunkenCiv
Cave stalagmites show that flooding destroyed Liangzhu City: How an ancient Chinese culture met its endWatch history repeat itself if China attempts to invade Taiwan.
8
posted on
12/12/2021 5:12:06 PM PST
by
higgmeister
( In the Shadow of The Big Chicken)
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