[nothingnew]

Of interest?

FMCDH(BITS)

[SunkenCiv]

These have appeared as FR topics as well:

• The African source of the Amazon's fertilizer
• Mineral dust plays key role in cloud formation and chemistry
• Stone Age humans crossed Sahara in the rain
• Evolution in Your Face
• What Was the Climate and Weather Of Israel Like at the Time of Jesus?

Thanks nothingnew for the ping, thanks BenLurkin for posting the topic.

These sediment cores hold ancient pollen grains and charcoal from long-ago fires, and can hint at the climate and ecosystem that existed when the sediment was laid down as far back as 6,000 years ago. An examination of the two cores — one from the large lake, Laguna Oricore, and one from the smaller lake, Laguna Granja — revealed a surprise: The very oldest sediments didn't come from a rainforest ecosystem at all. In fact, the Bolivian Amazon before about 2,000 to 3,000 years ago looked more like the savannas of Africa than today's jungle environment.