Posted on 09/12/2013 7:21:48 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
"Previous spatial analysis of the regional topography has shown there are major watersheds that are dry today but which would drain north from these [the Ahaggar and Tibesti ranges in the south] mountains towards the Mediterranean," says Coulthard, et. al. "Satellite imagery reveals traces of major river channels linked to these watersheds, now partially buried under sand dune deposits." It "provides the first strong quantitative evidence for the presence of three major river systems flowing across the Sahara during MIS 5e [Marine Isotope Stage 5e, or 130,000 years ago]".*
"Whilst we cannot state for certain that humans migrated alongside these rivers, the shape of the drainage systems indicate that anyone moving from south to north from a 2,000 km wide region in the mountains would be funnelled into three clear routes," the researchers continue.*
Those south-to-north river systems are the "Sahabi" and "Kufrah" in the east towards Egypt and the Levant, and the "Irharhar" much farther to the west. They note that, despite the western-most location, the Irharhar river corridor could have been the most suitable corridor for dispersal of humans beyond the Sahara during this time, as the Irharhar connects two comparatively more humid climates, the monsoonal Ahaggar and Tibesti region to a North Western Mediterranean zone that received significant rainfall in the winter. They further support this by pointing to the greater abundance of archaeological evidence found in this area dated to the time range...
(Excerpt) Read more at popular-archaeology.com ...
Old news! We heard about these rivers in that Matthew McConaughey movie “Sahara” in 2005. The Confederates took an old Ironclad full of gold up one of those rivers and the sand swallowed it up until Matthew McConaughey found it again. Did I mention Penelope Cruz is soooo hot?!
Good find, thanks!
“Proof of ancient “climate change”.”
Must have been the fault of those SUV’s they were driving then, and the coal power plants.
If they'd only had enough government, the Sahara would be green to this day.
This looks like a piece of pie crust....I think I see the face of Elvis in it! I do! I do!
My pleasure.
;’)
Prove it. How was it dated and was it excatly 100,000 years? Who says, and what are the parameters? My point: pure conjecture taken as fact. Prove me wrong.
It would have been typical behavior to follow water courses at least to safe crossings. But unless you were THERE you can't state anything for certain. These guys get paid to speculate.
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