Hunger stones in the Czech Republic and Germany
“If you see me, cry,” reads a carving on a stone at the bottom of the Elbe River in the Czech Republic. The inscriptions on the so-called famine stones date from 1616 and commemorate the years of famine. Drought dropped the river level and exposed the stones, allowing the city’s inhabitants more than 400 years ago to write about lost crops due to lack of rain. Drought revealed similar stones in Germany when the Rhine river fell this summer. Some of the German stones are as recent as the 1940s.
“Spanish Stonehenge”
A shrinking reservoir has revealed an oval of stones that scientists believe date back to 5000 BC. It is called the Dolmen of Guadaperal. An archaeologist discovered it in 1929, but the government later built a dam on the Tagus River and the stones were left at the bottom of the Valdecanas Reservoir, according to an article in the journal Science. A drought in Spain has revealed the Dolmen of Guadalperal, or the Spanish Stonehenge. PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/AFP via Getty Images The approximately 100 stones, some 6 feet high, are arranged in an oval, reminiscent of the layout of England’s famous Stonehenge. Thus, the formation in Spain was called the “Spanish Stonehenge”. The last time the megaliths saw the sun was in 2018, and the Dolemans have only surfaced a handful of times since coming underwater. Archaeologists are busy surveying the stones before the water levels rise again.
Lost city found in Iraq
Archaeologists have also attempted to excavate and document a 3,400-year-old city in Northern Iraq on the Tigris River. Extreme drought forced the country to lower Mosul’s reservoir to irrigate crops, exposing the ancient city. In a press release, scientists named the reservoir as Iraq’s most important water storage. The German and Kurdish archaeologists in charge of the project believe this could be Zakhiku, a center of the Mittani empire that ruled large parts of northern Mesopotamia and Syria between 1550 and 1350 BC. They found a palace, huge fortification walls and towers. They also found multi-story storage buildings full of pottery and plates. Archaeologists have also attempted to excavate and document a 3,400-year-old city in Northern Iraq on the Tigris River. Universities of Freiburg and Tü “It is almost a miracle that wedge-shaped slabs of unfired clay survived so many decades under water,” Peter Pfälzner, an archaeologist at the University of Tubingen, said of the discovery. The well-preserved condition of the walls shocked the research team, given that the walls are made of sun-dried mud bricks and had been under water for more than 40 years, said a press release from the University of Tubingen. The team covered the area with plastic sheeting and gravel to protect it from water. Recent rains submerged the ancient treasure.
WWII bomb in Italy
A fisherman on the developing banks of the Pa River has made a surprising discovery – a 992-pound WWII-era bomb. The local government evacuated 3,000 people before the bomb squad managed to move and detonate the American-made bomb in an 18-foot hole in a nearby quarry, Italian news agency Corriere Della Sera reported.
Wrecks of World War II in Serbia
Bomb squads were also busy in Serbia, where low levels in the Danube River revealed dozens of German warships, complete with ammunition and explosives, FOX News reported. Germany destroyed hundreds of ships as Soviet forces pursued retreating Nazi forces during World War II. A sailor rows next to the wreckage of a World War II German warship.Darko Vojinovic/AP Officials are concerned that the explosives pose a threat to shipping lanes.
Drought Rediscovers WWII Warships
Extremely low water levels due to drought in the Danube River have revealed World War II warships on the sandy bottom.
600-year-old Buddha statues in China
Three 600-year-old Buddha statues surprised a swimmer in China’s Yangtze River. The trio is on an island that is usually submerged by river water. “Because the temperatures are so hot, the lakes and rivers are drying up and look what they found,” said FOX Weather meteorologist Amy Freeze. The man who discovered the statues lost his shoes while swimming, but was so amazed that he took the 113-degree cliffs in bare feet to explore the ancient monuments. Check out the drone video taken of the find attached at the top of this article. The giant Buddha below also grew out of the drought and made its appearance in its entirety in Leshan, China. Due to continuous drought, the river flow of Dadu River, Qingyi River, and Minhe River has greatly decreased in Leshan. The giant Buddha has completely emerged from the water.
Dinosaur tracks in Texas
Dinosaur tracks were discovered in a Texas state park. Paul Baker – Friends of Dinosaur Valley Visitors to the park in one part of Texas had to walk on 113-million-year-old tracks. The ongoing drought has dried up part of a river in Dinosaur Valley State Park, exposing the massive footprints of a 7-ton acrocanthosaurus and a 60-foot-tall sauropod. Record rainfall in Texas last week may have filled them again with water and sediment that normally keeps them hidden from view.
Dinosaur tracks uncovered in Texas amid drought
In the midst of a drought, Dinosaur Valley State Park discovered dinosaur tracks that were historically covered by water and sediment. They date back more than 113 million years.
Were water levels this low in the past?
Climatologists claim in a recent study published in the journal Nature that the western US is experiencing its driest 22-year stretch in the past 1,200 years. China has just gone through its most intense heat wave since records began in 1961, according to the World Meteorological Organization. In July alone, China’s economy lost 2.73 billion yuan due to the drought, according to China’s Ministry of Emergency Management. Tourists take a boat to see the Leshan Giant Buddha on August 20 in China. Zhang Lang/China News Service via Getty Images A recent report by the European Drought Observatory and the European Union’s Joint Research Center said it was the worst European drought in 500 years. Almost 50% of the EU is under a drought warning, while another 17% is on alert. This is also the worst drought in French history, according to the report. Portugal and Spain are freezing water, and countries such as Germany, France, Italy, Romania and the United Kingdom have issued water restrictions. According to the report, low water levels are reducing energy production in several countries.
