Atacama Desert And Its Ancient Lakes Can Rewrite South American History – Is An Ancient Lost Civilization Buried Beneath The Sand?

AncientPages.com - Was there once an ancient, unknown Atacama Desert civilization? Atacama Today, Chile’s Atacama Desert, located between two mountain ranges, which prevent water from reaching its valleys and salt flats, is one of the driest places on Earth.

However, the situation was much different in ancient times.

Recent research shows evidence of ancient lakes in the desert. These ancient lakes were large enough to sustain small human populations.

The lakes' presence challenges the current understanding of the paths early settlers took to explore and settle South America.

The discovery is significant and interesting as presence of water in this region offers evidence that can rewrite South American history.

"The implication is that a landscape previously thought to be uninhabitable was actually an important stepping-stone for colonization of South America," said Marco Pfeiffer, a soil scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, and lead author of the new study.

Scientists report radiocarbon analysis showed the freshwater lakes and wetlands existed in the desert between 9,000 and 25,000 years ago. Buried in the sediment of the desert's salt flats, researchers found freshwater plants and animals.

Many of the flats span 600 to 1,000 square meters (6,400 to 10,400 square feet), though some are larger.

Many archeologists believe South America's early settlers traveled from the west coast inland toward the Andean Mountains, avoiding the desert's dry center by walking along its wetter edges.

But the new findings suggest the Atacama's ancient lakes could have provided another path through the desert, and possibly even homes for South American settlers.

This research could also explain why scientists discovered intriguing graves of ancient unknown people in the Atacama Desert. Deserts make up about 33% of the Earth’s surface. In ancient times, places that are today covered with sand where green, warm and had access to water.

Remains of ancient civilizations have been found under the sands of deserts in many places.

Who can say with certainty what is buried beneath the sand of the Atacama Desert.

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