History is truly fascinating. Every area across the world tells the stories of generations ago and generations to come. On these lines, researchers discovered a lost river that flowed in central Thar desert 172000 years ago. They found this river near Bikaner in Rajasthan. The Quaternary Science Reviews journal published findings of this river. It indicates this river represents the oldest and directly dated phase of river activity at Nar Quarry in the Thar desert.
Researchers Find River Lost In The Thar Desert Over 172000 Years Ago
Researchers from Tamil Nadu’s Anna University, IISER Kolkata and Germany’s Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History revealed that Stone Age populations lived in a different manner in the Thar Desert. According to their evidence, this river, lost 172000 years ago had human activities near it. It was situated near Bikaner, which is over 200km away from the closest modern river.
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Researchers threw light on Paleolithic populations that would have used this river as an important corridor for migrations. It could have been their life-line. Jimbob Blinkhorn from The Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History informed media houses about lost rivers. He said, “The Thar Desert has a rich prehistory, and we’ve been uncovering a wide range of evidence showing how Stone Age populations not only survived but thrived in these semi-arid landscapes.”We know how important rivers can be to living in this region, but we have little detail on what river systems were like during key periods of prehistory.”
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Locals Speculate That This Could Be The Mythical Saraswati River
In fact, satellite imagers show a dense network of river channels crossing the Thar Desert. Studies indicate that rivers and streams flowed here in the past. The research team analysed deposits of river sands and gravels. This sample has been exposed by quarrying activity near the village of Nal. Researchers hint that the strongest river activity at Nal took place around 140000 and 172000 years ago. It happened when monsoon was quite weak then it currently is today in the same region.
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But here’s where the speculations get super interesting. Popular beliefs indicate that this could be the mythical Saraswati river that scientists have been on the lookout for many years. Several states claim they found records for the tracks of Saraswati river. But until now no one could prove that these are the remains of the river that was lost over 4000 years ago. Well, now that researchers could find this missing river near Bikaner in the Thar Desert, who knows maybe we’re one step closer to tracking Saraswati river. Meanwhile, hop on a virtual tour of Jaipur from the comfort of your home.