Ancient megadrought may explain civilization’s ‘missing millennia’ in Southeast AsiaA megadrought that lasted more than 1000 years may have plagued Southeast Asia 5000 years ago, setting up dramatic shifts in regional civilizations, suggests a new study of cave rocks in northern Laos. Now, she believes the settlements could be missing because a megadrought devastated their populations and drove them to find water elsewhere. By looking for stalagmite layers that were enriched in oxygen-18, the researchers could identify times when the climate was dry. To determine whether African desertification could be linked to the Southeast Asian megadrought, the researchers simulated the ancient climate, incorporating interactions among the oceans, the atmosphere, dust, and vegetation. This in turn could have triggered a megadrought over large swaths of Southeast Asia and flooding across East Asia.

Source: The North Africa Journal August 24, 2020 18:10 UTC