Science a GoGo's Home Page Forums General Discussion General Science Discussion Forum Water in the Sahara

"Scientists using radar techniques have peeled away the sandy cloak blanketing Darfur's parched landscape to reveal an ancient basin that once housed a mega-lake larger than Lake Erie.

"El-Baz and his colleague Eman Ghoneim, also of the Center for Remote Sensing, discovered the lake by analyzing images from the satellite Radarsat, which used radar waves to penetrate the fine-grained sand in western Sudan, revealing the hidden contours of the lake basin and surrounding rivers.

"Though the lake has since dried up, its water likely percolated into the surrounding sand and is now part of the groundwater. Maps of the ancient lake could help with groundwater exploration efforts in the Darfur region, where access to fresh water is both scarce and essential for refugee survival."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20070411/sc_livescience/ancientmegalakediscoveredindarfur;_ylt=AqSg0f5RHFfTQLJDyjpUlhOs0NUE

Picture (linked through article) at:

http://www.livescience.com/php/multimedia/imagedisplay/img_display.php?pic=070411_darfur_lake_02.jpg&cap=Dubbed+Northern+Darfur+Mega-Lake%2C+an+ancient+basin+was+discovered+in+Darfur.+Credit%3A+Boston+University+Center+for+Remote+Sensing

Nice find. Thanks for sharing.

Amaranth

Agreed, a very nice find.

The first url states that:-

While the researchers are not sure of the lake's age, its substantial size suggests it was around for a long while, fed by plentiful rain

"This ancient lake, which represents indisputable evidence of the past rainy conditions in the eastern Sahara, will have significant consequences for improving our knowledge of continental climate change and regional paleo-hydrology," Ghoneim said.


The scientists had previously discovered a similar lake basin just tens of miles north of the one-time Darfur lake. They found artifacts such as hunting knives and axes in the area, suggesting the region was a savannah-like environment where humans once lived. The scientists think the Northern Darfur Mega-lake might have once been a similar habitat.

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Some-one should tell the Egyptian Director of Archeology about this (Ive forgotten his name) He has ALWAYS disputed the Scientists who attested that the 'Sphinx' is thousands of years older than stated....due to the very obvious water worn channels that run down the Sphinx's legs.

I CANT BELIEVE THIS ...SACRILEGE

HE has had its paws reclad in NEW stone, so as to hide the evidence.
Pictures of the now desecrated Sphinx (in my opinion)

http://www.guardians.net/egypt/sphinx/

I will now look for old original photographs, that show these rain channels.

Hmmm, cant find any after a quick web search. BUT I know where
they have some from the 1920's In the British Museum Libary!!.
I have seen them.
I will get back on this one -within 48 hours hopefully.

Mike Kremer

Mike. There's an early picture of the sphinx at bottom of the page in your link.

I saw a program on TV (very reliable source of information) regarding evidence for rain channels around the sphinx. Made sense. Claim was the face had been changed many times. A quote from your link:

"Interestingly, to some, the features of the face of the Sphinx bear a far more striking resemblance to an older brother of Khafre, the Pharaoh Djedefre (AKA Radjedef)."

The story reckoned that what became the sphinx was originally a large natural rock at the edge of the cliff face. Over the years people carved the rock to look like a face, as we do. The sides of the body were carved by water flowing off the plateau. It reached its present form some time around the fourth dynasty.

It's generally accepted the Sahara has been grassland periodically. After all there are paintings of crocodiles and hippos on cave walls in the desert.

If water is taken from the lake it will lower the water table and may only last for a short time. Unless it's being replenished adequately. From a map of Africa it looks to me as though the catchment is just the northern slopes of the Dafur Mountains.

Must admit, I was so miffed, I did'nt bother to scroll down to look at the last picture.
Looking at that picture now, it was obviously taken in the 1920's
while the Sphinx was being cleared of 2000 years of sand. Its rear-end is still buried.
What I need to find is a clear, close-up photograph showing the
water rain channels that were cut into the SIDE of the Sphinx's front paws. They do exist, somewhere.
Sacrilege again, who let that guy pose, standing on top of the Sphinx's head, in his pyjamas?

You are absolutely right, the Sphinx was carved from a single solid rock.

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"You will find real Human beings - on the Moon soon"
......Mike Kremer.
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Hope you find it. Would be really interesting.

Calm down guys.
I've personally inspected the sphinx and surrounding pyramids and find them to be contemporaneous.

Contemporaneous based on what?

Your methodology was?

Your credentials for making this assessment is?

Hi Terry,
I have finally found some old pictures of the Sphinx!

Dating back to 1880. The Sphinx was covered up to its neck in sand then! So any rainwater (runoff?) erosion must have taken place thousands of years before the Sphinx was supposed to have been carved?
Back in ancient times when the desert was lush and green.

Unless of course one believes the Sphinx was sand-storm eroded?
Sand, which must have covered it up, and protected it somewhat.
Especially around its base and legs, which could hardly get sand get much sand erosion could it?

The head of the Sphinx, would have always been subjected to sand erosion in my opinion, ever since it was first carved?
Yes I know it was refaced, but even so?

Anyway the old pictures are facinating.
There's a photo of some 15 ton stones, shown at the base of the Pyramid. They dont look like cast limestone (concrete) to me.

Still everybody has to make up their own minds, even Eduardo, hi.

http://www.gizapyramid.com/oldphotos1.htm

Dont forget to look at some extra photos at the bottom of above url.
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The url below is more of one mans theory that the sides and base of the Sphinx were a result of rain water, creating deep runoff fissures.
It must be the biggest manmade carving in the world. And as such the areas near the base must have been subject to torrents of water on the windward side?

I think that would account for the verticle (water) fissures seen, and described between pictures 3 and 4 in the following url?
Again....its make your mind up time, regarding age, and when exactly was the desert green?

http://www.thehallofmaat.com/modules.php?name=Articles&file=article&sid=93#11

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"You will never find a real Human being - even in a mirror." .....Mike Kremer.
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Excellent find. Thanks Mike.