(ORDO NEWS) — An international team of scientists has uncovered the cause of the formation of the Sahara Desert, which is the largest desert on the planet. Writes about this scientific publication Nature Geoscience.
Scientists were able to find out that most of the Sahara was covered with green vegetation several millennia ago . However, frequently repeated climatic changes have led to the formation of the largest desert on Earth.
Scientists came to such conclusions when they studied sediment samples from the Mediterranean Sea, which formed in the last 160 thousand years. The researchers also carried out modeling of climate change for the specified period. The remains of plants and shells of ancient molluscs were found in layers of silt at the bottom of the sea. This allowed scientists to obtain more information about the changes that have occurred in the region under study.
As a result of their research work, scientists have found that the cause of the alternation of heavy rainfall and long dry periods are small shifts in the Earth’s orbit.
The most suitable conditions for human life were observed in the area between North Africa and the Mediterranean coast. In this regard, climatic changes have forced people to migrate from the sandy regions of the Sahara.
Some scientists believe that the ongoing climatic changes on the planet may again return the Sahara to its former green appearance, and more frequent snowfalls in this region indirectly confirm this hypothesis.
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