Grave drought in areas of the Amazon in Brazil has led river water levels to dramatically drop. This water level drop led to the exposure of dozens of rock formations that contained carvings from around 2,000 years ago.
Rock Engravings in Submerged Rock Formations
The carvings are typically not visible since they were submerged by the Negro River, whose water flows reached its lowest in 121 years just last week.
According to Jaime Oliveira who is from the Brazilian Institute of Historical Heritage (Iphan), the rock engravings are part of a greatly relevant archaeological site known as Praia das Lajes. This site was first found in 2010 during another drought period that was not as severe as this recent one.
The engravings show up against a dense jungle background. The majority of the depictions are faces of humans, with some having an oval or rectangular shape. Other depictions have grim or smiley expressions.
Oliveira explains that the site exhibits feelings and emotions. While it is a carved record of rock, it also has something similar with current art works.
According to historian Beatriz Carneiro, who is also an Iphan member, the archaeological site has an inestimable value in knowing the first inhabitants of the area.
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Drought in Brazil's Amazon
While the rock engravings surfacing has led to the excitement of scientists and the general public, it has also spurred questions that are quite unsettling. Livia Ribeiro, a longtime resident of Amazon's largest city of Manaus, explains that, while the carvings are beautiful, the sight is also worrying. Ribeiro expresses doubts about whether the river will still exist after 50 or 100 years.
Drought across the Amazon in Brazil has significantly lowered the river water levels in the past weeks. This affected an area that is dependent on waterway mazes for supplies and transportation.
With this, the government has provided emergency assistance to those from the area, where the riverbanks have gone dry and are filled with boats that are stranded.
Experts say that this year, the dry season has gotten worse because of El Niño, which is an unusual weather pattern across the Pacific Ocean that disrupts usual weather and bolsters climate change effects.
Based on reports, the Amazon river was at its lowest levels in over a century just last week. The most populated region reported 13.59 meters of water just last week. This is significantly lower compared to the figures of 17.60 a year ago.
This level is the lowest since the records started in 1902. It went below the record-low levels that the river previously reached in 2010.
Though the carving's exposure has been a reason for thrill and excitement, it reveals growing worries regarding the Amazon River's future.
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