The Sahara was once a green, watery land
Once a green savanna with vast lakes and hippos, the Sahara Desert's dramatic transformation reveals Earth's climate is constantly changing.
Imagine the vast Sahara Desert as a lush landscape with massive lakes and rivers! During the African Humid Period, from about 14,800 to 5,500 years ago, shifts in Earth's orbit brought monsoon rains, transforming the region. Fossil evidence, including hippopotamus remains found deep within the desert, proves these animals thrived in ancient bodies of water like Mega-Chad, which was once larger than the Caspian Sea.
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