Did drought destroy the Mayan empire?
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November 9, 2012 |
The world isn’t going to end in 2012. The Maya never believed it, and neither should we. But the historical Mayan empire did end, and no-one knows why.
Now, though, it appears that natural climate change was at least partly to blame. Scientists have studied a 2000-year-old stalagmite from a cave in Belize. By measuring forms of oxygen in the stalagmite, they managed to pin rainfall down to specific periods. It looks like the Maya suffered some pretty severe droughts.
Let’s hope we can slow man-made climate change before we suffer a similar fate.
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The new study pins down dates of heavy rain and drought to within 17 years, which is much more accurate than previous carbon-dating attempts.
Image: Sutton Hoo at Detritus
Jan George
I know that climate disruption is increasing. New York proves that we are pretty helpless when dealing with it. Am I worried? No. We deserve it. Worry that doesn’t spur actions is a waste of mental energy.