Saudi Arabia once a green oasis: study
Baku, April 10, AZERTAC
The Saudi Heritage Commission on Wednesday said its recent study indicated that Saudi Arabia, now primarily featuring a desert climate, was a green oasis eight million years ago, according to Xinhua.
The study analyzed data related to 22 cave formations in seven sinkholes northeast of Riyadh, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Ajab Alotaibi, director general of the commission's antiquities sector, told a press conference in the capital that the study revealed one of the world's longest climate records based on cave deposits.
Researchers applied dating techniques to determine the age of the deposits and identified distinct humid phases, some of which date as far back as around eight million years ago.
This climate record represents the longest in the Arabian Peninsula. This finding contributes to a deeper understanding of the history of biodiversity and the intercontinental movement of species through the region, said Alotaibi, highlighting the study's relevance to interpreting the impact of climate change on the movement and dispersal of human populations throughout history.
The research gathered 30 scientists from 28 local and international organizations, including universities and research centers in Germany, Australia, Italy, Britain, and the United States.
The project seeks to better understand how environmental and climatic changes have shaped the region, contributing to a more complete understanding of Saudi natural history.
However, the commission noted that despite the discoveries, Saudi Arabia's cave systems remain largely unexplored, holding immense potential for future scientific breakthroughs and deeper insights into the region's ancient past.
