Shipwreck buried in Maine beach that remained a mystery for over 60 years is finally identified as the British cargo ship that went missing during a storm in 1769

A shipwreck has been trapped in a Maine beach that has gone unidentified since being spotted in the 1950s 

Experts now determine it was a British cargo ship built in 1754 that was carrying four men and supplies

It was forced ashore on York Beach during a fierce storm in 1769 - the crew survived but the boat was lost

By STACY LIBERATORE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM 3 April 2020

Skeletal remains of a shipwreck have appeared on the Maine coastline nearly every 20 years, but have remained a mystery for more than six decades – until now.

Researchers have finally identified the wooden wreck as a British cargo ship that dates back before the Revolutionary War – making it older than America itself.

Using drones equip with geographical dating technology to determine it was built in 1754 and laid to rest in a sandy grave sometime during 1769.

Stefan Claesson who is a certified unmanned aircraft (UAS) mapping scientist and head of the project told DailyMail.com that the ship was carrying a four man crew along with flour, pork and English goods when it encountered a fierce storm that forced it ashore onto York Beach.


Skeletal remains of a shipwreck have appeared on the Maine coastline nearly every 20 years, but have remained a mystery for more than six decades – until now. Researchers have finally identified the wooden wreck as a British cargo ship that dates back before the Revolutionary War – making it older than America itself

'Following the 2018 storm exposure, there remained questions about the age and origin of the shipwreck,' Claesson shared.

'The sample timbers matched a New England tree-index indicating a felling date of approximately 1753.'

'Shipwrecks like this can also be thought of as living organisms, or environmental warehouses that store and can reveal information about regional climate variations through the study of tree rings.'

'In this initial study, we now have tree-ring data for multiple species from the early 1600s to the 1700s.'

Using drones equip with geographical dating technology to determine it was built in 1754 and laid to rest in a sandy grave sometime during 1769

Stefan Claesson who is a certified unmanned aircraft (UAS) mapping scientist and head of the project told DailyMail.com that the ship was carrying a four man crew along with flour, pork and English goods when it encountered a fierce storm that forced it ashore onto York Beach


A storm had first revealed the ship in the 1958 (pictured) then again in 1960, 1983, 2013 and finally in 2018 - giving experts the opportunity to investigate its origins

The team used a range of archaeological techniques during this project, including scientific dating and documentary research.

Using his specialty, Claesson unleashed a drone with geographic information system (GIS) to map and survey the site, allowing him and his team to unravel the shipwreck's secrets.

They determined the ship dates back to the mid-eighteenth century and was constructed in 1754 with wood that was cut down from trees in 1753.

It was about 60 feet long when it sailed the ocean, but the remaining structure only spans 50 feet


'Historical research revealed an account documenting a sloop called Defiance that wrecked at the York Beach location in 1769,' Claesson wrote in the email. 'The account details that a sloop Defiance was sailing out of Salem, MA bound for Portland, ME'

It was about 60 feet long when it sailed the ocean, but the remaining structure only spans 50 feet.

After determining the dates, Claesson set out to identify the ship itself.

He looked at the archives at Peabody Essex Museum and searched the records of Daniel Moulton, a local notary who documented all the wrecks in Maine between 1750 and 1794.

'Historical research revealed an account documenting a sloop called Defiance that wrecked at the York Beach location in 1769,' Claesson wrote in the email.

'The account details that a sloop Defiance was sailing out of Salem, MA bound for Portland, ME.'


'Following the 2018 storm exposure, there remained questions about the age and origin of the shipwreck,' Claesson shared. 'The sample timbers matched a New England tree-index indicating a felling date of approximately 1753.'

'The sloop and 4-man crew encountered a fierce storm, they took anchor, but in heavy seas the crew was forced to cut the anchor cables, and they were pushed ashore onto York Beach.'

'The ship was carrying a cargo of flour, pork, and English goods. The ship was a total loss, but the crew survived.

'Research also identified a sloop of the same name that was coincidentally built in 1754 in Massachusetts, which fits well with our tree-ring dates of circa 1753.

'However, additional historical research and archaeological investigations are needed to confirm the identification of the wreck as Defiance. It is assumed that the timbers were used to build the vessel shortly after felling.'

Oldest human genetic material' ever found reveals a 'sister group' to modern people, Neanderthals and Denisovans that lived 800,000 years ago

Genetic material was extracted from the tooth enamel of Homo antecessor

Found ancient proteins from DNA which dated back 800,000 years

Proves the species was closely related to humans, Neanderthals and Denisovans

Scientists say they are confident it shows the species is a 'sister group' of the three more modern species

By JOE PINKSTONE FOR MAILONLINE PUBLISHED: 2 April 2020

The oldest genetic material ever extracted from a human has revealed a 'sister group' of hominins related to Homo sapiens, Denisovans and Neanderthals.

Ancient proteins in the teeth of a fossil were discovered, analysed and dated to reveal the secrets of its owner.

It was found this primitive human, a member of the species Homo antecessor, lived 800,000 years ago

Researchers in Denmark say they are confident their study shows that Homo antecessors were a 'sister group' of the last common relatives of modern humans.
Scientists have long debated the place of Homo antecessor in human evolution and the genetic material, twice as old as any DNA ever previously found, helps clear up the mystery.

Pictured, a digital reconstruction of specimen ATD6-69 

from the Homo antecessor collection that was analysed in the study

Researchers in Denmark say they are confident their study shows that

 Homo antecessors (pictured, skeletal remains of the ancient species) 

were a 'sister group' to the last common relatives of modern humans

Study author Dr Frido Welker, at Copenhagen University, said: 'Ancient protein analysis provides evidence for a close relationship between Homo antecessor, us - Homo sapiens - Neanderthals, and Denisovans.

'Our results support the idea that Homo antecessor was a sister group to the group containing Homo sapiens, Neanderthals, and Denisovans.'

The Homo antecessor specimen was first found in 1994 at Sierra de Atapuerca, an archaeological site in northern Spain.

A new method to find tiny fragments of genetic material called palaeoproteomics was deployed to see if it could uncover anything in the remains.

Inside the tooth enamel of the ancient individual were proteins dating back 800,000 years.

This is far older than any human DNA ever found because the molecule degrades naturally after 400,000 years, scientists say.

The molecular sequencing enables scientists to retrieve evidence to accurately reconstruct human evolution from further back in time than ever before.

Study co-author Professor Jesper Velgaard Olsen, from Copenhagen University, said: 'This study is an exciting milestone in palaeoproteomics.

'Using state of the art mass spectrometry, we determine the sequence of amino acids within protein remains from Homo antecessor dental enamel.

'We can then compare the ancient protein sequences we 'read' to those of other hominins, for example Neanderthals and Homo sapiens, to determine how they are genetically related.'

Pictured, a phylogenetic tree showing how the researchers believe Homo antecessor fits in to the complex evolutionary history of hominins and when human species branched off from the Great Apes

A new method to find tiny fragments of genetic material

 called palaeoproteomics was deployed to see if it found 

anything in the remains. Inside the tooth enamel of the

ancient individual (pictured) were ancient proteins dating

 back 800,000 years

The human and the chimpanzee lineages split from each other about nine to seven million years ago, the researchers explained.

Since this genetic branch was discovered scientists have been trying to iron out the timeline of hominid evolution.

Lead study author Professor Enrico Cappellini, also from Copenhagen University, said: 'Much of what we know so far is based either on the results of ancient DNA analysis, or on observations of the shape and the physical structure of fossils.

'Because of the chemical degradation of DNA over time, the oldest human DNA retrieved so far is dated at no more than approximately 400,000 years.'

Initially scientists thought that Homo antecessor was the last common ancestor to modern humans and Neanderthals, based on fossils' physical shape and appearance.

But they began to intensely debate the exact relationship between Homo antecessors and other human groups, like ourselves and Neanderthals.

New studies confirmed that Homo antecessor's facial features are very similar to those of Homo sapiens and very different from those of the Neanderthals and their more recent ancestors.

Professor Cappellini added: 'I am happy that the protein study provides evidence that the Homo antecessor species may be closely related to the last common ancestor of Homo sapiens, Neanderthals, and Denisovans.

'The features shared by Homo antecessor with these hominins clearly appeared much earlier than previously thought. Homo antecessor would therefore be a basal species of the emerging humanity formed by Neanderthals, Denisovans, and modern humans.'

The research team is now looking forward to seeing what else can be learned about our evolutionary history thanks to their new DNA sequencing method.

WHO WERE THE HOMO ANTECESSORS?

A lifelike model of a Homo antecessor female is posed scooping out the brains of decapitated head

Homo antecessor is one of the earliest known varieties of human discovered in Europe, dating as far back as one million years ago.

Believed to have weighed around 14 stone, Homo antecessor was said to have been between 5.5 and 6ft tall.

Their brain sizes were roughly between 1,000 and 1,150 cm³, which is smaller than the average 1,350 cm³ brains of modern humans.

The species is believed to have been right-handed, making it different from other apes, and may have used a symbolic language, according to archaeologists who found remains in Burgos, Spain in 1994.

How Homo antecessor may be related to other Homo species in Europe has a subject of fierce debate.

Many anthropologists believe there was an evolutionary link between Homo ergaster and Homo heidelbergensis.

Archaeologist Richard Klein claims Homo antecessor was a separate species completely, that evolved from Homo ergaster.

However, others claim Homo antecessor is actually the same species as Homo heidelbergensis, who lived in Europe between 600,000 and 250,000 years ago in the Pleistocene era.

In 2010 stone tools were found at the same site in Happisburgh, Norfolk, believed to have been used by Homo antecessor.

Scientists believe that these early human species would breed with one another on a regular basis.

Dr Matthias Meyer, a palaeogeneticist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, in Leipzig, Germany said: 'The evolutionary history of archaic humans in the Middle Pleistocene was quite complex.

'It could be that both the ancestors of the Sima people and Denisovans interbred with another archaic group like Homo antecessor or Homo erectus.

'Or it is possible that the mitochondrial DNA we know from late Neanderthals came in from another group that left Africa.'

Ancient ritual site of a Mesopotamian war god that was used for animal sacrifices 5,000 years ago is uncovered in Iraq

Archaeologists have uncovered a sacred plaza dedicated to a war god in Iraq 

The area was used some 5,000 years ago to worship the god Ningirsu

People would hold festivals and sacrifice animals to appease him 

The team found bowls and cups, along with animal bones 

ALSO FOUND WAS A BRONZE DUCK SACRED TO THE GODDESS OF THE MARSH; NANSHE
By STACY LIBERATORE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM 2 April 2020

Archaeologists uncovered a 5,000-year-old sacred plaza in Iraq that was used for rituals to appease a Mesopotamian warrior-god.

The team working at the site in Telloh believe it was used for feasts, animal sacrifices and other processions dedicated to Ningirsu – the hero god of war, hunting and weather. In side the pit were cups, bowls, jars and animals bones that experts say are the remains from animal sacrifices.

However, a bronze object shaped like a duck was also found that may have been dedicated to Nanshe, a goddess associated with water, marshlands and aquatic birds, LiveScience reported.

The ritual site is located in what was once Girus, which was city of ancient Sumer -one of the earliest cities in the world.

A sacred plaza has laid hidden in Iraq for 5,000 years that was used for rituals to appease a Mesopotamian warrior-god and a recent excavation has uncovered its gruesome past. Archaeologists working at the site in Telloh discovered the area was used for feasts, animal sacrifices and other processions dedicated to Ningirsu – the hero god of war, hunting and weather

The area has been of interests to archaeologists for years, as it holds important Sumerian remains and artifacts.

Recently experts have been investigating the center of Girsu where the temple of Ningirsu was once standing.


Here they have found over 300 ceremonial ceramic cups, bowls, jars and spouted vessels, all which have been damaged over time.

There was also a trove of animal bones hiding under the dirt, which archaeologists believe are remains from the animal sacrifices held in the ritual pit.

Here they have found over 300 ceremonial ceramic cups, bowls, jars and spouted vessels, all which have been damaged over time

There was also a trove of animal bones hiding under the dirt, which archaeologists believe are remains from the animal sacrifices held in the ritual pit

The cite was used some 5,000 years ago to appease a Mesopotamian war god

A bronze figurine that resembles a duck was also discovered, which the team, who told LiveScience in an email, believes may have been dedicated to Nanshe, a goddess associated with water, marshlands and aquatic birds, along with a vase inscribed with text about the goddess.

Sebastien Rey, director of the British Museum's Tello/Ancient Girsu Project, and Tina Greenfield, a zooarchaeologist at the University of Saskatchewan, led that excavation at the site.

The area has been of interests to archaeologists for years, as it holds important Sumerian remains and artifacts. Recently experts have been investigating the center of Girsu where the temple of Ningirsu was once standing

The ritual site is located in what was once Girus, which was city of ancient 

Sumer -one of the earliest cities in the world

Because a thick layer of ash was found lying the ground, the team speculates massive feasts were held in the area.

These clues connects the area to the place 'where according to the cuneiform texts religious festivals took place and where the population of Girsu gathered to feast and honour their gods,' Rey and Greenfield said in the email.

Clay tablets, also known as Cuneiform tablets found at Girsu describe residents holding religious ceremonies in the sacred plaza.

The text tells of a religious feast in honor of Ningirsu that was held twice throughout the year and lasted for three or four days, Rey and Greenfield explained.

WHAT WAS ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA?

A historical area of the Middle-East that spans most of what is now known as Iraq but also stretched to include parts of Syria and Turkey.

The term 'Mesopotamia' comes from Greek, meaning 'between two rivers'.

The two rivers that the name refers to are the Tigris river and the Euphrates.

Unlike many other empires (such as the Greeks and the Romans) Mesopotamia consisted of several different cultures and groups.

Mesopotamia should be more properly understood as a region that produced multiple empires and civilisations rather than any single civilisation.

Mesopotamia is known as the 'cradle of civilisation' primarily because of two developments: the invention of the 'city' as we know it today and the invention of writing.

Mesopotamia is an ancient region of the Middle-East that is most of

 modern-day Iraq and parts of other countries. They invented cities, 

the wheel and farming and gave women almost equal rights

Thought to be responsible for many early developments, it is also credited with the invention of the wheel.

They also gave the world the first mass domestication of animals, cultivated great swathes of land and invented tools and weaponry.

As well as these practical developments, the region saw the birth of wine, beer and demarcation of time into hours, minutes, and seconds.

It is thought that the fertile land between the two rivers allowed hunter-gathers a a comfortable existence which led to the agricultural revolution.

A common thread throughout the area was the equal treatment of women.

Women enjoyed nearly equal rights and could own land, file for divorce, own their own businesses, and make contracts in trade.

Landmark 'Broken Hill' skull fossil surprises scientists who find it is 'younger than thought' at just 300,000 years old

Skull is almost completely intact and was first found by miners in Zambia in 1921 

Analysis of the remains revealed it is most likely 299,000 years old 

Estimate indicates the individual lived more recently than previously thought

Reshapes timeline of ancient Africa to indicate Homo sapiens, Homo heidelbergensis and Homo naledi at the same time 

ANOTHER DISCOVERY IN THE MUSEUM STORAGE ROOMBy JOE PINKSTONE FOR MAILONLINE  1 April 2020

A skull which helped shape the understanding of human evolution when the fossil was first discovered almost a century ago has finally been dated by scientists.

The so-called Broken Hill skull belongs to the ancient human ancestor Homo heidelbergensis and is believed to be 300,000 years old.

The skull is one of the best-preserved fossils of the early human species and was previously thought to be 500,000 years old after being discovered in 1921 by miners in Zambia.

Dubbed Rhodesian Man when it was uncovered, it possesses primitive features such as a large face, flat forehead and huge brow ridges but it did have a large brain size.

The skull is currently on display at the Natural History Museum and fresh analysis revealed it to be far younger than previously thought.



The skull (pictured) , dubbed Rhodesian Man when it was discovered, possesses primitive features such as a large face, flat forehead and huge brow ridges. Its brain size fits in the range of our species

The new study estimates the fossil to be between 274,000 and 324,000 years old, with a best guess of 299,000 years.

Scientists said the skull, which represents a potential evolutionary link in the chain that led to modern humans, does not appear to share significant similarities with Homo sapiens.

Professor Chris Stringer from the Natural History Museum in London said: 'Through years of painstaking work including direct dating of the skull itself and other materials found around the Broken Hill site, I, geochronologist Rainer Grün, and other colleagues have produced a best age estimate of about 299,000 years for the Broken Hill skull.

'This is surprisingly young, as a fossil at about 300,000 years would be expected to show intermediate features between H. heidelbergensis and H. sapiens, but Broken Hill shows no significant features of our species.'

Scientists said the skull, which represents a potential evolutionary link in the chain that led to modern humans, does not appear to share significant similarities with Homo sapiens


The Natural History Museum's Professor Chris Stringer is seen holding the Broken Hill skull, Homo heidelbergensis, a fossil of an extinct human species found in Zambia in 1921

This indicates the species represented by the skull was unlikely to have been a direct ancestor of Homo sapiens as some had thought. Our species first appeared more than 300,000 years ago in Africa, later spreading worldwide.

Scientists initially assigned the skull to a species they called Homo rhodesiensis.

Most scientists now assign it to the species Homo heidelbergensis, which inhabited parts of Africa and Europe starting about 600,000 years ago.

Anthropologist Chris Stringer of the Natural History Museum in London said its age indicates at least three human species inhabited Africa around 300,000 years ago: Homo sapiens in places like Morocco and Ethiopia, Homo heidelbergensis in south-central Africa, and Homo naledi in South Africa.

It suggests Africa may have been 'a melting pot' involving interbreeding among multiple human species, the researchers said.

'It's a surprisingly late age estimate, as a fossil at about 300,000 years might be expected to show intermediate features between Homo heidelbergensis and Homo sapiens, but Broken Hill shows no significant features of our species,' said Stringer, a study co-author.

'Also, the latest research suggests that the facial shape of Homo heidelbergensis fossils does not fit an ancestral pattern for our species.'

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT HOMO HEIDELBERGENSIS?

Homo heidelbergensis lived in Europe, between 650,000 and 300,000 years ago, just before Neanderthal man.

Homo heidelbergensis, shares features with both modern humans and our homo erectus ancestors.

The early human species had a very large browridge, and a larger braincase and flatter face than older early human species.

Homo heidelbergensis lived in Europe, between 650,000 and 300,000 years ago, just before Neanderthal man

It was the first early human species to live in colder climates, and had a ­­­short, wide body adapted to conserve heat.

It lived at the time of the oldest definite control of fire and use of wooden spears, and it was the first early human species to routinely hunt large animals.

This early human also broke new ground; it was the first species to build shelters, creating simple dwellings out of wood and rock.

Males were on average 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) and weighed 136lb (62kg) while females averaged 5 ft 2 in (157 cm) and weighed in at 112 lbs (51 kg).

Source: Smithsonian

Coronavirus could trigger the biggest fall in carbon emissions since World War Two

Half the world's population is in coronavirus lockdown with economies halted 

Carbon emission could fall by up to 5 per cent, first fall of any kind since 2008

Fall of 5 per cent would mark the biggest drop since end of Second World War 

Climate scientists had warned emissions needed to start falling from 2020

By REUTERS 4 April 2020

Carbon dioxide emissions could fall by the largest amount since World War Two this year as the coronavirus outbreak brings economies to a virtual standstill, according to the chair of a network of scientists providing benchmark emissions data.

Rob Jackson, who chairs the Global Carbon Project, which produces widely-watched annual emissions estimates, said carbon output could fall by more than 5% year-on-year — the first dip since a 1.4% reduction after the 2008 financial crisis.

'I wouldn't be shocked to see a 5% or more drop in carbon dioxide emissions this year, something not seen since the end of World War Two,' Jackson, a professor of Earth system science at Stanford University in California, told Reuters in an email.


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Global carbon emissions could fall by 5 per cent year-on-year in 2020 scientists believe, the first drop of any kind since 2008 and the largest fall since the Second World War (pictured, nitrogen dioxide pollution over Europe in January and March this year)



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Half of the world's population is now in coronavirus lockdown with economies shuttered while governments try to flatten the curve of infection, leading to a huge drop in pollution (pictured, nitrogen dioxide pollution over China in December and February this year)

'Neither the fall of the Soviet Union nor the various oil or savings and loan crises of the past 50 years are likely to have affected emissions the way this crisis is,' he said.

The prediction – among a range of new forecasts being produced by climate researchers - represents a tiny sliver of good news in the midst of crisis: Climate scientists had warned world governments that global emissions must start dropping by 2020 to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

But the improvements are for all the wrong reasons, tied to a world-shaking global health emergency that has infected more than 950,000 people - while shuttering factories, grounding airlines and forcing hundreds of millions of people to stay at home to slow the contagion.

Experts warn that without structural change, the emissions declines caused by coronavirus could be short-lived and have little impact on the concentrations of carbon dioxide that have accumulated in the atmosphere over decades.

'This drop is not due to structural changes so as soon as confinement ends, I expect the emissions will go back close to where they were,' said Corinne Le Quéré, a climate scientist at the University of East Anglia in eastern England.

After world greenhouse gas emissions dipped in the aftermath of the 2007-2008 global financial crisis, they shot back up a whopping 5.1% in the recovery, according to Jackson.

Pollution levels drop in US cities amid the quarantines


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Graphs comparing the amount of nitrogen dioxide pollution on the US east coast between January and March. Nitrogen dioxide is released when carbon fuels, such as petrol and natural gas, are burned for energy


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Graphs comparing the amount of nitrogen dioxide pollution on the US west coast between January and March, after lockdowns were put in place

The pattern of a swift rebound has already begun to play out in China, where emissions fell by an estimated 25% as the country closed factories and put in place strict measures on people's movement to contain the coronavirus earlier this year, but have since returned to a normal range.

That kind of resilience underscores the magnitude of the economic transformation that would be needed to meet the goals of an international deal brokered in Paris in 2015 to try to avert the most catastrophic climate change scenarios.

A U.N. report published in November found that emissions would have to start falling by an average of 7.6% per year to give the world a viable chance of limiting the rise in average global temperatures to 1.5C, the most ambitious Paris goal.


'I don't see any way that this is good news except for proving that humans drive greenhouse gas emissions,' said Kristopher Karnauskas, associate professor at the Department of Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder.

With the world dependent for fossil fuels for 80% of its energy, emissions forecasts are often based on projections for global economic growth.

Last month, Glen Peters, research director of the Center for International Climate Research in Oslo, predicted carbon emissions would fall between 0.3% and 1.2% this year, using higher and lower forecasts for global GDP growth from the OECD.

A few days later, the Breakthrough Institute, a research centre in California, predicted emissions will decline 0.5-2.2%, basing its calculations on growth forecasts from JP Morgan, and assuming the global economy recovers in the second half.

Europe's air pollution dramatically drops amidst coronavirus



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Climate scientists are urging governments to think about how economies can be restarted to ensure that emissions do not return to pre-coronavirus levels (pictured, nitrogen dioxide emissions over Spain before and after lockdown)


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The reduction in air pollution in 2020 shows just how far governments need to go to permanently reduce emissions, scientists say (pictured, nitrogen dioxide emissions over France pre and post lockdown)


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Satellite images showing how nitrogen dioxide emissions, which are produced when carbon fuels are burned, fell in Italy before and after lockdown

'Our estimates indicate that the pandemic's climate silver lining is vanishingly thin,' said Seaver Wang, a climate and energy analyst at the institute.

'It's as if we went back in time and emitted the same amount we were a few years ago — which was already too much. In the grand scheme of things, it really makes no difference.'

Some foresee a bigger hit to the economy. The London-based Centre for Economics and Business Research estimates that world GDP will fall by at least 4% this year — albeit with a 'huge margin of error.'

That drop would be more than twice as large as the contraction during the financial crisis, and the largest annual fall in GDP since 1931, barring wartime, the centre said.

With governments launching gigantic stimulus packages to stop their economies collapsing, investors are now watching to see how far the United States, and China, the European Union, Japan and others embrace lower-emission energy sources.

'Even if there is a decline in emissions in 2020, let's say 10% or 20%, it's not negligible, it's important, but from a climate point of view, it would be a small dent if emissions go back to pre-COVID-19 crisis levels in 2021,' said Pierre Friedlingstein, chair in mathematical modelling of the climate system at the University of Exeter in southwest England.

'This is why it is important to think about the nature of the economic stimulus packages around the world as countries come out of the most immediate health crisis,' said Dan Lashof, U.S. director at the World Resources Institute.

Tallest waterfall in Ecuador runs dry after mysterious sinkhole opens up under the river that feeds it

The San Rafael waterfall in Ecuador has run dry.

Local officials have traced the cause to a large sinkhole that opened beneath the river that once fed the falls.

Located in Cayambe Coca Park, part of the Ecuadorian Amazon near the border with Colombia, the falls ranked as the tallest in the country at more than 500 feet. 

Stunning drone footage captures Ecuador waterfall dried by sinkhole

The government has restricted access to the site of the falls and surrounding area as a team investigates what caused the sinkhole, according to a report in Mongabay.

Some have pointed to a hydroelectric plant 12 miles upstream as a possible cause.

'A waterfall that has been there for thousands of years does not collapse, coincidentally, a few years after opening a hydroelectric project,' Emilio Cobo, coordinator at the South America Water Program with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, told Mongabay.

'These are processes that are in scientific papers and there is sufficient evidence that a dam can cause effects of this type on a river.'

The plant, which was built by the Chinese company SinoHydro and opened in 2016, isn't directly on the river, but it has a diversion reservoir that's designed to remove between 90 and 100 percent of the sediment from the river before its waters reach the plant.



The San Rafael waterfall (pictured above) was the tallest waterfall in Ecuador, at over 500 feet, before a sinkhole formed underneath the river that feeds it, causing the falls to run dry

Sediment acts as a protective layer in riverbeds, helping to insulate the ground below from water erosion.

Without a steady flow of new sediment from upstream, the older sediment is eventually washed away, leaving more of the riverbed susceptible to erosion, a condition researchers describe as 'hungry waters.'

Geologist and former secretary of Natural Capital at Ecuador's Ministry of Environment Alfredo Carrasco argues that the 'hungry waters' phenomenon could also have been caused by seismic activity in the region.

'There are many quite intense earthquakes here. In March 1987, a very strong one appeared that caused tremendous damage to the trans-Ecuadorian oil pipeline that passes right through it,' Carrasco said.

Scroll down for video

This picture released by Ecuador's government shows the San Rafael waterfall after it had nearly run dry, apparently as a result of a sinkhole shortly before the drop

The San Rafael waterfall (pictured above) was the tallest waterfall in Ecuador, at over 500 feet, before a sinkhole formed underneath the river that feeds it, causing the falls to run dry
Stunning drone footage captures Ecuador waterfall dried by sinkhole

The waterfall had previously attracted tens of thousands of visitors a year, and was hailed by the government as a 'symbol of eco-tourism in Ecuador'.

The government has restricted access to the site of the falls and surrounding area as a team investigates what caused the sinkhole, according to a report in Mongabay.

Ecuador's environment ministry said park rangers had noticed a 'possible undermining of the river's path prior to the waterfall' which had 'caused the water to take a new course'.

The once-impressive waterfall stopped flowing on February 2, according to NASA's Earth Observatory.

Some have pointed to a hydroelectric plant 12 miles upstream as a possible cause.

'A waterfall that has been there for thousands of years does not collapse, coincidentally, a few years after opening a hydroelectric project,' Emilio Cobo, coordinator at the South America Water Program with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, told Mongabay.

'These are processes that are in scientific papers and there is sufficient evidence that a dam can cause effects of this type on a river.'

The plant, which was built by the Chinese company SinoHydro and opened in 2016, isn't directly on the river, but it has a diversion reservoir that's designed to remove between 90 and 100 percent of the sediment from the river before its waters reach the plant.

Sediment acts as a protective layer in riverbeds, helping to insulate the ground below from water erosion.

Without a steady flow of new sediment from upstream, the older sediment is eventually washed away, leaving more of the riverbed susceptible to erosion, a condition researchers describe as 'hungry waters.'

Geologist and former secretary of Natural Capital at Ecuador's Ministry of Environment Alfredo Carrasco argues that the 'hungry waters' phenomenon could also have been caused by seismic activity in the region.

'There are many quite intense earthquakes here. In March 1987, a very strong one appeared that caused tremendous damage to the trans-Ecuadorian oil pipeline that passes right through it,' Carrasco said.

'For me, the phenomenon is eminently of natural origin.'


Researchers are still unsure what caused the sinkhole to form, but everyone agrees the diversion of the waters to three new, smaller waterfalls will reshape the region, something already visible in satellite imagery showing the falls in 2014 (left) and 2020 (right)

In Carrasco's theory, sediment from upstream could have been blocked by a natural dam that was formed after an earthquake, which over time would have limited the amount of sediment flowing downstream, potentially causing erosion sufficient to create the sinkhole.

Whatever the cause, researchers agree the sinkhole will radically reshape the region as the once unitary river has now been split into three smaller streams, each of which have formed their own small waterfalls along the jungle ridge.

The three new waterfalls cannot be seen from the viewing platforms which were located around the original landmark.

These newer and smaller waterfalls, will bring added risk of landslides and potentially threaten the wellbeing of fish and other invertebrates that had been a part of the river's ecosystem for years.

'In the scientific world, many do not see rivers as ecosystems, when in reality it is a reduced surface that ends up absorbing many of the environmental impacts,' Cobo said.

Ecuador's government does not plan to perform the reconstruction on the riverbed which would be necessary to restore the waterfall.

Visitors had previously been encouraged to take a half-hour walk from a nearby road and see the butterflies who lived near the waterfall.

'The waterfall is now part of history,' the NASA Earth Observatory says.

VIDEO

WHAT ARE SINKHOLES?
A sinkhole is a hole in the ground created by erosion and the drainage of water.

They can range in size from a few feet in diameter to the size capable of swallowing entire buildings.

They are a natural phenomenon but the process is often amplified by human processes and interference.

There are two basic types of sinkhole which are separated by how they form.

Slow developing ones are known as a cover-subsidence sinkhole and those that appear suddenly are called a cover-collapse sinkhole.

The sudden holes which seize headlines are the latter and can cause devastation and even death.

Often, it involves soluble rock, such as limestone, becoming moist and eroding rapidly.

This then leads to a swift loss of land and a sinkhole emerges.

Victoria Falls roars back to life thanks to heavy rains just months after severe drought reduced it to a trickle 

Victoria Falls, on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe, almost ran dry last year  

The world's largest waterfall is now roaring again after heavy rains upstream 

 
A second deluge is now due to boost it to levels not seen seen since the 1970s

But few will get to see it after viewing areas were closed due to coronavirus

By CHRIS PLEASANCE FOR MAILONLINE  2 April 2

The Victoria Falls are thundering once again, just months after a severe drought brought the world's largest waterfall to a virtual trickle.

Heavy rainfall upstream means the Zambezi River, which feeds the falls, is now at its highest level for 20 years and has seen the amount of water cascading over the rocky outcrop increase by ten times since January.

A second deluge of water which fell in Angola in recent weeks near the source of the river, some 480 miles away, is on course to top up the torrent to levels not seen since the Seventies.

Victoria Falls appears to be back flowing once again

Victoria Falls, which sits on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe in southern Africa, has come roaring back to life thanks to heavy rains upstream (file image)

Just four months ago the falls, thought to be the largest in the world, had been reduced to a mere trickle amid the worst drought in the region for 100 years

Video taken by writer and photographer Peter Frost shows water gushing over the falls on Wednesday.

Trevor Lane, 68, a conservationist based in the town of Livingstone close to the falls, told The Times: 'It looks very much like we are going to exceed the record set in the Seventies in the next fortnight.'

However, almost nobody will get to witness the sight firsthand after Zimbabwe, on whose border the falls sits, closed viewing sights amid a lockdown over coronavirus.

The Victoria Falls - named by Scottish Explorer Robert Livingstone in 1855, but known as Mosi-oa-Tunya or 'The Smoke That Thunders' to locals for much longer - are neither the world's tallest, nor widest falls.

However, they are known as the world's largest due to a combination of width, height, and volume of water cascading over them.

For comparison, they are almost twice the height of America's Niagara Falls and more than twice the width of the Horseshoe Falls.

The falls sit on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, and were formed by the Zambezi river washing away soft sedimentary rock to expose hard basalt beneath.

The falls are set to reach levels not seen since the 1970s after a second deluge in recent weeks, but few will get to see it after Zambia and Zimbabwe closed viewing areas due to coronavirus

News of heavy rainfall will also come as a relief to the citizens of Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa who rely on the Zambezi for power which is generated at the Kariba dam downstream of the falls (pictured, the falls at a trickle in November last year)

The river itself originates close to the border where Zambia, Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo meet.

It then flows through Zambia, Angola and Namibia, then back along the border of Zambia before discharging into the Indian Ocean in Mozambique.

The river is dammed at two points, the first of which - the Kariba - is located a short distance downstream from the falls.

While river levels have hit historic highs, the reservoir that feeds the dam is only 16 per cent full after the region suffered through its worst drought in 100 years.

The dam provides power for large parts of Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa, which have suffered blackouts as the river dried up.

Seeing the falls disappear also meant a drop in tourist revenues for Zambia and Zimbabwe, which typically attract millions of visitors each year.

Corona beer suspends production due to coronavirus
The lager brand will not be produced after Mexico deemed it non-essential

Brewery Grupo Modelo said it was scaling down operations to a 'bare minimum'

But it suggested it could keep brewing beer if it was deemed to be agriculture

By TIM STICKINGS FOR MAILONLINE and AFP 4 April 2020

The brewer of Corona beer has suspended production because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The brand of lager - whose unfortunate name has made it a punchline during the health crisis - will not be produced after Mexico deemed it non-essential.

Fears of a shortage have prompted panic-buying, with pictures from Mexican shops showing trolleys piled up with beer.

The brewery Grupo Modelo said it was scaling down its operations to a 'bare minimum' in line with the Mexican government's orders.


However, the company suggested it could keep brewing beer if its operations were deemed to be agriculture, which is allowed.


Fears of a shortage of alcohol in Mexico have prompted panic-buying, with pictures from Mexican shops showing trolleys piled up with Corona and its sibling Coronita
Drivers queue outside store after Mexican state bans alcohol

Corona lager - whose unfortunate name has made it a punchline during the health crisis - will not be produced after Mexico deemed it non-essential

Corona beer - pictured here on a shelf in Thailand last month - is suspending production because of the coronavirus crisis in Mexico

Grupo Modelo, which also has other export brands including Pacifico and Modelo, said it would complete the suspension in the next few days.

The brewery will reduce operations to a level where they could resume once the suspension is lifted, Grupo Modelo says.

The company said that brewing could continue 'if the government considers it appropriate to issue some clarification confirming beer as an agro-industrial product'.

'We are ready to execute a plan with more than 75 per cent of our staff working from home and at the same time guaranteeing the supply of beer,' a statement said.

Agriculture and food production are among the key sectors which are still allowed to function under Mexican government orders.

Non-essential activities have been suspended for at least the month of April to slow the spread of coronavirus.

Mexico's other major beer producer Heineken - which makes the Tecate and Dos Equis brands - could also stop activities on Friday, Mexican media said.

The northern state of Nuevo Leon where Heineken's Mexican operations are based said on Wednesday it would stop the distribution of beer, sparking panic-buying.

Speculation about a total alcohol ban - although so far unfounded - has also prompted queues at shops. 

Corona slammed for advert amid Covid-19 outbrea

A police officer and volunteer patrol a closed beach in Baja 

California in Mexico earlier this week as the country shuts 

down non-essential activities 

Spring breakers drink Corona on beach amid coronavirus outbreak

Jaime Heliodoro Rodriguez Calderon, the governor of Nuevo Leon, told local media: 'Why buy alcohol now and cause a problem?

'Someone can be infected, you are creating risk. You will leave the shop infected and you will infect your children.'

Mexico has so far registered more than 1,500 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 50 deaths.

Constellation Brands, which sells Corona in the U.S., said in February that its sales remained strong despite the label's obvious drawbacks.

But the company suffered a separate blow last week when plans for a $1.5billion brewery on the U.S. border were rejected in a referendum.

The plant was already two-thirds built but Mexico's government said it would not grant operating permits after the vote.

Mexico's deputy health minister said yesterday there are no plans for border closures even as the country's death toll mounts.

'There's no plan, because there's no intention to use the border closure mechanism as if it were a useful mechanism for controlling the epidemic,' said Hugo Lopez-Gatell during his regular evening news conference.

'Although there's an expectation in the general public's view that a physical barrier can be put to epidemics, there's no scientific, historical demonstration that these types of measures are of any use.'