What do WWII battles, ballistic missiles, and the deadly brown tree snake have in common?
However, Sant Romà is technically no longer in a body of water. The church has been fully exposed due to a dramatic reduction in the dam's water levels. The reservoir had dropped to an estimated 37% capacity by the summer of 2022.
The Church of Sant Romà is located north of Barcelona and was submerged in water when the Sau dam was built in 1963. The 11th-century building is the oldest church still standing in a body of water.
In the northwestern region of Galicia, a forgotten village has emerged as water levels dropped in the Limia River. The town of Aceredo was submerged in water in 1992 when the nearby reservoir was built. Severe drought has brought the water levels back down, exposing a ghost town trapped in time.
The newly emerged town has attracted a somewhat ghoulish brand of tourist. Visitors can walk through the derelict buildings that were once cafés, spotting beer crates and destroyed cars. The local mayor blames the abuse of the reservoir by power companies for the drought.
The bridge, called the Pons Neronianus, has always been partially visible, but the severe drought of 2022 has exposed much more of the structure than ever before.
Sources: (Euronews) (NBC News) (USA Today) (The Guardian) (Forbes) (Reuters)
A drought impacting Italy's Tiber River has uncovered the ruins of an ancient Roman bridge built by Emperor Nero around 50 CE.
July of 2022 saw Spanish reservoirs drop to 40% capacity due to record-breaking temperatures and drought. This worrying situation led to the reveal of a remarkable piece of ancient history at the Valdecañas reservoir in Cáceres.
Dropping water levels uncovered a site known as the “Spanish Stonehenge," or the Dolmen of Guadalperal. The prehistoric stone circle consists of more than 100 standing stones and is believed to be 7,000 years old.
An entire Bronze Age city has been uncovered in Iraq's Mosul reservoir. Known as the Kemune archaeological site, the city was initially discovered during a period of low water levels in 2013, and was fully exposed in 2022 due to a period of extreme drought. Iraq is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to drought.
The earthquake is likely what preserved the site so well, considering it was underwater. The upper parts of the walls collapsed, protecting the structures underneath and some of their contents.
The Italian bomb squad was called in to retrieve the explosive and detonate it safely, although more than 3,000 people had to be evacuated from their homes as a precaution. The moment of the explosion is pictured here.
Hunger stones are a predominantly European tradition. Throughout history, stones have been placed at certain locations to commemorate periods of famine. For example, a farmer might place a stone at the shore of the river with the date and their initials carved into it, marking the low water level that caused drought and hardship at that time. Sadly, many such stones have been exposed all over Europe as the rivers run dry.
China experienced record-breaking heat waves in 2022, which resulted in rapidly dropping water levels in the Yangtze River. This led to an interesting discovery in the Chongqing area in the southeast. A small stone island in the middle of the river emerged from the water, and on it were found three ancient statues.
The River Po is the longest river in Italy, stretching more than 370 miles (600 km) across the country from the Cottian Alps towards Venice. Sadly, this impressive expanse of water is rapidly dwindling in size as Italy suffers its worst drought in 70 years.
In August 2022, the receding shoreline uncovered something quite terrifying. Fishermen near the small village of Borgo Virgilio came across a 1,000-pound (455 kg) unexploded bomb that had been there since World War II.
The three seated Buddhist figures were carved into the stone approximately 600 years ago, during China's Ming dynasty. Religious icons like this can be found all over the country, but it's extremely rare to find one on a river reef in this manner. Perhaps more will be discovered as the drought worsens.
One interesting discovery found on what was once the bottom of the lake was a WWII-era boat dating back to 1944. Flat landing craft such as this were used to deliver soldiers to shore on D-Day.
A B-29 bomber plane like the one pictured here was also uncovered at Lake Mead. The plane reportedly crashed into the lake while on a mission to collect scientific data in 1948. Luckily, all of the crew members managed to escape the sinking aircraft and survived. The plane was submerged until 2022.
In addition to the odd historical relic, shockingly several sets of human remains have been found at Lake Mead in 2022. The first discovery in May was the grisliest. A barrel was spotted in the water and found to contain the body of a man who had been shot in the head sometime in the 1970s or '80s. There's speculation that this was a mob-style killing, as it coincides perfectly with a period of extreme violence among organized crime gangs in nearby Las Vegas.
Lake Mead in Nevada is the biggest reservoir in the US, but its water levels are rapidly dropping due to a severe drought in the Western states. The lake has been drying up since the '90s, but the situation quickly escalated in 2022.
Dinosaur tracks revealed by the receding Paluxy River in 2022 are believed to be 113 million years old. They are attributed to the Acrocanthosaurus, a species of dinosaur that weighed seven tons (7,000 kg) and stood at 15 feet (4.5 m).
Texas's Paluxy River has dried up significantly due to extreme drought. The river runs through the Dinosaur Valley State Park which already boasts some preserved dinosaur tracks, but many new prints that were hidden beneath the river have now been uncovered.
German archaeologist Hugo Obermaier first discovered the site in 1926, but it was submerged by flooding in 1963. It has only been visible four times in the last six decades. Spain is the driest it's been in 1,200 years, so it's likely they'll be on display for quite a while.
The Danube is the second-longest river in Europe, passing through 10 countries and four European capitals. In 2022, the water levels reached record-breaking lows due to drought. As a result, dozens of wrecked Nazi warships from World War II emerged from the river, many of them still carrying explosives. Then again in 2024, following persistently high temperatures throughout the summer, low water levels revealed over 20 ships from Nazi Germany’s Black Sea fleet. They had been sunk by the Soviet Army in 1944 and were found full of explosives in the Serbian town of Prahovo 80 years later.
Stones such as the one pictured here act as low water level warnings for future generations. Stones dating back to 1947, 1959, 2003, and 2018 have been found along the Rhine River.
The site is believed to be the city of Zakhiku, which was an important part of the Mittani Empire. It's thought to have existed between 1550 and 1350 BCE. The city was leveled by an earthquake after that.
Park superintendent Jeff Davis speculates that these particular tracks haven't been seen for decades, or perhaps have never been seen by human eyes.
In the following months, four more partial sets of human remains were uncovered in the lake, most of them close to each other. Authorities are investigating whether they come from one body or multiple bodies. Local historians believe there are likely many more disturbing finds to be had given the lake's proximity to Las Vegas.
Every continent is feeling the effects of climate change, more than any other time in history. In the Summer of 2024, Nevada's Lake Mead was in the headlines on an almost monthly basis due to the bizarre and grim discoveries exposed by dropping water levels, but it's not the only spot to offer up fascinating and terrifying treasures. Rivers, lakes, and reservoirs all over the world are pulling back to reveal ancient sites and forgotten pieces of history, some that were likely never meant to be found.
Intrigued? Click through this gallery to see some of the most interesting and disturbing discoveries made due to dropping water levels and severe droughts.
From ghost towns to warships: unexpected discoveries when water levels drop
Drought discoveries
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Every continent is feeling the effects of climate change, more than any other time in history. In the Summer of 2024, Nevada's Lake Mead was in the headlines on an almost monthly basis due to the bizarre and grim discoveries exposed by dropping water levels, but it's not the only spot to offer up fascinating and terrifying treasures. Rivers, lakes, and reservoirs all over the world are pulling back to reveal ancient sites and forgotten pieces of history, some that were likely never meant to be found.
Intrigued? Click through this gallery to see some of the most interesting and disturbing discoveries made due to dropping water levels and severe droughts.