Continuous rainstorm-triggered floods have caused substantial damage to prehistoric rock art at Helan Mountain in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.
China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region [Photo: Xinhua]
Some of the petroglyphs have been damaged by mud and silt while others have peeled off or cracked due to the rain. The petroglyphs carved on individual rocks were more seriously damaged as flood waters washed the rocks away.
An employee at the site, which has about 6,000 recorded petroglyphs, said about a dozen glyphs on individual rocks were unaccounted for.
The unusually heavy rain resulted in rare floods in the mountain. Most defenses were destroyed by the powerful water flow, resulting in devastating damage to the rock art, said Hu Zhiping, deputy director of Helan Mountain Petroglyphs Administration in Yinchuan, the region’s capital.
The extent of the damage is still being assessed, said Hu.
Helan Mountain has around 20,000 petroglyphs carved by nomads who once lived in northern China.
The petroglyphs are scattered over several hundred kilometers and depict the activities of people who lived 3,000 to 10,000 years ago.
Source: Xinhua [August 26, 2016]