The satellite captures an unprecedented 'ghost sea' in the Sahara Desert

Special satellite images of NASA have highlighted the subtlety elevation in an area of ​​the Sahara Desert, revealing the silhouette of a mysterious water world wider than the Caspian Sea.

A team of scientists from Royal Hollowway, Brikbeck and King College (3 member universities of the University of London, UK) synthesized satellite images, mapped these "ghost" shores and published incredible details. about an immense water world of nearly 390,000 square kilometers, across the border of Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon, larger than the Caspian Sea of ​​Central Africa.

"Chad" Mega Chad is larger than the Caspian Sea and is based on satellite imagery - (photo: ESO / NASA).

Although bigger than the sea, it was just a lake, surrounded by all sides by the desert. No one can see the lake with the naked eye, because it is only a "ghost", an ancient lake that has dried up long ago. Until now, the ruins of this great water world are the famous Lake Chad of the Sahara, much smaller than the original lake.

The location of Lake Chad and the "ghost" of Lake Mega Chad in Africa - (photo: DAILY MAIL).

According to the results of the analysis of lake sediments from the authors, the original lake they named "Mega-Chad" has a life of at least 7,000 years, was formed during the ancient North African period is still wet, High rainfall in the Sahara region. However, that period of abundant water ended about 5,000 years ago.

The ancient lake of Mega Chad also covered the famous area called Bodélé , a huge warehouse of atmospheric dust. Although coming from the land of the dead, Bodélé bushes are a valuable source of nutrients for plants. The Bodélé area has only dried up in 1,000 years and during those 1,000 years, dust has crossed the Atlantic and applied to the Amazon rainforest on the other side, helping the Amazon soil to remain fertile.

The research has just been published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.