I am a nerd. Due to this immutable fact, I love checking the Wikipedia main page on a near-daily basis.
Today, under the "Did you know..."/newest articles section, the following blurb immediately owned my attention:
...Skeleton Lake in India is named after the remains of approximately 600 people who died there in a sudden hailstorm...
Skeleton Lake is a lake in Roopkund in Uttaranchal (itself formerly part of Uttar Pradesh, India), the location of about three to six hundred skeletons in the Himalayas. The location is uninhabited and is located at an altitude of about 5,029 metres. The skeletons were discovered in 1942 when stumbled upon by a park ranger. At that time it was believed that the people died from an epidemic, landslides or a blizzard. The carbon dating from samples collected at that time in the 1960s vaguely indicated that the people were from the 12th century to the 15th century
In 2004 a team of Indian and European scientists set off to the location to gain more information on the skeletons. Braving bitter cold weather and thin air, the team uncovered vital clues including jewellery, skulls, bones and a preserved body.
DNA tests on the bodies revealed that there were two groups of people, a short group (probably local porters) and a taller group who were closely related. Though the numbers were not ascertained, it is believed that three to six hundred people perished. Radio carbon dating of the bones also accurately pinpointed the time period to be in the 9th century predating the earlier inaccurate tests.
After studying fractures in the skulls, the scientists in Hyderabad and London determined that the people died not of disease but of a sudden hailstorm. The hail stones were as large as cricket balls and with no shelter in the open Himalayas all of them perished. Furthermore with the rarefied air and icy conditions, many bodies were well preserved. With landslides in the area, some of the bodies made their way into the lake.
Fascinating, no? If I were you, I'd click through to the Wiki on Skeleton Lake itself, so that you can follow the myriad other links at your whim and pleasure.
Okay kids. Class dismissed. You may now return to your regular schedule of debating Modi and dissing my love life. ;)
