Good morning to all and welcome back to a return of those things that are interesting.
It has been many years since this thread went dark, and I find myself in a position to do a new series of updates.
We will begin in India with a look at the mysterious floating skeletons of Roopkund Lake.
Roopkund Lake on the border of Nepal, a high altitude (5029 meters) glacial lake in India has a secret that is only revealed for a month each year when the ice melts.
In 1942 the forest ranger H K Madhawl discovered floating human remains at the edge of the lake.
Bones wash up on the bank of the river, some with an unusual amount of flesh, hair and leather clothing still present.
The remains have baffled and fascinated scientists, locals and historians since their discovery. One initial theory is that they belonged to a lost Japanese invasion force from WW2 but that was soon dismissed when they were found to date back at least 100 years.
However more recent studies suggest they are much older, dating as far back as 850AD
Initially the victims were thought to have been victims of exposure possibly due to an avalanche, but another theory is that they were murder victims as the bones showed signs of impact.
Who were these people? DNA evidence of the remains indicates there were two distinct groups – (1) a closely related or family group, and (2) a shorter group of local people, likely hired as porters and guides. Many artifacts (spears, leather shoes, rings, etc.) were found among remains, leading experts to conclude the family group was most likely made up of pilgrims heading through the valley with the help of the locals as guides.
With an estimated 200 remains, a similar type of trauma was found among the skulls of the victims.
High impact trauma from large round objects.
It is now believed that the people travelling through Roopkund lake fell victim to a severe halestorm. Trapped in the open with no cover, they were likely pelted to death by ungodly hale stones with their bodies being frozen and preserved for 1200 years until unthawing and their discovery.
Roopkund Lake is a popular trekking destination and tourist destination. Perhaps you would like to visit? If you do, keep an eye out for sudden halestorms, with stones that back then likely grew to 9 inches in size.
http://roopkundtourism.comSources:
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/scienced ... india/amp/http://m.indiatoday.in/story/uttarakhan ... 77681.html