A huge earthquake that shook southern Asia 2,500 years ago abruptly changed the course of the Ganges River, new research suggests.
The Ganges is one of the largest rivers in the world, flowing for about 1,600 miles . It starts in the Himalayas, on the border between India and China, and then flows east through India to Bangladesh, where it merges with other major rivers, including the Brahmaputra and the Meghna. The combined waterways fan out to form the largest river delta on Earth and empty out into the Bay of Bengal.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over."It was not previously confirmed that earthquakes could drive avulsion in deltas, especially for an immense river like the Ganges," study lead author Liz Chamberlain, a geochronologist and assistant professor at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, said in the statement.