3 Extraordinary Finds Revealed by Retreating Glaciers and Melting Ice

Glaciers, ice caps and permafrost conceal countless artefacts and archaeological treasures.  Now, with the planet heating up at a relentless rate – and playing online casino games is thankfully not to blame – there have been startling discoveries… some fascinating, others heart-breaking in the extreme.

What is Causing the Ice Caps to Melt?

Climate change is allegedly responsible for retreating glaciers and melting permafrost.  Besides uncomfortable temperatures, rising sea levels, uncontrollable fires and extensive drought, the natural environment is in the grips of a radical change.

Fresh water once locked into vast polar ice caps, glaciers and sheets of thickened frost is defrosting and re-emerging at an alarming rate...  The problem is that these gigantic icy structures essentially act as Earth’s ‘air-conditioning’ system – and it’s what keeps the global climate in check.

The good news is that regardless of the rising temperatures, you can keep playing online casino games at Springbok Casino.  If things get a little too hot to handle, turn on your air conditioner or enjoy a refreshing cold shower!

Glaciology – A New Area of Research

In the wake of mass evaporation lie well preserved items, artefacts, people and beasts that were once frozen in time.  These archaeological treasures from bye gone millennia have sparked an entirely new area of scientific study, aptly called ‘glaciology’.

There are partially hidden treasures that do not require glaciologists to reveal their intrinsic worth.  What are we referring to?  Our RTG online casino games, of course.  They may not be frozen in ice – but you do have to browse through the Springbok Casino games menu to uncover the incomparable gems!

What Has Been Concealed by the Ice?

What are glaciologists finding as they explore remote sites once concealed by thick layers of ice?  Well, we know for sure it isn’t the online casino games at Springbok Casino… so what then?  Here is a snapshot of three of the most fascinating discoveries lost in the annals of time:

1.  Lyuba – the Woolly Mammoth Calf

Perfectly preserved from the tip of its slender trunk to the base of the little-big feet, Lyuba is a hirsute one-ton baby from the Stone Age.  Incredibly cute and featuring most of her skin, hair and expressive little wrinkles, this long extinct woolly mammoth calf was radiocarbon (carbon-14) dated to around 39,000 years ago!

How did Lyuba survive the ravages of millennia and pop up largely untouched from her permafrost ice chamber?  Scientists believe she got stuck neck-deep in an icy swamp, died and was entombed by frost almost immediately – hence her near-perfect condition, with all organs intact.

Are Cloned Woolly Mammoths a Possibility?

What is even more extraordinary is scientists were able to extract a few vials of blood from the calf.  Now, it is only a matter of time before the little creature is cloned in a laboratory.  That begs the question; are woolly mammoth safaris going to be on future travel itineraries?

If that does not happen – and we hope it will – you can always rely on Springbok Casino to provide excellent safari-themed gambling online.  There are plenty of 5-reel and 6-reel video slots featuring wild animals as gaming icons among our vast selection of online casino games.  If you are lucky, you may even get paid out in cash!

Lots More Ancient Beasties Uncovered in Siberia

Since the discovery of Lyuba, the once frozen vastness of Siberia has revealed an Ice Age cave bear with all her soft tissue in place, an 18,000-year-old wolf puppy curled up for warmth and a 50,000-year-old woolly rhino, suspected to have drowned!

2.  A Perfect Example of Ice Age Haute Couture

Venture south to the Lendbreen Glacier in Norway and the key find there has to do with Iron Age haute couture.  While ambling around the head of the glacier, the resident glaciologist discovered what looked like a discarded jersey.

On closer inspection, the item of clothing turned out to be an intricately woven woollen tunic estimated to be more than 1,500 years ago.  That of course means someone, somewhere was manufacturing ‘high-end’ garments way before Coco Chanel!

Iron Age Gambling Paraphernalia? No Way!

Dice and board game pieces may have been around in the Iron Age but they have nothing – and we mean ‘nothing’– on the awesomely designed and animated online casino games available at Springbok Casino.  It is like comparing rock art with works by Titian, Michelangelo and Botticelli – not quite on par!

Now back to the Iron Age wardrobe…

Why Was the 1,500-Year-Old Tunic Carelessly Discarded?

The question is why did a 1.68 metre man from the Iron Age discard his tunic with its cool diamond twill pattern and fling it carelessly across a rock?  To take a dip – or was there a ravishing woman in his direct vicinity?  That, unfortunately, we will never know!

Besides the rather dated men’s apparel, there is even earlier examples of ancient wearables.  How about black Bronze Age leather shoes dating from around 1,300 BC?  Or still-intact ski strapping estimated to be from 700 AD?  Both these items turned up at different locations near the fast-melting glacier!

Watch Out for Mummified Human Remains

It is not only extinct animals and articles of clothing that have been exposed due to global warming.  The mummified remains of remarkably well-preserved people have also been discovered – and fortuitously, for the most part.

One such fellow is a 5,300-year-old warrior called Oetzi, who was slain and buried in Alpine ice for centuries. Another far more disturbing discovery was made at the summit of the Llullaillaco volcano in the Andes…

3.  The Incan Children of Llullaillaco

Three Incan children, estimated to be 4, 5 and 13 years old, were found entombed in ice.  Here is the kicker.  They were actually human sacrifices who were drugged and plied with alcohol months before the awful event.

More Than 500 Years Entombed in Ice

Wrapped in Andean ice for more than 500 years, the so-called Children of Llullaillaco were so incredibly well-preserved and completely intact, they looked as though they had simply fallen asleep.  In fact, there was still frozen blood in one child’s heart.

What happened to the children lost in the mists of time?  According to Incan ritual, they were placed in a drugged state in a small chamber beneath the ground… and left to die.

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