William Atkins
Sunday, 17 May 2009 20:42
Science -
Climate
Page 2 of 3
The new Chinese survey found 290 kilometers (180 miles) of the Wall that were previously undetected. It is thought that these sections were built during the Ming Dynasty.
They lie in an area from the Hustan Mountains (in northern Liaoning providence) to Jiayuguan (in western Gansu providence).
The technology used by the Chinese found them as they lie under sand from thousands of years of sandstorms that moved across its very arid lands.
However, the survey also found that the Wall is in danger of disappearing due to artificial encroachment of it by farming and human development, along with natural, but adverse, weather conditions.
Within the AFP article, State Administration of Cultural Heritage director Shan Jixiang was quoted to have said,
“The Great Wall is under great threat, climate change and the country's massive infrastructure building being the biggest two.”
The BBC News article
Great Wall of China 'even longer' states,
“Experts said the newly-discovered sections of the wall were built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and stretch from Hu Mountain in northern Liaoning province to Jiayu Pass in western Gansu province.”
In all, the Chinese survey measured 6,258 kilometers of wall sections, 359 kilometers of trenches, and 2,232 kilometers of natural defensive barriers, such as rivers and hills.
Page three concludes.
