# Ancient Mega-Chad Lake Was 48% Larger Than Great Lakes 2026-08-15T12:28:46+00:00 | Health & Science | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet About 6,000 years ago, the southern Sahara held Lake Mega-Chad, which covered around 361,000 square kilometres, according to research reported by The Times of India. That was 48 per cent more than the combined area of North America’s five Great Lakes. Scientists reconstructed the lake from ancient shorelines, sediments and dune deposits, using optically stimulated luminescence dating. The lake expanded during the African Humid Period, when stronger summer monsoons brought rain deep into North Africa. It reached its highstand around 11,500 years ago and remained large until about 5,000 years ago, when levels fell rapidly. The Bodélé Depression dried fully around 1,000 years ago. Modern Lake Chad’s contraction has separate, more recent causes, including rainfall variation, drought and irrigation. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com Tags: Great Lakes, Lake Chad, Sahara Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/ancient-mega-chad-lake-was-48-larger-than-great-lakes/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/ancient-mega-chad-lake-was-48-larger-than-great-lakes/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.