The Three Gorges (Qutang, Wuxia and Xiling) on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River has risen 23 meters over the past 15,000 years, according to archaeology findings at Heliang Village in Wushan County, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality.

Archaeologists discovered skull caps dating back 15,000 years and a large amount of stone implements and fossils of elephants and rhinoceros in a cave on the lower reaches of the Baolong River, a tributary of the Yangtze.

According to experts, the Baolong River was 173 meters above sea level at that time. Now its elevation is 150 meters, indicating that the Three Gorges rose 23 meters over the past 15, 000 years, an average 0.23 mm each year. (Xinhua)