According to officials, a Spanish "stonehenge" has reappeared in the face of the country's severe drought.
Officially known as the Dolmen of Guadalperal, the historical masterpiece has only been seen four times, authorities said.
According to experts, the spectacular circle of megalithic stones has existed since 5000 BCE.
The structure is currently situated in a corner of the Valdecanas reservoir in the central province of Caceres.
However, it was first found in 1926 by German archaeologist Hugo Obermaier, before it was drowned in 1963 as a result of a rural development project under Francisco Franco's dictatorship.
The water level in the reservoir has fallen to 28% capacity, officials say, as Spain suffers its worst drought in 60 years.
Archaeologist Enrique Cedillo from Madrid's Complutense University told reporters, "It's a surprise and a rare opportunity to have access to it."
The architect of the structure is unknown, according to specialists.
Based on the New World Encyclopedia, dolmens consist of vertically stacked stones that support a flat rock or capstone. However, their construction remains a mystery.
Because it is frequent to find human remains around or within dolmens in Europe, it is thought that the structures acted as tombs.
NASA stated that the dolmen was last visible in 2019, when Europe was experiencing a drought.
NASA reports that this 2019 drought is the first time the complete structure has been visible since it was submerged in 1963.
In 2019, Asociación Races de Peraleda submitted a petition on Change.org requesting that the structure be removed from the reservoir. It has received over 45,000 signatures as of Thursday.
The petition states, "It is a megalithic dolmen of tremendous worth that is now, for the first time, and who knows if it will be the final time, completely accessible."
The petition goes on to state that the group has issued a "call to action" to government officials to relocate the dolman in order to "save" it and "take advantage of the current conditions because it is still in excellent condition."
According to the petition, the structure is deteriorating because the rock has grown porous and is cracking in certain locations. It advises that the construction may not be movable in the future if it is not relocated.
According to a study published in the journal Nature Geoscience, the Iberian peninsula where the dolman dwells is the driest it has been in 1,200 years, and winter precipitation is predicted to decrease further.
