Scientists may have found the lost city of Atlantis

A team of researchers has discovered several islands that sank into the ocean millions of years ago in the area of ​​present-day Spain. According to them, this could be the origin of the famous legend of the lost city of Atlantis. Information appears in note Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (IGME-CSIC).

The islands continue to slowly sink.

The islands are located on an underwater mountain that now includes three inactive volcanoes and is about 50 kilometers in diameter. Its base lies 2.3 kilometers below the ocean surface.

The discovery was made by a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) at depths between 100 and 2,500 metres while exploring the seabed off the east coast of Lanzarote, the easternmost of the Canary Islands. The work aims to better understand the underwater volcanic and hydrothermal activity in the area.

According to the team, the islands are continuing to slowly sink. They could have been habitable between 56 million and 34 million years ago. Once the volcanoes stopped erupting, the lava hardened and became denser, causing the islands to sink into the ocean.

However, some of the features of these places are still intact. Researchers found beaches, cliffs and even sand dunes. According to them, the sand that now covers the volcanic rocks was deposited when the islands were sinking.

Some of these beaches lie just 60 metres below the ocean surface. The team will now analyse the samples collected to date the volcanic rocks and determine when the islands began to sink. The information is from Life Sciences.

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The Legend of Atlantis

• Scientists have named the newly discovered seamount “Monte los Atlantis” after the legendary civilization described by the ancient Greeks that was swallowed by the ocean as punishment from the gods for the debauchery of its citizens.
• The legend of Atlantis dates back to the writings of Plato in the 4th century BC.
• Ancient texts describe a great civilization that developed on an island off the Iberian Peninsula around 9600 BC.
• This civilization was characterized by remarkable technological development, the possession of many natural resources, a large army, and a large population.
• According to legend, Atlantis started several wars for expansion, but ended up being defeated by Athens.
• After the defeat, Zeus decided to punish the Atlanteans for their thirst for power.
• Then the island was hit by a strong earthquake, so the sea swallowed it and it disappeared forever.