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CHAPTER 1
GEOGRAPHY
TODAY THE ATLANTIC OCEAN covers almost all of ancient Atlantis, whose land once stretched, sometimes in the shape of a serpent, from the present country of Greenland in the north, to Brazil in the south, and from the United States almost to Africa. When the fertile continental shelves bordering the Atlantic Ocean were above the surface, many Atlanteans left their unstable land and settled in those desirable areas. Atlantis' varied topography included vast plains of rich red soil, deep river valleys, and rugged mountain ranges, many of whose tall peaks were covered with perpetual snow. The country gradually returned to the ocean bottom from whence it came. Today's sonar devices, which use reflected sound vibrations to detect the presence and location of submerged objects, portray the physical features of Atlantis just as they were thousands of years ago when the land was above the surface.
Atlantis began to emerge from the hot, liquid bowels of the Earth 200 million years ago when Pangea, the supercontinent that contained all the land of our globe, slowly broke apart. Separations occurred along the lines of the tectonic plates — large rock masses, forty-five to seventy-five miles thick, which cover the surface of this planet. The plates float on a hot, thick liquid, known as the mantle, like pieces of wood floating on a simmering thick soup. After Pangea separated, molten lava and volcanic rocks poured from the cracks at the boundary line between the American plate and the Eurasian plate. These extensive ejections from the inner Earth united to form the Atlantic Ridge, a section of the ocean floor running north–south in the center of the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic Ridge plus the Azores Plateau (150,000 square miles of relatively flat land on the northeastern side of the Ridge) comprised the mainland of Atlantis.
Today the sea floor between the American and Eurasian continents continues to separate at an erratic but average rate of about one-half inch per year, or approximately as fast as a fingernail grows. Two hundred thousand years ago, the continents on opposite sides of the ocean were only two miles closer to each other than their current locations. Studies of rock strata reveal that layers of ancient crystalline rock are identical on today's South American and African continents, where they once fit together nicely. The North Atlantic Ridge, when it was above the surface, occupied the space between North America and Europe.
The original southern boundary of Atlantis is defined by the Romanche Trench, a deep underwater valley close to the equator that runs between two chains of mountains from Africa to South America. Deep ocean troughs of this sort are almost always situated close to either continents or islands. The Romanche Trench is the only exception — there is no land near it since Atlantis, once adjacent to the trough, disappeared into the sea.
During the 100,000 or more years when people lived on the Atlantic Ridge, the expanse available for habitation varied. When deep glaciers enveloped large parts of the surface of our planet, their masses of snow and ice contained tremendous quantities of frozen water from the oceans. As a result, the surface of the Atlantic Ocean was sometimes 400 feet below its current level, exposing large zones along the shores of the Atlantic Ridge as well as the continents. Like birds attracted to a recently filled feeder in midwinter, plants, animals, and humans soon flocked to these desirable living spaces.
An Unstable Area
The region of Atlantis was, and still is, unstable for many reasons. Two tectonic plates move at the Atlantic Ridge, disturbing the delicate crust of the Earth and making that area one of the most active earthquake and volcanic sites in the world. Three plates interact in the area of the Azores Plateau. As lava bursts from cracks in the Earth's crust in these troubled regions, the ocean floor sinks to occupy the empty space. The instability of the ocean floor in the vicinity of the Atlantic Ridge was demonstrated dramatically in 1923 as a vessel belonging to the Western Telegraph Company searched for a lost telegraph cable laid in 1898. From soundings of the exact spot where the cable was placed, engineers determined the surface of the ocean bed rose nearly two and a quarter miles during that twenty-five-year period.
Additional factors contribute to the instability of the Atlantic Ridge. It is made of oceanic crust that is composed primarily of basalt, a heavy, dense, volcanic material from the interior of the Earth. Basalt structures above water are relatively short-lived and eventually weaken and break up. Continents, on the other hand, are composed mainly of granite and remain relatively stable for millions of years. Granite is light enough so that continents continue to float on the surface of the mantle even when they move and break apart as they collide. Basalt structures, such as the Atlantic Ridge, are heavy and will sink.
Three Periods of Destruction
The dreadful disintegration of the land of Atlantis took place gradually, but most damage occurred during three distinct periods. Edgar Cayce offers the following approximate dates for major devastations and the consequent disappearance of land into the Atlantic Ocean. They correlate with periods of time when severe upheavals disturbed the Earth's unstable crust. Cayce's dates for the final disappearance of Atlantis correspond with the time when Plato tells us in the Timaeus that "the island of Atlantis was swallowed up by the sea and vanished."
These three major catastrophes each continued for hundreds of years and affected the whole Earth. Many species of plants and animals disappeared, and the human beings who survived lost everything, including permanent records of their civilization. The Greeks, the Tibetans, the Hindus, as well as ancient peoples who live on the American continent remember annihilation of the Earth by fire and by water. In the account of the Hopi, who have inhabited the southwestern United States since before recorded history, overpowering episodes destroyed their three previous worlds, or homelands. Like the other traditions, their descriptions of three natural disasters correlate with the three disruptions of the Earth's crust that decimated Atlantis in 50,000 B.C., 28,000 B.C., and 10,000 B.C. The Hopi say volcanic action and fire were responsible for the first calamity. In the second, the Earth ceased to rotate properly, teetered off balance, spun crazily around, and rolled over twice. During the chaos that followed, the twins who guarded the north and south axis of the Earth left their posts and the Earth careened in space, changing the shape of the planet before a new axis and a new world were established. It grew very cold and thick layers of ice covered everything. The Hopis' third world was overwhelmed by water, correlating with the final fate of Atlantis. They believe today's world is the fourth, and that it will be scorched by fire; three more worlds are to come.
Above the Surface?
Currently the Atlantic Ridge is an underwater mountain range with tall peaks rising from the ocean floor. It runs from north to south, although smaller ranges often cross it. A thick layer of mud, lava, and volcanic ash conceals the details of the ocean floor at the Atlantic Ridge. The composition of the lava, analysis of the underwater coral reefs, the location of pteropod ooze that usually gravitates toward islands, plus results of drilling and dredging operations all demonstrate the Atlantic Ridge was above the surface before 10,000 B.C.
In 1948, a Swedish expedition, working at the Atlantic Ridge 500 miles from the coast of Africa, excavated core samples from a depth of almost two miles. The collections contained over sixty species of freshwater algae. Before the sea engulfed them, these tiny, freshwater plants lived in a lake on the land of Atlantis. Tests of the algae indicate the last above-water period of the region was 10,000 to 12,000 years ago. Since 1948, scientists have extracted many similar core samples containing shells of freshwater animals from deep in the Atlantic Ocean at the Atlantic Ridge and the Azores Plateau.
The Mediterranean Hypothesis
Some people believe Atlantis was a land in the Mediterranean Sea, but extensive evidence proves this to be incorrect. One of the initial proponents of the Mediterranean hypothesis was Dr. Spyridon Marinatos. His daughter, Nanno Marinatos, who worked closely with him, has expressed serious doubts concerning the validity of the Atlantis-in-the-Mediterranean proposition. The theory claims that about 1628 B.C., a tremendous volcanic eruption shook the Mediterranean area, throwing fifty cubic miles of rock into the atmosphere with a force equivalent to fifty hydrogen bombs. The site of the volcano on the island of Thera became a huge hole and is now a quiet lagoon. Since 1967, archaeologists have been excavating the nearby cities and towns of the advanced Minoan civilization that was deeply buried by lava and debris from this explosion long ago, and encouraging the misconception that this area is the lost Atlantis.
The followers of Marinatos try to base their assumptions on the Atlantis information in Plato's Timaeus and Critias. However, when findings about the Minoan civilization do not correlate with Plato's descriptions, as is often the case, they misinterpret Plato, make false assumptions, or ignore or attempt to discredit his work. The Mediterranean Atlantis theory does not correlate with Plato in many ways. The volcano at Thera erupted about 1628 B.C., but Plato establishes the date of the final destruction of Atlantis correctly, at 9,000 years before his time, or approximately 9500 B.C. To justify this discrepancy it is necessary to attribute additional errors to Plato and his credible sources. Plato said the island was larger than North Africa and Asia Minor combined — neither Thera nor Crete begin to approach this size. Minoan land was dry and arid, but Plato refers to "marshes, lakes and rivers." Plato describes a food in Atlantis with a hard shell that was utilized for "drinks, meats and ointments," which is assumed to be the coconut. Coconuts do not thrive in the Mediterranean area. Plato's Atlantis was noted for its abundant use of gold and silver, valuable substances that have not been found in the excavations at Thera. Gold and silver were plentiful in Plato's Atlantis, whose mountains were a direct continuation, via the island of Madeira, of the Sierra Moreno range in Spain where these precious metals abound.
Plato clearly states that Atlantis was in the Atlantic Ocean beyond the Pillars of Heracles (Straits of Gibraltar). He describes a chain of islands that extended westward from Atlantis, making it possible to cross from them "to the whole of the continent over against them which encompasses that veritable ocean." He reports that the people of Atlantis ruled over parts of that distant continent and also in land within the Pillars of Heracles. To combat this discrepancy, Mediterranean advocates imply Plato thought a location less familiar than the Mediterranean would be more impressive to his audience, but it was unnecessary for Plato to be dramatic. He wrote about Atlantis when he was an esteemed philosopher, over seventy years old, who did not need to exaggerate to obtain an audience.
As a source for his Atlantis information, Plato refers to Solon, a highly respected Greek lawyer who traveled to Egypt about 579 B.C. Some Mediterranean advocates suggest that Solon, "the wisest of the Seven Sages," changed the location of Atlantis from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic Ocean. This is, however, highly implausible. While traveling in Egypt, Solon talked with priests steeped in knowledge from the prehistoric world. They told him scientists knew nothing of the ancient times and that natural disasters obliterated all tangible information. The learned men also said there have been and will be many destructions of humankind, the greatest by fire and water. They then taught Solon about the land lost to the Atlantic Ocean 9,000 years before. The Egyptians who told Solon of the lost land were well aware of the relationship of the Pillars of Heracles to the Atlantic Ocean. Their mariners sailed the seas in ships as long as 450 feet, returning to their country with ivory, gold, perfumes, dyes, and other exotic goods from afar. They knew the boundaries of the Mediterranean and the ocean beyond very well.
Peaks of Atlantis
Just as solitary church spires remain above the water when a dam is responsible for flooding a town, so only a few peaks of Atlantis rise above the surface today. The Azores, Madeira, Canary, and Cape Verde Islands, all of whose rocky sides slope straight down to the ocean floor without underwater platforms, were once mountain tops in Atlantis. Mount Atlas was the steepest, most massive mountain of the Atlantis range. Today it is called Pico Alto and is in the Azores Islands. Eruptions from this tall step volcano built Pico Alto higher and higher into a series of terraces before the sea consumed Atlantis. Russian marine geologist Dr. Nicholai F. Zhirov points out that the presence of these terraces offers confirmation that the area was above water for a prolonged period of time and that a change of height took place. At the present time Pico Alto rises 17,600 feet from the ocean floor, although only 7,600 feet of it are above the surface. In the days of Atlantis, Mount Atlas appeared to be a giant column that rose directly from the land into the world above. Steam constantly issued from its volcanic depths so that the clouds that always surrounded its lofty summit seemed to support the heavens. The mighty mountain was named for Atlas, the firstborn son of Poseidon, the god of the sea. Snowcapped Mount Atlas and its companions presented a more magnificent panorama than now exists anywhere, even in the Alps or the Himalayas. What a wonderful sight it must have been to those who approached Atlantis in ships from distant lands!
As time passed, the areas of the Atlantic Ridge and the Azores Plateau that were above the surface became a veritable heaven on Earth, a replica of the biblical Garden of Eden. Captain Boid, who visited the Azores Islands in 1835, describes them in glowing words: "Were they embellished by the arts and refinements of civilized life — they would become a species of terrestrial paradise calculated to render man almost too happy for this sublunary sphere." Nowadays, as was true in the time of Atlantis, the mountains capture moisture from the prevailing westerly winds, and as it condenses to rain it turns into small streams that fall down the steep mountainsides, slowly at first, then faster and faster, creating tumbling waterfalls that splash into crystal-clear pools.
In unexpected places, plentiful, bubbling springs, twenty or thirty feet in diameter, perform like punctured water pipes, spurting boiling water high into the air from deep in the Earth. Plato tells us "the springs they made use of, one kind being of cold, another of warm water, were of abundant volume, and each kind was wonderfully well adapted for use because of the natural taste and excellence of its waters." Mineral springs on the Azores are renowned today for their strong digestive and curative powers. Cattle, sensing the healing capacity of vapors from the springs, place themselves in the path of the strong-smelling, moving air to kill vermin or heal cuts or sores on their skins. Attracted by the moisture and rich soil, colorful, fragrant flowers surround the springs and create lovely, natural gardens, just as they have for thousands of years.
Erosion along the western and southern shores of Atlantis created fine sand beaches, now on the ocean floor. Sand is a product of erosion and is formed only in shallow water along coastlines, therefore it does not normally occur at great depths. When American oceanographer Dr. Maurice Ewing explored the Atlantic Ridge from a submarine in 1949, he reported sighting sand far beneath the surface, sometimes 1,000 miles from land. Testing dated the sand at 10,000 B.C. plus or minus a few hundred years; lower drillings revealed that sand dating to 20,000 B.C. lay beneath it. Debris between the two drillings suggested the land was smothered by volcanic ash. Russian scientists who have carefully explored the Atlantic Ridge from submarines also describe the sand on the ocean floor. Near the Azores, and in other areas, it lies on underwater shelves thousands of feet below the surface in secluded, sheltered places near slopes or in very deep water where it is inconceivable that currents or wind deposited it. Sand in the Romanche Valley is a further indication that it too was once above the surface.
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Excerpted from "Atlantis"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Shirley Andrews.
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