MessageToEagle.com – At first archaeologists thought they had discovered ancient underwater ruins belonging to a long-forgotten civilization that perished when tidal waves hit the shores of Zakynthos.
Everything seemed to indicate the ruins located at a depth of 2 to 6 meters were remains of a huge public building dating back to ancient times
There are many secrets hidden beneath the oceans. Sometimes it can be difficult to determine whether an underwater formation is man-made or simply a rare geological wonder.
In late May, 2013 Greek archaeologists thought the rocky formation they discovered at the bottom of the Alykanas gulf in Zakynthos were ruins of an ancient city.
Zakynthos has been known since prehistoric times.
Homer refers to the island as Yllessa (wooded) and tells that its first settler was Zakynthos, the son of Dardanos, king of Phrygia.
The Mediterranean area is well known for its archaeological richness and its frequent earthquakes.
Zakynthos lies in a tectonically complex and active area. There have been several destructive earthquakes in this region in the past.
It seemed therefore logical to assume these findings were the remains of an ancient settlement swallowed by the ocean’s tide.
However, according to a new study, these remarkable underwater formations are said to be a rare natural geological phenomenon that took place at least 5,000 years ago.
The study was conducted by Dr. Michael Stamatakis at the National University of Athens, along with archaeologist Magdalene Athanasoula submersible archaeologist Department of Underwater Antiquities of the Ministry of Culture and Peter Tsampourakis diver technician.
They point out that the findings are in fact not fact man-made. Still, they have enormous scientific interest, since they coincide with other physical structures described in the literature . “More careful and thorough investigation findings, the complete absence of other archaeological evidence in the surrounding area are identified and the revelation of new formations with asymmetric morphology, raised questions and doubts about the initial assessment and focused his suspicions archaeological team towards that perhaps this is peculiar and rare archaeological phenomenon,” the scientists wrote in their report.
An interesting aspect is that there is also no evidence of a similar geological phenomenon occurring elsewhere. Dr. Stamatakis, who has been studying the island’s geology, is therefore trying to determine the origin of the underwater formation.
The chemical and mineralogical test showed high levels of magnesium, calcium and iron carbonates, which are usually found around vents in loose deposits of aluminosilicate.
Deputy Mayor of Zakynthos Akis Ladikos mentioned that this phenomenon is unique to the world, so the scientists must conduct more test in order to provide further details.
“We started with a different direction, but investigations conclude that the findings are of geological interest. It is a unique phenomenon around the world and will soon become radiocarbon dating to determine exactly when scientists formed this phenomenon,” Deputy Mayor Ladikos said.
For now, these enigmatic Zakynthos underwater ruins remain a mystery and it will take some time to establish the date and cause of the formation.
We know that nothing similar exists on this planet, but our oceans are still greatly unexplored and perhaps similar underwater ruins could be found elsewhere.
Despite scientists’ voiced opinion these formations are not man-made, there are still many people who think these remarkable structures remind of an ancient sunken building.
First version of this article was originally published on February 3, 2014
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