A Lost Underwater World?

A couple of days ago, a team of geologists announced the discovery of an “ancient, lost landscape” submerged deep within the North Atlantic Ocean. In other words, a lost world. How did it get there?  And what the heck happened to it?

A Lost World?

This “lost world” is approximately fifty-six million years old.  Before it sank to the bottom of the ocean, it probably connected to Scotland and possibly Norway as well.  Using data and core samples intended for oil companies, a team of geologists at the University of Cambridge discovered traces of eight major rivers, numerous mountains, and signs of organic life (including pollen and coal).

It looks for all the world like a map of a bit of a country onshore.  It is like an ancient fossil landscape preserved two kilometers beneath the seabed. – Nicky White, Senior Researcher

Intriguingly, the core samples show evidence of marine life, both above and below that for land-based life.  This indicates that the land started under the ocean, rose to the surface, and then submerged again, all in two and a half million years.  How is this even possible?  It’s due to something called the Icelandic Plume.

The plume, obviously centered under Iceland, carried hot magna from deep inside the earth to a point right beneath the crust.  The magna grew especially hot, causing it to spread out via a series of ripples.  The geologists believe that these ripples pushed the land upwards until it broke through the ocean surface.  When the ripples passed, the lost world sank again.

Guerrilla Explorer’s Analysis

This particular landscape appears to have predated humanity.  However, the Icelandic Plume is not the only one of its kind.  In all likelihood, there are other lost worlds out there, waiting to be discovered.  Who knows?  Maybe one of these days, we’ll even find a lost world with traces of people on it.  Maybe, assuming it actually exists, we’ll even find Atlantis.

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