Atlantis is the most famous fictional island in the world. It was created 2300 years ago by the Greek philosopher Plato.
But Spanish researchers claim to have found the source of his inspiration: a string of sunken islands off the northwest coast of Africa.
The former islands were close to the present-day Canary Islands, but experts believe they sank millions of years ago.
They named the now flooded areas ‘Los Atlantes’, a reference to the myth of Atlantis that continues to this day.
Luis Somoza, a marine geologist at the Spanish Geological Survey (IGME-CSIC), said Living science: ‘This could be the origin of the legend of Atlantis.’
The underwater islands, located east of Lanzarote, could have provided inspiration for the myth of Atlantis, experts say
According to a statement, the islands were located east of Lanzarote (shaded in red), one of the seven main Canary Islands that lie just off the coast of Africa.
Somoza and colleagues do not specify how exactly Plato, who lived about 2,300 years ago, would have known about the islands’ existence.
The team estimates that Los Atlantes existed as islands during the Eocene, between 56 and 34 million years ago.
They were located east of Lanzarote, one of the seven largest Canary Islands located just off the coast of Africa.
“In the past they were islands that sank and are still sinking, as the legend of Atlantis tells us,” Somoza said.
“Some of us have been able to determine that their beaches are still being maintained.”
As part of an exploration project that began on June 27 and concluded last week, the team deployed an unmanned submarine.
As part of an exploration project that started on June 27 and concluded last week, the team deployed an unmanned submarine
The unmanned submarine surveyed the seabed conditions between 330 and 8,200 feet (100 and 2,500 meters) depth
The unmanned submarine investigated the condition of the seabed between 100 and 2,500 meters depth.
High-resolution cameras, robotic arms to take samples from the seabed, and sensors for gases such as CO2 and methane in the water were used.
Today, Los Atlantes is covered in “elaborate life,” from gardens of corals and sponges to areas covered in “bacterial mats” — multi-layered layers of microorganisms, researchers say.
The islands are situated on a huge ‘seamount’: an underwater mountain with steep sides rising from the seabed and containing three inactive volcanoes.
The seamount has a diameter of about 50 kilometers, while its base is located about 2.3 kilometers below the ocean surface.
The islands may have sunk when the volcanoes stopped erupting and the lava solidified and became denser.
It is widely believed that the story of the world of Atlantis was first told 2,300 years ago by the Greek philosopher Plato (pictured)
It is generally believed that the story of the world of Atlantis was first told 2,300 years ago by the Greek philosopher Plato, who invented it, but some history buffs continue to insist that it actually existed (artist’s impression)
It is not unusual for land to sink to the seabed. In fact, Britain is surrounded by former islands and coastal areas that are now underwater, often as a result of extreme weather events.
One of these is Ravenser Odd, a short-lived medieval town on an island in the Humber Estuary, sometimes referred to as ‘the Atlantis of Yorkshire’.
While there is little doubt based on historical evidence about the existence of many of these islands, the same cannot be said of Atlantis.
It is generally accepted that the story of the world of Atlantis was first told 2,300 years ago by the Greek philosopher Plato. However, some history buffs continue to insist that the story was real.
One theory as to where the lost civilization disappeared to is that it was swallowed up by the Bermuda Triangle.
The area in the Atlantic Ocean, also known as the Devil’s Triangle, became an urban legend after more than 50 ships and 20 planes disappeared.
Another theory was that it was destroyed by a natural disaster, such as a major flood, an earthquake, or a volcanic eruption.
Another research team recently announced that they had found the German equivalent of Atlantis: the city of Rungholt, which was destroyed by a storm in 1362.