Mysterious underwater formation sparks theories of lost city ‘Atlantis’

More than two decades after it was first discovered, a mysterious “underwater city” off the coast of Cuba is back in the spotlight, capturing the interest of scientists, historians and believers in the legend of Atlantis*.

The new interest comes amid a surge of speculation* on social media as to whether the unusual underwater structures were once an ancient city – and scientists hope advances in underwater technology could finally reveal the truth.

Located near the Guanahacabibes Peninsula on the west of Cuba, the site features massive stone blocks, circular formations, and what look like pyramidal structures. The formation has the appearance of being ancient ruins from a civilisation that existed thousands of years ago.

The discovery was first made in 2001 by husband-and-wife marine engineer duo Paulina Zelitsky and Paul Weinzweig, who were scanning the ocean floor in search of Spanish shipwreck treasures.

Their scans revealed huge stacked stones as tall as three metres, located “more than 2000 feet (610m) below the sea surface.”

“It’s a really wonderful structure which really looks like it could have been a large urban* centre,” said Ms Zelitsky.

While social media users today speculate the ruins may be proof of Atlantis, experts remain sceptical.

“It would be totally irresponsible to say what it was before we have evidence,” Ms Zelitsky warned.

Cuban geologist Manuel Iturralde-Vinent and underwater archaeologist Michael Faught caution that the formations may simply be natural rock shaped by underwater currents and seismic* activity.

Mr Iturralde-Vinent said the structures were “extremely peculiar” but said their depth posed a big problem.

“It’s strange, it’s weird; we’ve never seen something like this before, and we don’t have an explanation for it,” he told The Washington Post.

He estimated that for the site to have once been dry land, the sea level would have needed to be about 2300 feet (700m) lower than today.

That last happened during the Ice age* over 50,000 years ago – long before humans were believed to have arrived in the Americas.

Mr Faught agreed.

“It would be cool if Zelitsky and Weinzweig were right, but it would be really advanced for anything we would see in the New World* for that time frame. The structures are out of time and out of place,” he said.

If it is indeed a city, it could predate* all known civilisations in the Americas.

The ruins would be more than 6,000 years old – older than the Egyptian pyramids – and could rewrite parts of what we know about early urban development.

Up until now, the remote location and extreme depth have prevented researchers from making follow-up expeditions to further study the site.

A planned dive in 2002 was abandoned, according to US oceanographer* Sylvia Earle. Funding issues, along with Cuba’s strict control over foreign expeditions, have also been blamed for the lack of further investigation.

Today’s cutting-edge technology – from high-resolution 3D sonar* imaging to remotely operated underwater vehicles – could finally allow researchers to map the site in never-before-seen detail, revealing whether the formations are man-made or natural.

But whether it’s an undiscovered ancient city or a bizarre natural formation, the site off Cuba’s coast is clearly worthy of an Indiana Jones adventure.

WHAT IS ATLANTIS?
The Lost City of Atlantis has been the subject of books, films and many a quest for answers, but did it ever exist?

The legendary island was described by Ancient Greek philosopher Plato in two of his works, Timaeus and Critias. In Timaeus, Plato describes Atlantis as once being an island larger than Libya and Asia Minor* put together, that was said to be located west of the Strait of Gibraltar* in the Atlantic Ocean.

In Plato’s work, Egyptian priests tell an Athenian politician Solon that Atlantis was once a superpower of the Mediterranean before being conquered by the Athenians. Previously rich and powerful, Atlantis was said to suffer a downfall and its rulers became wicked and morally corrupt before the island was swallowed up by earthquakes and lost at sea.

Plato’s other work, Critias, includes a so-called “history” of the commonwealth of Atlantis, which was seen as an example of an ideal society.

But apart from Plato’s work, nothing else is known about Atlantis, leading most historians to conclude that the ancient island city was simply a legend.

There were several earthquakes in the Ancient Greek world that could have inspired Plato to create the city of Atlantis as a literary device* – a powerful story that cautioned the downfall of an ideal state.

In 373BC, the ancient city of Helike was destroyed by an earthquake and tidal wave. Earlier, in 426BC, earthquakes and tidal waves caused havoc north of Athens after Sparta was hit by a massive quake around 469-464 BC that killed 20,000 people.

Despite it likely being a fictional tale, the concept of Atlantis has continued to fascinate people for thousands of years. Medieval European writers believed the story was true and tried to link the legend with an actual piece of land, such as America or Scandinavia.

To this day, diehard believers still think the island could be at the bottom of the ocean somewhere, just waiting to be found.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• Atlantis: a legendary lost city described by Greek philosopher Plato
• speculation: coming up with theories
• urban: based in the city
• seismic: related to earthquakes and volcanic activity
• Ice age: the last Ice age ended 11,500 years ago and was a period where thick ice sheets covered huge areas of the Earth
• New World: the Americas
• predate: earlier than
• oceanographer: a scientist who studies the ocean
• sonar: using sound waves under water to detect objects
• Asia Minor: an area of land where Europe and Asia meet
• Strait of Gibraltar: a narrow strait that separates Europe from Africa
• literary device: a technique used by writers to create impact and meaning

EXTRA READING
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Tech unwraps mummified mystery

QUICK QUIZ
1. What was found off the coast of Cuba?
2. When was this formation found?
3. What are some of the challenges with the theory that the formation was an ancient city?
4. Where does the story of Atlantis originate from?
5. When was the ancient city of Helike destroyed by an earthquake?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. News: condensed
Identify the most important pieces of information in this article and write a condensed version of it using 50 words or less.

Draw a picture or diagram to support your condensed news story.

Time: allow 25 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science

2. Extension
Compare your condensed news story with a classmate. Did you both include the same information or are your stories quite different? Discuss your choices and then work together to create a final condensed version of the story that you both agree tells the important parts that a reader would need or want to know.

Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English

VCOP ACTIVITY
Read this!
A headline on an article – or a title on your text – should capture the attention of the audience, telling them to read this now. So choosing the perfect words for a headline or title is very important.

Create three new headlines for the events that took place in this article. Remember, what you write and how you write it will set the pace for the whole text, so make sure it matches.

Read out your headlines to a partner and discuss what the article will be about based on the headline you created. Discuss the tone and mood you set in just your few, short words. Does it do the article justice? Will it capture the audience’s attention the way you hoped? Would you want to read more?

Consider how a headline or title is similar to using short, sharp sentences throughout your text. They can be just as important as complex ones. Go through the last text you wrote and highlight any short, sharp sentences that capture the audience.