Check out this image of the sea floor 600 miles off the coast of Africa and about 3.5 miles down:
<img src=“http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/02/20/article-0-03977E43000005DC-735_468x286.jpg” width=500 alt=“Google Atlantis?”>
A British aeronautical engineer, Bernie Bamford, spotted the odd lines, and claimed it looked like a man-made aerial map of a city. Of course, this got Atlantis seekers all excited about the possible discovery of the fabled city. About as large as Wales, the rectangular area would have had to be a really, really big city, but with the stories of Atlantis’ advanced technology, anything is possible. And given the early description by Plato, it’s in a location that fits.
Of course, Google had to go and pop the fun bubble. “What users are seeing is an artifact of the data collection process. Bathymetric (or sea-floor terrain) data is often collected from boats using sonar to take measurements of the sea-floor” a spokesman for Google explained.
Maybe it’s just me, but why aren’t there more of these “artifacts” if it’s really the fault of the collection method? Shouldn’t someone dive down there with a sub or a ROV and just check it out anyhow? Just in case? C’mon… it’s gotta be worth checking, don’t you think?
Anyhow, Google Earth is pretty cool, even if it didn’t reveal Atlantis. You can swim around the ocean, check out ship wrecks and sea floor topography, and even follow tagged animals as they navigate around the deep blue. On top of the marine fun, you can also do all kinds of cool stuff on land. People have found all kinds of things, from a previously-undiscovered ancient Roman villa to untouched forests. So if you’re bored, check it out.
Maybe it’s just me, but why aren’t there more of these “artifacts” if it’s really the fault of the collection method?
…here take your medicine. And put on this nice shiny aluminum foil helmet. It stops the government reading your brain waves. Seriously…
:)
I love Google Earth.
My jaw dropped when I saw this, this morning. I found the coordingates on Google Earth and explored the region. Some of the trails lead off towards the Canary Islands and the African coast, just like old roads between inhabited places. Then my skeptical brain kicked in. Most of the articles describe the region as ‘about the size of Wales’. That sounds preposterously large for an ancient conurbation. And then I noticed just how obvious the ‘city’ was on Google Earth. It’s impossible to believe no one ever noticed this before. Still, it was a great disappointment when the truth was revealed.
dons foil hat
But I know too much! They’re gonna come lookin’ for me, ain’t they?
My issue is with the “grid-like pattern”. What ancient city has streets like that? Look at ancient cities above ground, and they have lots of little winding streets. Grids are a little too 20th-century (sub)urban to me. Just because cities look like that now doesn’t mean that’s how they built stuff back in Atlantis’ time.
But they certainly built like that in Roman times, Eva. There are all sort of wonderful straight lines under Toulouse, where then the medieval town grew up concentric over the ruins. I will definitely check it out even when I am not bored, I am afraid, Christie.
Plus, I thought that Atlantians were supposed to be in posession of superior technology…so why not the secret of XX century urbanization, but millenia in advance?
Yesterday they’re predicting flu epidemics, today they’re discovering lost underwater cities, tomorrow… Google Time Machine?
No, Cath, that already happened three weeks ago, in March 2011. How else did you think we all got here?
Bathymetric data…
at first, I read the first paragraph and thought wow, what a find!
I think it’s kinda of funny that that’s what it turned out to be.
I wonder if the Atlanteans knew which bus went to the station?