Lost City Found Under the Sea is Not Man-Made, Researchers Say
Recreational divers and some tourists with their fins and snorkels in the Greek island of Zakyntho, were thrilled to witness more than just the usual sight of a shallow water plunge. They were looking at underwater structures believed to have been a part of a lost city from an ancient Greek civilization but have long been washed up to the sea for some reason.
No Evidence
However, while these structures may pass for what could be remnants of an ancient city lost beneath the waves, there weren't any other evidence like pottery, coins and other man-made artifacts that could substantiate the claim.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Also, scientists knew better than to take this lost city hypothesis as true. They delved further into unearthing the truth behind this underwater formation.
Mineral Content Analysis
Julian Andrews, a professor from the University of East Anglia's School of Environmental Sciences with the help of Professor Michael Stamatakis from the Department of Geology and Geoenvironment at the University of Athens launched an investigation involving the mineral content and texture of these structures.
"There were what superficially looked like circular column bases, and paved floors, but mysteriously no other signs of life -- such as pottery," Andrews, who is also the lead author of the research, said in a statement.
"We investigated the site, which is between two and five meters under water, and found that it is actually a natural geologically occurring phenomenon," she added. "This kind of phenomenon is quite rare in shallow waters. Most similar discoveries tend to be many hundreds and often thousands of meters deep underwater."
Structures Created by Microbes?
The findings of the research, published in the Marine and Petroleum Geology journal, suggested that these underwater structures were, in reality, created by microbes through a natural process that took place about five million years ago.
They found dolomite in the structures, which is produced when these organisms feed off methane. This minerals give the sediments their natural cement look. This is the reason why people have the impression that the structures were made of concrete created by humans.
While no traces of methane leak can be found from the site today, it is a possibility that there were presence of such gas during the formation of the structures back in the Pliocene era, around 5.3 to 2.6 million years ago, according to the researchers.
