TEXTO I
‘Brazilian Atlantis’: Scientists discover traces of sunken
continent under Atlantic Ocean
Granite formed on dry land has been discovered beneath the
ocean off the coast of Brazil. Scientists suggest that it might
be part of a sunken continent which disappeared millions of
years ago and already branded it ‘Brazilian Atlantis’.
A Japanese-manned submersible discovered a large
mass of granite and a large amount of quartz sand 900
miles off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, according to the
announcement made by The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth
Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) and the Geology
Service of Brazil (CPRM).
These materials, normally found on dry land, suggest
that a continent once existed in the region and then sank.
“It is unusual because it is granite rock,” CPRM geology
director Roberto Ventura Santos as quoted by ‘The
Telegraph’. “And you don’t find granite on the seabed. It
is more usual to find it on the mainland.”
The granite was discovered in a seabed that was
estimated to have disappeared under the ocean waters
tens of millions of years ago.
“South America and Africa used to be a huge, unified
continent. The area in question may have been left
in water as the continent was separated in line with
the movements of plates,” said Shinichi Kawakami, a
professor at Gifu University, Japan Times reports.
The material was reportedly found more than 8,000 feet
beneath the sea in a region known as the Rio Grande
Elevation.
“This is the region that has been least explored
worldwide,” added Kawakami. “So, we believe it is very
important to research it.”
“From an analysis, we began to see that the area could
be a piece of the continent that disappeared into the sea
millions of years ago,” Santos said as quoted by AFP.
“This could be Brazil’s Atlantis. We are almost certain, but
we need to strengthen this hypothesis.”
The fabled island was first mentioned by Greek philosopher
Plato in his dialogues ‘Timaeus’ and ‘Critias’, written about
360 BC. According to Plato, Atlantis was situated in front
of the Pillars of Hercules, the phrase that was applied in
Antiquity to the promontories that flank the entrance to
the Strait of Gibraltar. The civilization of Atlantis conquered
many parts of Western Europe and Africa approximately
9600 BC. But the continent is believed to have sunk during
a catastrophic natural disaster.
Scientists plan to drill for more samples later this year,
as further confirmation is needed. Experts still remain
cautious about jumping to conclusions.
http://rt.com/news/brazil-altantis-scientists-granite-012/)
