Ocean explorers must have one of the most terrifying and interesting jobs in the world. Imagine being surrounded by the vast blue nothingness of the deep sea days on end, seeing sights that would terrify most of us out of our wits, for the off chance to discover something no other human has seen before. While most of them come away from their adventures with nothing more than empty pockets and fantastic swashbuckling stories, every so often they make intriguing discoveries which usually leave us wondering: how much don't we know about our planet?
5. Ancient City of Heracleion
1,200 years ago the city of Heracleion, one of ancient Egypt's greatest port cities, disappeared beneath the Mediterranean sea.
No one was looking for the city, and in fact it was somewhat of a legend, mentioned only in a few ancient texts. As luck would have it, Franck Goddio, a French archaeologist who was searching for 18th century French warships, discovered a massive statue of a face floating beneath the surface, which led to the remarkable discovery of the ancient city: further discoveries included 64 ships buried in the ocean mud, giant 5m tall statues, ancient tablets inscribed in ancient Egyptian and Greek, and a whole lot more.
It is believed that the city was submerged as a result of a rise in sea levels along with some cataclysmic event, possibly a tidal wave or earthquake. We'll probably never know for sure, but scientists say that the research and discoveries in the City of Heracleion will probably continue for another 200 years - indicating the wealth and scope of this amazing discovery.
4. Bimini Road, Cuba
During a diving expedition off the coast of Bimini Island in late 1968, three friends encountered what looked like a long "pavement"-like structure lining the ocean floor, around 5 meters in depth. Later dubbed the "Bimini Road", these structures stretch for over half a mile, and are formed by round stones of various sized and thicknesses running from north-east to south-west along the ocean floor of the North Bimini coast in the Bahamas.
The precision of the formation is convincing evidence that this is not the work of nature, but a man-made formation. But what was the reason for this formation? What was it used for and why is it now on the ocean floor? At the end of the tabular road is a pronounced hook, giving it a formation similar to the letter "J". The structure is believed to be around 2,000 years old. Some explanations indicate that the structure was either a road or part of a temple structure, but the exact purpose or use of this structure, and whether it formed part of a bigger picture, remains a mystery.
3. Ancient Fungi
Credit: NOAA
In 2011 a group of researchers discovered ancient fungi dating back to over 100 million years ago in the Pacific Ocean. It's still a mystery how the fungi are managing to survive in sediments that are completely depleted of any nutrients, and have been nutrient-depleted for millions of years. To the excitement of scientists, it was established that these fungi belong to the genus Penicillium, offering potentially new antibiotics which could help combat the problem of drug-resistant bacteria. The extreme resilience shown by these ancient fungi leads researchers to believe that this discovery could be akin to the discovery of penicillin in its importance for mankind.
2. The Baltic Sea Anomaly
Discovered by the famous Swedish "Ocean X Team" in June 2011, the Baltic Sea anomaly, or UFO as it is more commonly referred to, is a circular rock-like formation, 60 meters in radius, found at a depth of around 90 meters in the Baltic Sea. To date the team has made two expeditions to the anomaly; on the second one they reported finding a formation that looked like a staircase as well as a round black hole that leads directly into the structure.
There are many theories about the origins of the anomaly. Some researchers attribute the outcropping to man-made structures, for example it might be a German anti-submarine device or a damaged gun turret from an old battleship. Others take the simple and direct approach, believing it to be a natural formation of rock, or that time, ocean currents and fish movement are the cause of the geometrical formation. There is a problem, though, with all these theories, in that the formation seems to contain unnaturally straight lines, and is made of limonite and goethite, which are materials that are strange to find in the ocean depths. [The Baltic Anomaly website]
1. Doggerland, Britain's lost Atlantis
During the last Ice Age, Europe was connected to the island of Great Britain by a land mass which was since then flooded by rising sea levels. This land mass is known as Doggerland, and has been the subject of debate and mystery for thousands of years. Interest in Doggerland intensified in 1931 when a barbed antler was dragged up by a passing cargo ship. After examination it was concluded that the antler dated back to about the time when Doggerland was above sea levels.
Since then there have been a number of interesting discoveries in the oceans of Doggerland, including the remains of ancient mammoth and lions, and even a number of tools dating back to the same period. In 2008 a skull fragment of a Neanderthal, dating around 4,000 years old was discovered, sparking further intrigue and studies in the area.
Related Posts:
1. 7 Underwater Wonders of the World
2. 12 of the World’s Most Mysterious Monuments and Ruins
3. Heracleion: The Lost Egyptian City Found Underwater After 1200 Years
4. 10 Mysterious Underwater Cities You Haven’t Heard Of
5. 8 Ruined Cities That Remain a Mystery to This Day
2. 12 of the World’s Most Mysterious Monuments and Ruins
3. Heracleion: The Lost Egyptian City Found Underwater After 1200 Years
4. 10 Mysterious Underwater Cities You Haven’t Heard Of
5. 8 Ruined Cities That Remain a Mystery to This Day
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