Atlantis History.com: C. LAND EXPOSURE DUE TO GLACIATION

Descendants of Legendary Atlantis
by
Constantin Benetatos

Are Northern Europeans more pure descendants
of the Atlanteans than their Mediterranean counterparts?

C. LAND EXPOSURE DUE TO GLACIATION

AS THE ICE AGE REACHED ITS MAXIMUM, THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN POLAR ICE CAPS BECAME LARGER AND THICKER. IN SOME AREAS THE ICE MIGHT HAVE MEASURED SEVERAL MILES THICK. THIS ACCUMULATION OF ICE CAUSED THE OCEAN LEVELS WORLDWIDE TO DROP ONE HUNDRED TO ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY METERS OR MORE, EXPOSING NEW LAND AREAS THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY COVERED BY WATER. IN OTHER AREAS, LAND-BRIDGES WERE EXPOSED BETWEEN CONTINENTS AND LOW LYING LAND MASSES. ONE SUCH LAND-BRIDGE WAS EXPOSED AT THE PILLARS OF HERACLES BETWEEN AFRICA AND EUROPE. THIS LAND BRIDGE STOPPED THE FLOW OF ATLANTIC OCEAN WATER INTO THE MEDITERRANEAN BASIN. EVEN THE WATERS OF THE NILE AND OTHER RIVERS WERE NOT ENOUGH TO REPLENISH THE WATER IN THE MEDITERRANEAN LOST TO EVAPORATION.

THIS EVENT HAD A DETRIMENTAL EFFECT ON THE WATER LEVEL CAUSING IT TO DROP EVEN FURTHER. ANOTHER LAND BRIDGE MIGHT HAVE FORMED BETWEEN THE PRESENT DAY TUNIS AND SICILY, THUS CREATING TWO INLAND SEAS. NOW WE HAVE TWO EVENTS THAT WERE TAKING PLACE SIMULTANEOUSLY: THE ICE SHEET IN NORTHERN EUROPE WAS COMPRESSING THE LAND UNDERNEATH IT, AND NEW LAND WAS EXPOSED TO THE SOUTH DUE TO THE REDUCTION OF THE WATER LEVEL AND THE DIMINISHING PRESSURE ON THE UNDERLYING FLOOR. MOST OF THE LAND EXPOSED IN SOUTHERN EUROPE WOULD BE IN THE ADRIATIC BASIN, IN THE AEGEAN AND ALSO IN THE BLACK SEA AROUND CRIMEA. THE LAND TO THE SOUTH WAS NOT ONLY EXPOSED DUE TO GLACIATION AS PREVIOUSLY STATED, BUT ALSO ROSE TENS OF FEET DUE TO THE COMPRESSIVE FORCES OF THE ICE SHEET TO THE NORTH, AND THE DECREASED VOLUME OF WATER IN THE MEDITERRANEAN , WHICH MEANT LESS PRESSURE ON THE SEA FLOOR.


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