Not far from the Bahamas, under the water column, lies an unknown structure made of stone blocks, which has haunted local residents, scientists, mystics and psychics for several decades. They are sure that these man-made structures are nothing more than the remains of the ancient continent where legendary Atlanteans lived.
No one knows where and from where the Bimini "underwater road", which lies at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean near the Bahamas, leads. It is built of huge stone slabs, some of which are six meters long. They lie at a depth of 3 to 9 meters, but thanks to the perfectly transparent water, they are perfectly visible from the surface. The total length of the road is 500 meters, and the width is 90.
Bird's-eye
This mysterious road was opened by an amateur pilot. A wealthy American was flying over the water surface in his private jet, when suddenly a strange underwater structure caught his eye. It did not look like ridges of underwater rocks, so the pilot immediately thought of the city that had gone under water thousands of years ago.
Moreover, the American was familiar with the works of his compatriot, psychic and seer Edgar Cayce, who predicted back in 1936 that the ruins of ancient Atlantis would be discovered near the Bimini Islands in 1968-1969, which, according to Plato, plunged into the depths of the ocean about 12 thousand years ago.
Naturally, this news became a sensation. Many scientists and divers flocked to the Bahamas. The North Bimini bottom was examined by Dr. Manson Valentine of the Natural Science Museum in Miami. During one of the dives to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean at a depth of 3 meters, he discovered hundreds of stone slabs of a clear square and rectangular shape, paved roads and something like dolmens - unusual stone structures in the form of several columns, topped with a slab on top.
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Layout of plates
He described the object at the bottom as "a wide pavement of rectangular flat stones of various sizes, the edges of which are rounded by long years of water erosion," and expressed confidence in its artificial origin.
Then a group of scientists from the University of Massachusetts made an aerial survey of the water area and made an approximate diagram of the location of mysterious objects. Everything indicated that the remains of some ancient road or foundations of buildings and walls were found. And possibly the tops of buildings protruding from centuries-old bottom sediments.
Nature or man?
Fierce controversy immediately ensued over the origin of the stone blocks on the ocean floor. Some were sure that the secret of the mysterious Atlantis had been revealed. Researchers took fragments of Bimini stones for research and later stated that these blocks were not ordinary coastal rock fragments, but specially processed slabs. It is even possible that they are a composite - a material similar to concrete.
According to another version, Bimini blocks are made of a mixed rock, which includes siliceous shale and limestone (by the way, such rocks are not found in the Bahamas). In addition, the researchers demonstrated stones on which grooves (grooves and protrusions for joining structures) are visible. In favor of the fact that the stones are processed by man, the fact that some of the blocks are smooth, like a polished table, speaks.
Nature cannot process the stone so carefully, only man is capable of this, and with the help of complex tools, - so supporters of the version about the man-made origin of the road believe. Samples of stone slabs raised from the bottom were sent to the laboratory, and it turned out that the age of the samples is not 12-14 thousand years, as previously assumed, but twice as long.
Yet many believe that Bimini's “road” is nothing more than fancifully located underwater rocks and reefs. Geologist Eugene Shinn suggested that the "road" could have been formed by the tides. Later, a version was put forward that the "road" consists of sea shells and sand, compressed into rectangular formations over hundreds of years.
Others are sure that the stones processed by man are ballast dropped from sea ships. But how then can one explain their concentration in one place and their neat placement on the seabed in such a way that a straight line is formed, similar to a road?
Expeditions that tried to explore the "road to Atlantis" were unsuccessful. Not a single underwater archaeologist has managed to get to the bottom of the stone blocks. This is hampered by strong underwater currents and eddies. In addition, the local waters are full of white sharks - the most dangerous for humans, and the bottom is teeming with moray eels. After two expeditions to these places went missing, the ardor of underwater archaeologists slightly subsided.
Secret signs
Over time, the mysterious stone "road" began to grow overgrown with chilling legends. So, two American divers, who explored this area in 1979, swore that they saw a luminous triangular object in the water with a wingspan of about 12 meters. The triangle, rapidly moving above the very bottom, made several sharp turns, and then emerged from the water, soared into the sky and disappeared. This object was also seen by people on the boat who were waiting for the divers.
In June 1998, a French expedition observed the bluish glow of the ocean floor in the North Bimini region. It was a wide, straight band with distinct edges.
She did not stand still, but moved. The mysterious phenomenon lasted for about 40 minutes. The source of the strange glow was not found. As it turned out later, the glowing strip was also noticed from a fishing schooner located nearby. Spotted her and the American space satellite.
But the most incredible story was told by the diver John March
Allegedly, in 2000, he saw a dark human figure underwater walking on ancient slabs. March was particularly struck by the fact that the man was without a spacesuit. Very tall, about 3 meters tall, the stranger was moving towards the diver. Without waiting for him to approach, March floated to the waiting yacht.
Of course, all these horror stories have no documentary evidence. But the findings of the expedition of the explorer Greg Little in 2003 and 2004 make one think. Little and his team found a second similar under a layer of stone blocks, and even lower - a third. Little did not manage to get to the base of the ancient building. In this connection, he concluded that this is not a road, but, most likely, the tops of walls buried under bottom sediments.
When inspecting a very small part of the second layer of slabs, it was found that it was less affected by water erosion, the slabs were carefully polished and fitted quite tightly to each other. The instruments showed the presence of voids under the bottom in the "road" area, as well as metal. This is unusual for the entire area, since there are no metal deposits either in the Bahamas itself or in the adjacent Atlantic area.
What really lies at the bottom of the ocean is still a mystery. The government of the Bahamas has been investing in a resort and research facility near the ruins and capital of Nassau. It has already spent $ 800 million! Of course, scuba divers from all over the world come there. Their task is one - to find Atlantis.
Irina STEPKINA
