A group of researchers have discovered a granite formation deep off the coast of Brazil, which they speculate could be part of a long lost continent that existed before Africa, America and Europe drifted apart, according to a report in Examiner.com.
"When these samples came aboard the ship, the first surprise was, 'what are these rocks doing here?'" said Dr. Roberto Ventura, the director of geology and mineral resources at the Brazilian Geological Survey. "We did petrographic, geochemical (and) geological studies of this material."
Geologists took samples from the seabed near the Rio Grande Elevation and discovered proof that a continent sank 8,000 feet in the sea during the separation of South America and Africa more than 100 million years ago. Researchers are calling this the "Brazilian Atlantis" and say the rocks could have been part of the original Pangea continent.
"This could be Brazil's Atlantis," Dr.Ventura said. "We are almost certain, but we need to strengthen this hypothesis."
Atlantis first came into the limelight around 360 B.C. when the famous Greek philosopher Plato wrote about it. However, everything that was known of the ancient city was based on stories but no evidence of its existence was ever discovered. According to popular belief, it was swallowed by the sea some 12,000 years ago.
"Obviously, we don't expect to find a lost city in the middle of the Atlantic," one researcher said. "But if it is the case that we find a continent in the middle of the ocean, it will be a very big discovery that could have various implications in relation to the extension of the continental shelf."
Dr. Ventura also said his finding "could revolutionize our understanding of the formation and evolution of the Earth's crust."
