So many replies are a good thing. Atlantis is either the mother of all fairy tales by Plato or the biggest historical event ever. No one can be sure but It's a good sign that scientists and teams are starting to conduct studies and tests there in the Azores. I thought they should do so for years now.
As for the vehement claims that Atlantis could be elsewhere I strongly suggest that anyone who cares about the subject closely read Timaeus and Critias dialogues by Plato. They are both very short. For instance, regardless of which pillars of heracles it was in the story it states that the furthest kingdom on Atlantis was named Gades and it faced the land on Europe with the same name. Gades is only the ancient name for Cadiz in western Spain and directly faces the present day Azores. This combined with other descriptions are to me at least compelling.
I also believe a super cataclysmic event was possible in the Azores region in fairly recent geological history given the fact that this small underwater region called the Azores Plateau(Atlantis?) is the only spot in the world where three major continents(africa, north america, europe) all diverge onto each other. Very frequently even today with tumultuous results. These conditions in the Azores leave the description in Timaeus and Critias startlingly similar(volcanically active major fault line, hot and cold springs, red and black volcanic dirt, endemic flora in a tropical climate, a low depth large underwater mountain chain north of an underwater plain, large riverbeds formed into this underwater plain) All this to me means this region is worth a major scientific study if not for Atlantis than just to learn more about seismology.
Some food for thought. I came across the following excerpt from Lost Cities of Atlantis, Ancient Europe & the Mediterranean By David Hatcher Childress.
"One of the unusual facts about the Azores is that they have a strange tree that has survived since prehistoric times. The tree is the criptoméria, a gigantic tree of the Taxodium species. This huge prehistoric remnant is known to exist only in the Azores and in certain remote regions of Japan!
Says Maurice Abreu in his book Sao Migual, Azores, referring to the name which means something like puzzling-tree." Source: Lost Cities of Atlantic, Ancient Europe & the Mediterranean
A bit about Taxodium species: "In earth's history Taxodium was widespread. It is known since the Jurassic and can be found as fossil e.g. in layers from Tertiary times." source:en.wikipedia.org...
With regard to the statue of a man on horseback (found in Ilha do Corvo), pointing west ward to the America's, the following excerpt is also interesting:
"Braghine in The Shadow of Atlantis reports that a statue of a man on horseback was also found on the western cost of Corvo. The statue was made of stone and had an undecipherable inscription at the base. Unfortunately, the king of Portugal ordered it removed in the 16th century and it was inadvertently broken by the workers sent to remove it. The statue and inscription are now lost.
Braghine reports that when Portuguese explorers, in search of new lands, reached the Azores and saw the statue, the man on horseback was reportedly pointing westward to the Americas. The inhabitants of Corvo were reported to have called the statue Catés, which has no meaning in either Portuguese or Spanish but curiously resembles the Inco-Quechua word cati which means "go that way" or follow." Source: Lost Cities of Atlantic, Ancient Europe & the Mediterranean
And to support the point made earlier about, if the Azores was in fact the lost continent of Atlantis, then why is there no land masses or ruins underwater to support this? "Antillia has if anything an even greater claim to historical existence than Atlantis itself. Yet the island is no longer there." Source: Return to Atlantis
In summary, the ocean is a very mysterious place and there are treasures and clues hidden in it's depths that could perhaps answer many of the questions about human existence. The trouble is that no one has really ventured into the great depths of the Atlantic Ocean. It's very dangerous notwithstanding expensive!
In any case, I'm interested in your views in relation to the content of my post.
Evete
P.S. I am Azorean (Praia da Vitoria, Terceira).
"One of the unusual facts about the Azores is that they have a strange tree that has survived since prehistoric times. The tree is the criptoméria, a gigantic tree of the Taxodium species. This huge prehistoric remnant is known to exist only in the Azores and in certain remote regions of Japan!
Says Maurice Abreu in his book Sao Migual, Azores, referring to the name which means something like puzzling-tree." Source: Lost Cities of Atlantic, Ancient Europe & the Mediterranean
A bit about Taxodium species: "In earth's history Taxodium was widespread. It is known since the Jurassic and can be found as fossil e.g. in layers from Tertiary times." source:en.wikipedia.org...
With regard to the statue of a man on horseback (found in Ilha do Corvo), pointing west ward to the America's, the following excerpt is also interesting:
"Braghine in The Shadow of Atlantis reports that a statue of a man on horseback was also found on the western cost of Corvo. The statue was made of stone and had an undecipherable inscription at the base. Unfortunately, the king of Portugal ordered it removed in the 16th century and it was inadvertently broken by the workers sent to remove it. The statue and inscription are now lost.
Braghine reports that when Portuguese explorers, in search of new lands, reached the Azores and saw the statue, the man on horseback was reportedly pointing westward to the Americas. The inhabitants of Corvo were reported to have called the statue Catés, which has no meaning in either Portuguese or Spanish but curiously resembles the Inco-Quechua word cati which means "go that way" or follow." Source: Lost Cities of Atlantic, Ancient Europe & the Mediterranean
And to support the point made earlier about, if the Azores was in fact the lost continent of Atlantis, then why is there no land masses or ruins underwater to support this? "Antillia has if anything an even greater claim to historical existence than Atlantis itself. Yet the island is no longer there." Source: Return to Atlantis
In summary, the ocean is a very mysterious place and there are treasures and clues hidden in it's depths that could perhaps answer many of the questions about human existence. The trouble is that no one has really ventured into the great depths of the Atlantic Ocean. It's very dangerous notwithstanding expensive!
In any case, I'm interested in your views in relation to the content of my post.
Evete
P.S. I am Azorean (Praia da Vitoria, Terceira).
Sources to support this theory:
@ Power of Knowledge - If you are going to call someone "ignorant and misguided" then I suggest you back yourself up with a valid argument that proves that the Azores aren't a part of Atlantis (that is if it even existed). Also, if you are geologist of any sort, which would imply that you are educated, then you should work on developing your communication skills. There are more tactful ways of communicating that someone is wrong (if this is the case). If anything you come across as arrogant and rude!
Posted by: Paradox | 17 November 2009 at 07:41 PM
You are so incredibly ignorant and misguided. With a basic education and average intelligence, you would understand that this has nothing to do with "ancient civilizations" or "Atlantis".
Come out of your self-induced coma and actually LEARN something about geology before you talk about it!
Posted by: Power of Knowledge | 01 November 2009 at 07:35 PM
Atlantis was at the Azores!
Some islands were peaks of the Atlantis northern mountain-chains there!
Some of them are new volcanic mountains!
Atlantis is already discovered!
http://www.cosmogeology.ge/chapter.htm
good luck!
Posted by: Kakha | 06 February 2009 at 07:03 PM