What Are Some of the Theories on How Atlantis Was Destroyed?
- The melting of Ice Age glaciers is enough to flood low-lying islands.Ablestock.com/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
One of the most repeated stories about the destruction of Atlantis involves floods. There are various reasons for the flooding, some involving a moral tale about vanity and greed. Some stories say the gods became disgusted with the immoral road the Atlanteans were taking and caused an earthquake beneath the city that destroyed many of its structures. What the earthquake left, the resulting floods destroyed. Another flood story involves the passing of the Ice Age that would have existed at the same time as the civilization. When the glaciers began to melt, the level of the ocean rose and flooded the city, sinking it beneath the waters. - A single small asteroid can have destating effects.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
Another theory suggests that a meteorite that collided with the Earth was responsible for the destruction of the island city. German scientists have gone so far as to find the meteorite supposedly responsible. Known as the Carolina Meteorite, this asteroid was theorized to have connected directly with the continent of Atlantis, causing the island to be crushed to the sea floor. Other, smaller asteroids that pepper the Atlantic Coast are thought to have hit about the same time, about 8,498 BC. - Atlantis may have just been one casualty of a global change.Ablestock.com/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
Part of Plato's dialogues points to the idea that there was a major global change responsible for the disappearance of Atlantis. A shift in the tectonic plates of the Earth may have begun a chain reaction that includes earthquakes and floods. This theory has change occurring on a much larger scale, not just centering around Atlantis. Plato theorized this shift occurred because of a change in the way the planets aligned around Earth. Other theories include a shift in the polar ice caps, a change in the Earth's orbital path around the sun or movement of the planet's magnetic poles. - A volcano previously thought to be dormant could have erupted.Photos.com/Photos.com/Getty Images
There are several theories that involve the destructive power of a volcano. Once suggests that the island that supported Atlantis was built on a volcano thought to be dormant. Supporters of this theory point to the Greek island of Thera as a possible site for Atlantis. The theory suggests that the volcano on Thera erupted, covering the island with lava and rock, burying Atlantis and creating the smaller islands that now surround it. - Some theories point the finger to extraterrestrials.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
There are also theories that suggest a connection between Atlantis and extraterrestrials. Some stories suggest the technologically advanced continent was colonized by aliens, with many of these stories originating from sources such as the psychic Edgar Cayce, who is credited with seeing the Bimini Road beneath the ocean waters exactly where it would be discovered years after his death. Similar stories connect cave paintings throughout Europe with aliens that escaped the destruction of Atlantis. These aliens are hypothesized to have escaped from a technological malfunction caused by their own creations or to have been the victims of a rival civilization that destroyed their city.
