The lost island of Atlantis may have been found 2km under the ocean

Some people believe that in the Atlantic Ocean, lying west of the Strait of Gibraltar, lies the legendary island of Atlantis. The island itself is thought to have been created by the philosopher Plato. His tale of a fabled civilization that the Gods plunged into the ocean as a punishment for its citizens' pride and arrogance has survived thousands of years. And now researchers think they may have found Plato’s inspiration for such a legend. In an area north of the Canary Islands, Spain, scientists have uncovered a vast submerged mountain that likely sank off the coast of the islands millions of years ago (Picture: Getty)

The seamount, which has been dubbed as Mount Los Atlantes, has three inactive volcanoes each around 50km (30 miles) in diameter, with their bases over 2km under the ocean surface, according to researchers from Spain’s Geological and Mining Institute (CSIC). Some of the lost islands even, after all this time, still have their beaches intact. The team said that some of the beaches sit just 60m (200 feet) below the ocean's surface. During the last ice age, when sea levels were far lower than they are today, the inactive volcanoes would have become islands again, which could have been used to inhabit wildlife (Picture: IGME-CSIC)

These volcanoes were once part of a system of islands that sat around the east of Lanzarote, off the coast of West Africa, during the Eocene era around 56 million years ago, CSIC said. Geologist and project coordinator Dr Luis Somoza told LiveScience: ‘This could be the origin of the Atlantis legend’ referring to the Ancient Greek philosopher’s tale. In a statement he said: ‘They were islands in the past and they have sunk, they are still sinking, as the legend of Atlantis tells. Some of us have been able to verify that they still maintain their beaches’ (Picture: IGME-CSIC)

The team of geologists went aboard the Sarmiento de Gamboa, an oceanographic vessel of the CSIC, and used an advanced remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to survey the waters at depths around 2.5km (1.5 miles) for a better understanding of the region’s volcanic activity. The dive was part of the team’s Atlantis project which aims to understand underwater volcanic and hydrothermal activity in the region (Picture: IGME-CSIC)

They also assessed the state of the seabed around the archipelago from June 27 to August 6 to look for signs of magma and underwater volcanic activity that may pose risks to Spain’s population in the future. Some of the volcanoes in the underwater region may be more modern than previously thought, and could be the submarine equivalents of Spain’s Timanfaya volcano system, the team suggested (Picture: IGME-CSIC)

The researchers also looked at how underwater minerals form in such extreme conditions as well as the water’s levels of microorganisms encouraging the formation of metals like manganese, cobalt, and phosphates, which are important for energy transition. The team will analyse the samples collected from Los Atlantes to date the volcanic rocks and pinpoint when the islands began to sink (Picture: IGME-CSIC)

The study also reflects the vast life that exists on the seabed after the underwater lava flows formed the lava deltas, revealing how underwater life is reborn after the recent eruptions with new gardens of corals and sponges, or areas covered with bacterial next to the hydrothermal sources (Picture: IGME-CSIC)