- VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (PRNewswire)
-- A husband-wife research team affiliated with the A.R.E. (Association
for Research & Enlightenment) has announced the discovery of a gigantic,
three-tiered stone platform lying under 10 feet of water just off northern
Andros Island. Drs. Greg and Lora Little, who found the underwater structure,
are based in Memphis, TN, and produce a monthly archaeologically related
newsletter for the A.R.E. entitled "Ancient Mysteries."
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- The Littles began a series of research expeditions in
February in the Bahamian island of Andros in an attempt to solve several
35-year-old mysteries. In the late 1960s, pilots photographed strange,
circular formations off the western coast of Andros, many of which had
the appearance of stone rings. Other investigators have spotted unusual
formations under the shallow coastal waters of Andros, including one in
the shape of the cursive letter "e." However, no one had ever
visited these sites to determine the nature of the mysterious formations.
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- During two visits to Andros in February and March, the
Littles managed to identify and locate all of the sites during an aerial
survey. While Andros is the largest Bahamas island, it is almost completely
unexplored and sparsely populated. Western Andros is virtually uninhabited.
Long and difficult trips through mangrove swamps and shallow tidal bays
were subsequently made to all of the sites.
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- The pair found that all of the mysterious underwater
formations had natural explanations. But during the March trip, on their
last night on the island, an unexpected visitor appeared at their door.
Dino Keller, an experienced diver and former dive operator who is now Vice-President
of WAVE- TV, gradually told them about an unusual stone structure he had
viewed one time from a boat just after Hurricane Andrew passed the island
in 1992. Keller told them "it looked like the Bimini Road, only bigger."
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- The Bimini Road is a J-shaped formation of large stones,
lying on a sandy bottom a few hundred yards off Bimini Island. Bimini is
about 50 miles from Miami and about 100 miles north of Andros. Although
still controversial, the Road is often called the "Road to Atlantis,"
and many believe it was part of the fabled lost continent.
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- "We were skeptical," Lora said, "but we
had to look." So the next morning the Littles went to the general
area of Andros where the stones were supposed to be located. Lora videotaped
the event while Greg snorkeled out into the ocean.
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- They eventually found the strange formation about 500
yards offshore. It appeared to be a gigantic, flat-stone platform made
by thick, mostly rectangular blocks of stone. But they didn't have enough
time to carefully examine the entire structure. In April the Littles returned
to the site for three days, diving and snorkeling while filming and taking
measurements.
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- "It appears to be composed of three flat tiers,"
Greg stated. "Each tier is 50 feet wide and rises two feet above the
level below it. The bottom tier has well-preserved two-foot-thick rectangular
blocks on its front edge. The blocks are mostly 30- by 25-feet and are
lying side by side in rows. The back portion of the 50-foot-wide tier is
partially covered with sand and has smaller stone blocks comprising it.
Coral is starting to form on portions of it. Then the second tier starts
with another row of 30- by 25-foot stone blocks. Several of these blocks
are cracked and broken with seaweed growing between the seams. The rest
of the 50-foot wide tier is partially covered by sand. This leads to the
third tier, which is also formed by the same type of huge stones. The highest
tier has more damage, and it is partially obscured by sand and rubble."
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- While the width of the platform seems to be 150 feet,
the length remains unknown. "It appears to be at least 400 yards long,"
Greg stated, "but it ends in a huge pile of sand and seaweed. The
structure could be natural, and geologists we have contacted think that
it is quite special -- whatever it is. They have suggested that it may
be a well-preserved, ancient beach, perhaps 6,000 years old or more. But
the tiers increase in height as you move away from the present shoreline
toward the ocean. This isn't what one would usually expect with a beach.
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- "At first glance it looks manmade, or perhaps at
least altered and used by ancient people. But we just don't know. More
study is needed to really determine what it is. It does bear some resemblance
to the Bimini Road, but the stones and the structure itself are quite a
bit larger."
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- The Littles plan to release a video documentary and book
on their research at the October 2003 "Ancient Mysteries Conference"
in Virginia Beach.
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- http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030422/fltu007_1.html
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