• [Dailystar Icon]
• News
• Latest News
• Atlantis

Atlantis mystery 'solved' as boffins find real-life inspiration near UK tourist hotspot

Marine geologist Luis Somoza, of the Geological Survey of Spain, said: 'This could be the origin of the Atlantis legend. They were islands in the past and they have sunk, they are still sinking'

[Atlantis mystery 'solved' as boffins find real-life inspiration near the Canaries]

Has the Atlantis mystery just been solved?(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Boffins think they have found the real-life inspiration behind the legend of Atlantis.

The fictional island, which was submerged by the Gods, was first mentioned in books by the famous philosopher Plato around 360 BC.

But now researchers have found a series of sunken islands near the Canaries which they think could be behind the mythical underwater fallen empire.

READ MORE: Aliens 'signed treaty with government' as 'we've each got something the other wants'

Click for more of the latest news from the Daily Star.

The experts sent an unmanned submarine with high-res cameras and robotic arms to 2,500m depths. It took samples from the seabed of the islands which researchers believe sank millions of years ago.

[Atlantis mystery 'solved' as boffins find real-life inspiration near the Canaries]

Researchers found a series of sunken islands they think could be behind the mythical underwater fallen empire(Image: IGME-CSIC)

Scientists have named the now-submerged lands 'Los Atlantes', in reference to the myth of Atlantis which still persists today.

Marine geologist Luis Somoza, of the Geological Survey of Spain, said: "This could be the origin of the Atlantis legend. 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."

[Atlantis mystery 'solved' as boffins find real-life inspiration near the Canaries]

Experts sent an unmanned submarine with high-res cameras and robotic arms to 2,500m depths(Image: IGME-CSIC)

Meanwhile, a long lost "Atlantis" continent nearly twice the size of the UK has seen experts claim the elusive area housed half a million people.

Signs of leftover rivers and patches of freshwater lakes in a now-sunken landscape were mapped off the coast of Australia. Boffins believe the "submerged" area was Australia's own "Atlantis", with its residents forced to find new homes when it sank.

[Atlantis mystery 'solved' as boffins find real-life inspiration near the Canaries]

Cameras took samples from the seabed of the islands which researchers believe sank millions of years ago(Image: IGME-CSIC)

Rising tides in the area, which eventually led to the coasts which new rest against Timor, left the landscape flooded and eventually buried beneath the waves. Read the full story here.

For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.

[Dailystar Icon]

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Choose Daily Star as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.