“Unveiled: The Mysterious Lost City Beneath the Atlantic that Defies All Our Expectations!”

We’ve all heard of the sunken city of Atlantis—what a classic, right? But have you ever heard of the ‘Lost City’? This isn’t your typical underwater drama waiting for a Disney remake. Nope, this gem was stumbled upon entirely by chance! Back in 2000, scientists decided to send rovers to inspect a seemingly mundane rocky area and ended up unearthing a potential 120,000-year-old city sitting about 700 meters deep in the Atlantic Ocean! Can you imagine the surprise! This remarkable site, located near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, showcases a unique hydrothermal field—basically, a geothermal wonderland of churning hot water and minerals. It’s considered one of the longest-lived underwater venting environments on our planet, and researchers believe this “Lost City” could shed light on the origins of life itself! So, buckle up for a deep dive into a story that might just make you ponder—what other secrets lie beneath the sea? LEARN MORE.

We’ve all heard of the sunken city of Atlantis, but are you aware of the ‘Lost City’?

This particular underwater landscape is yet to have been made into a Disney movie, as it was discovered by accident.

Back in 2000, experts sent rovers to investigate a rocky landscape, and instead, what they found was a potentially 120,000-year-old city.

700 metres below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean was a hydrothermal field, often described as a geological area where hot water circulates beneath the Earth’s surface.

It was located west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and Science Alert reported that the area is said to be the longest-lived venting environment in the sea.

Scientists now believe that the Lost City could unearth the origin of life, and even possibilities for life on other planets.

Various chimneys were discovered at the Lost City (University of Washington/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Attributes of the underwater area included ancient walls thought to be at least 120,000 years old, with chimneys spewing 104 Fahrenheit gasses and a monolith named after Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea.

Despite the harsh conditions, the ‘Lost City’ plays host to an abundance of ocean-dwelling creatures, such as snails, microbial communities and various crustaceans.

It’s thought that these beasts feed off the field’s vents, which reportedly spit out hydrogen, methane and other gasses.

Microbiologists also claim that animals such as crabs, shrimps and eels also inhabit the environment.

However, given that there is a distinct lack of oxygen present in the Lost City, these aquatic beats are a rare find.

Scientists say that hydrothermal fields, like the one they found in the Atlantic Ocean, probably exist elsewhere.

Scientists have called to protect the site from mining damage (University of Washington/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Yet the Lost City find remains the only one, which remotely operated vehicles have been able to navigate to thus far.

Speaking about the ancient ecosystem, microbiologist William Brazelton told The Smithsonian in 2018: “This is an example of a type of ecosystem that could be active on Enceladus [Saturn’s moon] or Europa [Jupiter’s moon] right this second and maybe Mars in the past.”

Since its discovery, there have been numerous calls to protect the site due to its importance. But in 2018, Poland was given the right to explore 10,000 sq km of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge for mining.

Speaking about the decision, Dr Gretchen Fruh-Green, the scientist who led the discovery said that explorers run the risk of ‘destroying’ the Lost City.

“We could destroy this place before we’ve understood it – before we can really appreciate the significance of these unique white towers and these very strange fluids that are coming out of the ocean floor,” she told Sky News. “The significance of that for understanding the origin of life, for understanding processes in early Earth.

“It’s our history, it’s the Earth’s history, and if we perturb it we don’t know how fast it will recover, or what influence the perturbation would have on ocean chemistry.”

Additional words by Ella Scott.