Posted: May 9th, 2011
Sinking Atlantis
Using Sediment Layers to Solve Riddles

Sandy McGillivray, an archaeologist studying the Minoan ruins of Palaikastro on the eastern shore of Crete, had never seen anything like it. While strolling along the beach, McGillivray noticed bits of ancient pottery, building debris, and volcanic ash mixed into the sediment layers of an eroding cliff side.

How the debris ended up there had him stumped.

He decided to call Hendrik Bruins, a soil scientist from Ben Gurion University in Israel who specializes in dating and identifying unusual layers of sediment. Bruins examined the layers, but their composition confused him too.

“This, from a sedimentary point of view, is impossible to get by an earthquake and it’s impossible to get by natural archaeological stratification,” Bruins concluded.

As Bruins studied the sediment deposits under a microscope, he discovered something else mixed in with the ancient debris and ash: foraminifera – tiny marine organisms – along with coralline algae. What were marine organisms doing in a sediment layer a few meters above sea level? Bruins could think of only one natural force capable of such a feat.

A sudden, devastating, and powerful wave.

Below, investigate for yourself by comparing the three major classifications of sedimentary rock with the bizarre deposit Sandy McGillivray discovered in the cliffs at Palaikastro.

Sedimentary rocks fall into three categories:

Clastic rocks

Clastic Rocks

Clastic sediment layers, like sandstone (pictured) and shale, form when rock fragments are broken down by weathering – a decomposition process that occurs when rocks come into direct contact with heat, water, ice, pressure, and natural chemicals – and are then transported and deposited elsewhere.

Chemical rocks

Chemical Rocks

Chemical rocks, like halite (rock salt) and gypsum, form when minerals that exist in a solution are extracted after the solution evaporates. For instance, when large bodies of saltwater dry up, they leave behind halite (pictured).

Biochemical rocks

Biochemical Rocks

Biochemical rocks, like coal and oil shale (pictured), form when the remains of dead organisms such as coral and mollusks merge with existing sediment.

Often, biochemical rocks contain the same foraminifera that Hendrik Bruins found in the Palaikastro layer. However, it would be impossible for marine organisms and ancient pottery debris to exist in the same rock layer unless something forced them together, which is why Bruins suspected a fierce wave struck Palaikastro.

Now compare the three major types of sediment to the Palaikastro layer:

Palaikastro deposit

Palaikastro deposit

Mixed into the sediment, you can clearly see floor plaster, wall plaster, and fragments of typical Minoan pottery. The existence of the Minoan fragments in conjunction with the marine organisms suggests that a massive amount of ocean water swept ashore, destroyed Minoan structures, and then swept the debris back toward the sea when the water finally receded.

Find out how Bruins and McGillivray prove a tsunami destroyed ancient Minoan society in the full episode of “Sinking Atlantis.”

  • Janis

    Sandy McGillivray!! You are truly amazing!! You have taken thoughts and ideas I have had for years and proven them… I always said that the Minoans didn’t just disappear… I said they had disintegrated and were in the sea. Little did I know you would prove me right. Thank you so much… so very much.

  • Gregory Carnevale

    Dear Mr. McGillivray. I can’t thank you enough for the wonderful discovery you made. I have been to all the ancient sites in Crete and took my students there. I taught Ancient Greek History and Philosophy at the American Community Schools in Athens and took my students to Crete as I did with my students here in Grand Rapids for 25 more years. Now it all makes sense. You have discovered the missing piece of the puzzle and for that I sincerely congratulate you. Wonderful!!!

  • Finn James

    i love this website :) :)

  • delkhush

    You’ll have given good info,but should have more pics on or about naturally formed brides.good job .take care.

  • sheila guthrie

    May I use one of these images in an assignment for 4th grade. I am writing a lesson using google websites and Inspiration. The image would be on an Inspiration worksheet. The worksheet would be included on the webiste.

  • Sandra Shapley

    Can anyone clarify where/when Linear A has been deciphered as asserted by Archeologist McGillivray? This is news to me and so far, unsuccessfully googled. Many thanks!

  • Katie Delbecq

    I really enjoyed this program and the associated material on the website. My interest in science began at a young age, when I read the book The Bull of Minos, and was captivated by the dashing adventures of Heinrich Schliemann and Sir Arthur Evans and the mysterious disappearance of the Minoans. My dreams of being an archeologist have been supplanted by my work as a geologist, but I am fascinated to hear about this intersection of tow of my interests.

    I am now a doctoral student working with Drs Andy Moore, Bob Morton on estimating size and velocity of storm surge and tsunami waves from the preserved paleodeposits. From my own work, I have found that it is difficult to prove to the scientific community that a large storm surge could not have produced deposits like yours with qualitative description of the extent of the deposit alone. I am curious to know what other lines of evidence you have from the deposit, other than timing established by C14 dating. What methods of inverse modeling are being used? If sediment transport was almost exclusively suspension dominated, an advection-settling model could be used to conservatively estimate wave size and velocity based on grain size distribution throughout the deposit.

  • WR Everdell

    My 6th grade Ancient History class at Saint Ann’s has been investigating the problem of Plato’s Atlantis for over 20 years now, and McGillivray’s evidence is now a big part of their assignment. Thanks to all, from Evans and Marinatos to Bruins and McGillivray.
    -WRE

  • jessica

    i like social studies

  • jessica

    I like my friends. I like my family.

  • Aliyu Bako

    I realy appreciate this site and thanks alot.

  • http://pimpshub.com Streaming

    awsomepostcanyouaddmore? Thank you

  • ???????

    I think so that soil investigation task is very important for contruction and environment control.

  • http://www.boomstylerecords.com Jerrell Odle

    impressive item. I enjoyed it very much! Thanks.

  • http://www.strategynode.com seo consultant

    What would most people do without the presence of the excellent thoughts you talk about on this site? Who else has the persistence to deal with crucial topics in the interests of common visitors like me? I actually and my pals are very fortunate to have your site among the ones we usually visit. We hope you know how significantly we get pleasure from your hard work! Best wishes through us all.

  • http://linux-dedicated-server.com dedicated server hosting

    I intended to send you one bit of observation to help thank you so much the moment again about the marvelous guidelines you’ve shared in this case. It is tremendously open-handed with you to offer easily what exactly a few people would’ve offered for an e-book to earn some bucks for their own end, most notably seeing that you might well have done it in case you desired. Those things in addition served like the fantastic way to be aware that other individuals have the same dream much like my own to grasp somewhat more related to this problem. I believe there are numerous more fun instances up front for people who go through your blog post.

  • http://www.yahoo.com Bluejjk

    Nowadays China’s household appliances enterprises are practicing the green transformation strategy, and achieving low-carbon, energy saving, health and environmental crystalline cell protection in all silicon wafer links such as product development, manufacturing, promotion, use and recycle. Green has become powerful silicon solar wafer weapons and home solar power system tools for China’s household appliance solar energy panel enterprises to muti wafer participate in global competition, which will promote and guide the sun solar system development of the entire appliance industry.

  • http://revcompare.com Trinidad Red

    I’ve recently started a blog, the data you offer on this website has helped me tremendously. Thanks for all of your time & work.

  • Robert D. Cromey

    Dear Mr McGillavray,

    1) If a volcano and tsunami destroyed Palaikastro, Amnisos, Mallia, why wasn’t Knossos destroyed at the same time? It’s within sight of the sea and wasn’t destroyed.

    2) The throne is not Minoan, is it?

    3) The frescoes are made of a kind of watercolor with binder, aren’t they? Why weren’t they erased?

    4) Doesn’t it look like the Mycenaeans sort of walked in?

    5) Isn’t there a little bit of controversy aboout the date of the explosion on Santorini vs the damage on Krete?
    I think it took 3 vols by vulcanologists to come to this conclusion.

    6) Weren’t the Minoans doing an awful lot of drinking and eating (cf. pithoi) if the palace was only used for ritual purpose? (I’m not sure you said no one really lived there, but it really sounded like it, and there were a lot of in/out clay seals from the Linear B Mycenaeans.

    7) The equinoxes have changed position since 2000 BC. Holes built to view one in 2000 bc may not really fit nowadays, right? And I’m personallyh upset that the Zodiac suffered its first correction in 3000 years in the last several months, because I’m not a leo any more but a virgin, while my wife has become a goat. (Etc. Playing with ancient monuments and astronomy can be hazardous to your reputation, though there are good computer programs for trying it. Just try to calculate the rising of Sirius in 403 BC.)

    8) Cannibals. It was very exciting with Peter Warren found that basket full of bones with cleaver marks, but has anything else been found implying cannibalism, vs. siege and famine? “Youths.” I think there were babies too, weren’t there? I’ve lost track of this thread.

    9) Sun worship? Where is the art, the pictorial evidence? Admittedly, the house of the blue monkey frescoes once had a psychodelic fresco; but its owner couldn’t stand it & tore it down & put up a new one. Where are the popples and the poppy goddess please? Well yes, that’s all a little late for the tsunami and fall of Crete, but you might have brought it in. Weren’t they all dope fiends (to use a phrase from Evans’ time)?

    10) There was a big bang, granted. Thanks for the business about sediments inland, this is interesting. The real trouble is that there are one or two insoluble obstacles to any theory about the “Fall” of the Mycenaeans.
    And I do believe that Plato’s descriptions of Atlantis are warped memories of Knossos.

    11) The myths: The Athenians, responsible for most of our Kretan myths, just didn’t like what was passed through the ages about the Kretans, But then, all Kretans were liars, and maybe Plato was one.

  • Paul

    A very interesting program, on a subject I’ve followed for years. Can you recommend recent, or not so recent books on the Minoan civilisation, and the Mycenaeans. Thanks.

  • Shaunte Crager

    Thanks for the posting. My partner and i have continually seen that most people are desirous to lose weight since they wish to look slim along with attractive. Nevertheless, they do not usually realize that there are other benefits so that you can losing weight also. Doctors claim that fat people experience a variety of diseases that can be directly attributed to their excess weight. The good thing is that people that are overweight in addition to suffering from diverse diseases can help to eliminate the severity of the illnesses by simply losing weight. It is easy to see a constant but noticeable improvement in health when even a slight amount of weight loss is achieved gywl512.

  • Michelle Blum

    Can’t this be connected to the builders of the temples on Malta and Gozo and their “unexplained or sudden disappearance”. Malta is so small and directly west of Thira by about 650 miles. I wish I could talk to Mr. McGillivray and ask questions. I believe he has uncovered more than he expects.

  • http://www.goodysl.com Hai Laduke

    Thanks for taking the time to go over this, I feel highly about this as well as love understanding more on this subject. If possible, as you acquire expertise, would you thoughts updating your blog with increased info? It is extremely helpful for me personally.

  • Bob Conner

    For a project, I need idea’s on how to build an electrical motor with a dry cell battery powering it. I can use only one flashlight battery up to D size if needed. I can also use any simple hardware supplies such a copper wire, or wood or such of these items. If there are any pictures or websights that can help me build it that would be great! I just need to know where to start. :)
    thank you!

  • http://www.reebokjerseysworld.com infant nfl personalized jerseys

    Thomas Shortall, died Twenty fifth Oct 1762, with Landrecies, was a student in The french language Flanders, a local of Kilkenny, Nba cycling tops National football league nfl jerseys UK global financial younger generation in Eire, 104 years, eight months and five days following your 27th Given birth to with Dec 1657.

  • http://www.adultxxxfilmsrentals.com xxx film rentals

    There is not a day that I didn’t visit your weblog, it is just so entertaining and positive to be around day in reading through your notions and your writings. Continue posting you have me hook my friend.

  • http://www.stupidvideos.com/profile/breen91christian Darrell Carlucci

    As soon as I found this website I went on reddit to share some of the love with them. “A sect or party is an elegant incognito devised to save a man from the vexation of thinking.” by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

  • Server For Dating

    Thanks for maintaining your site up to date and working, we all know it costs you cash and people are grateful for all your creativity and thought that you put into your post trendy fashion tips

  • Denisha Caltabiano

    I think disney will not hire you anymore, hahahaha

  • a online banking

    Hi there, i just needed to drop you a line to say that i thoroughly enjoyed this detailed post of yours, I have subscribed to your RSS feeds and have skimmed a few of your posts before but this one really stood out for me. I know that I am just a stranger to you but I figured you might appreciate the admiration Take care and keep blogging.

  • Bill from Home

    I wonder how many other times that this has happened and has not been properly reported. The location is not near any open ocean but with shifts in water levels this could of course have happened in the past even in areas like the american midwest

  • http://dddd-ztgbxcjgds-dsdsd.net Walton Danger

    They are clearly protesting the Conservative’s Great Recession, essentially the deregulation of our banking and finance industries, and the resulting economic chaos.

  • http://nz.entertainment.yahoo.com/tv/opinions/show/2887199/watch-beauty-and-the-beast-online-free-3d-2012/ watch beauty and the beast film

    I wish to show my respect for your kindness for folks who really need assistance with this particular matter. Your very own commitment to getting the message all over ended up being unbelievably advantageous and has in every case encouraged many people like me to get to their dreams. This warm and friendly report implies this much a person like me and somewhat more to my office colleagues. Best wishes; from all of us.

  • http://housaholics.com/forum/member.php?788-jCecilGamblej small tents for camping

    Just before you buy a household camping tent, answer these standard questions on how you are going to be employing the tent and what style of camping you are going to be carrying out. By figuring out what style of camping tent is proper for you before you get, you may save dollars, time and have the perfect tent for your camping encounter.

  • http://www.apple.com Juan Pochintesta

    Many thanks spreading all these valuable information and facts. A person’s document Sinking Atlantis ~ Using Sediment Layers to Solve Riddles | Secrets of the Dead | PBS genuinely helps me a good deal. You can examine my article also, when you don’t agree, you may also keep a person’s brief review.

  • bob

    i don’t get this

Produced by THIRTEEN    ©2013 Educational Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved.