Identification

• Atlantis is the mythical island supposed to have lain off the coast of Western Europe in the Atlantic Ocean. Stories about Atlantis have been with us since ancient times, but today it figures prominently in popular mythology as the lost undersea islands (perhaps even continent) of the mid-Atlantic.
  
  

History

• The first recorded mention of Atlantis is from Plato, who described it as a naval power lying beyond the Straits of Gibraltar that ruled an empire in Western Europe and North Africa in approximately 9600 B.C. Following a failed attempt to invade Athens, Atlantis sank into the ocean in a single day.
  
  

Theories/Speculation

• One explanation for the sinking of Atlantis is that the Atlanteans were punished by the Gods for their arrogance. This has been popular since classical times.
  
  Another is tied to the last ice age, and the contortion that the extra weight of the ice on the land surface of Northern Europe would have had--or the possibility of a submerged land bridge or island tied to ancient climate change. For example, it is known that the melting ice packs in northern latitudes formed massive, landlocked lakes of fresh water, similar to the smaller examples forming in Greenland due to global warming. Real science has speculated that many climactic and geographic features were created by such a fresh-water body breaking out and flowing suddenly into the sea. Intelligent Design theorists like to tie Noah's Flood to just such an event, and Atlantis theorists like to explain the sinking of the island in this way.
  
  A third explanation hinges around volcanic or tectonic activity. There are also theories that Atlantis never sank, but instead moved. These usually point to the frozen continent of Antarctica being Atlantis. Related is the idea that Atlantis has been misidentified, and islands like the Canaries or Azores are actually Atlantis. Finally, there is the theory that the island never actually sank at all, but continues to be on the surface and is hidden by advanced technology.
  
  

Considerations

• The main problem with answering the question "why did Atlantis sink?" is that any explanation will be a tenuous theory at best. That Atlantis even existed in the first place is widely scoffed at by experts, who insist that Plato's Atlantis was just a fiction that he used to illustrate certain philosophical principles. Therefore, theories about the sinking of Atlantis are not just speculation, but speculation based on what was, at best, fiction based upon legend.
  
  

Expert Insight

• Given the myths about Atlantis (which means "daughter of Atlas"), the submerged range of mountains in the mid-Atlantic were named the "Atlas Mountains."