August 04, 2009

Ancient Cities Lost to the Seas. [Via]
posted by homunculus 15 years ago
  • I have to wonder just how intact these places really are. If the ruins wound up underwater due to erosion, they'd be piles of stones, nothing more. I've seen what happens when the sea reclaims things, and it's pretty rare that structures retain any integrity, especially if the foundations were undercut causing a seaward drop. So accounts of there being "churches" and "streets" underwater, implying that they're recognizable as such, seem kind of fanciful. That said, it's intriguing to ponder what sort of mysteries and wonders await discovery underwater. And there are, in fact, intact towns underwater, but not always under the sea.
  • One word: R'lyeh.
  • Great article. These days people want to automatically attribute coastal losses to rising sea levels, but it behooves one to recall that the relentless force of erosion has always been an insatiable beast, to the consternation of people who own waterfront property.
  • Ah, ticky, those folks with the quarter mil homes aren't really that consternated. They know darn well our rising insurance costs will pay for a new home in no time.