"Samples that we recovered from the ocean bottom have justified our structures that we call megalithic structures. The samples are granite stone, completely polished, with some incrustations of fossils. Fossils of organic creatures that normally live on the surface, not on the ocean bottom. This is very interesting because this is evidence that the whole surface sank to the depth of 700 meters (2,297 feet, or about a half mile down).
The area has been seismically active for thousands of years. And what we find on the ocean bottom are fractures from which the magma and volcanic ash came out. From these structures we were able to delineate a configuration of the land that sank because you can see them clearly. The land that sank is very obvious from our image of the ocean bottom. And you can see bays, like harbors, and it's all at the depths of 900 and 700 meters.
Geologically, does Dr. Iturralde-Vinent and others have any idea what happened volcanically? Was it one large eruption or series of eruptions?
Series of eruptions and as he is saying, it is still active. A series of eruptions that created major tectonic movement to such a degree that land is sinking. For example, Cuba has sank and re-emerged a couple of times! But that was long ago, geologically. Now, what happened more recently geologically is that land sank that joined to Yucatan islands between Yucatan and Cuba, they sank.
Also, geologically and botanically in terms of organic life, Yucatan and Cuba the extreme northwestern part of Cuba which is Peninsula Guanahacabibes are completely identical. Completely identical. It's the same limestone and the same organic life and the same botanic and animal represented. It's very obvious that land that was joining that is now on ocean bottom is land that was joining Yucatan and Cuba. But this land was sinking because of tectonic movement which were occurring. Of course, earthquakes and volcanoes were accompanying the tectonic movements. Tectonic movement is not something that moves softly. It is always accompanied by dramatic volcano and earthquake activity.
But we saw on ocean bottom where the bays and coastal lines of the island that sank. We think there was a series of islands between Cuba and the Yucatan. There could have been sinking 15,000 years ago.
One area between the fractures. Not on the fractures. It is between the fractures was left undisturbed and just sank flat without fractures. On this area, we can observe those megalithic structures, or constructions. And they have completely different and independent delineation from geological faults, from our geology of the sunken land, or the geology of island Cuba. Completely independent delineation of their own.
As if they came from some place else?
We don't know yet. But it obviously didn't come from Cuba. That's one thing. The stone we recovered from ocean bottom is very polished granite. All of the peninsula of northwest part of Cuba, all of this peninsula is limestone, very fractured limestone. So, geologically, it (megalithic granite structures) is totally foreign to Cuba. But it's also not known in Yucatan because Yucatan is also limestone, not granite. Granite is found only in the center of Mexico.
It covers approximately a beautiful, beautiful, flat, clean area. Nothing else in this area. And it covers approximately 20 square kilometers of this area. It's flat, completely flat. Huge white silicon field. In the middle of all of that are these megalithic structures surfacing out of it.
What is the scientific consensus so far about how 20 square kilometers could get down a half mile?
The whole island sank. Probably what we think happened is that Cuba and Yucatan at one historical time were both joined. But little by little, this land was fractured into islands and sank to the ocean bottom. So, the land on which we discovered megalithic structures sank somewhere between 15,000 and maybe 50,000 years ago, which is quite recent geologically.
What for you is the next most important step you can take to collect one or more samples directly from the megalithic structures?
I wouldn't be able to do any serious work without a robot to that is working on ocean floor because I need stability in order to be able to make an opening in the megalithic structures. We need to make an opening to enter. National Geographic is interested in investigating the site with submersibles. So that might be another opportunity.
Do the submersibles have the ability to drill into stone?
No. Submersibles don't. They just have the ability to observe with human eyes.
Or videotape.
Or video camera, yeah. But it must be operated by humans.
If you can get the special robot constructed and down there that costs $2 million, you would be able to photograph with good light and be able to drill into a megalithic structure?
Oh, yes. I would be able to make opening and enter inside the structures. What I am the most interested in doing is to enter inside because if there are some artifacts, they should be inside the structures and not outside.
Then if National Geographic, or other interested organization, can get funding together, you might be able to go forward full time on research and get the robot down to both photograph and drill into the structures?
Yes, that's right. And discover a completely new page in our history."
Cuba Underwater Megalithic Research
"They (megalithic stones) are very unique structures. They really are not easy to understand and I do not have any easy explanation for them in a natural geological process."
Manuel Iturralde-Vinent, Ph.D., Geologist,
National Museum of Natural History, Havana, Cuba
July 10, 2002 Havana, Cuba A year ago in May 2001, I first reported at Earthfiles.com the startling comments made by ocean engineer, Paulina Zelitsky in Havana, Cuba about her finding earlier in 2000,
"possibly a sunken city built in the pre-classic period and populated by an advanced civilization similar to the early Teotihuacan culture of Yucatan.... Researchers using sonar equipment have discovered at a depth of about 2,200 feet (700-800 meters) a huge land plateau with clear images of what appears to be urban development partly covered by sand. From above, the shapes resemble pyramids, roads and buildings."
(Earthfiles May 18, 2001)
Original high resolution sidescan sonar received by the
EXPLORAMAR expedition in 2000
directed by Paulina Zelitsky and Paul Weinzweig
Since then, I have interviewed Paulina and her husband, Paul Weinzweig, several times about the evolution of their research and goal to get a specially built robot down to the megalithic site which could have lights for videotaping and drilling equipment to sample from the megalithic stone structures. (See Earthfiles June 13, 2001, November 19, 2001, December 1, 2001, December 15, 2001 and December 28, 2001.)
The couple operates the Advanced Digital Communications known as ADC in Canada and Havana which contracts to perform deep ocean research.
Originally, ADC had hoped to have a robot on the ocean floor by the summer of 2002, but its cost of $2 million has been an obstacle. So far, the National Geographic Societycontinues to express interest in adding its resources and media production efforts to the exploration, but to date no official contract has been signed. So, Paulina and Paul have taken on other assignments to pay bills while periodically sending remote operated vehicles known as ROVs down to pick up small rocks that lay on thick sand around the large megalithic stone "structures."
Some of those samples have gone to geologist Manuel Iturralde-Vinent, Ph.D., who works for Cuba's National Museum of Natural History in Havana. Since early spring 2002, Dr. Iturralde-Vinent has studied side-scan sonar images and videotape from the half-mile-deep site and has concluded that he cannot assign a completely natural geological explanation for the large, rectangular-shaped rocks that stand up on a vast, white field of deep sand spread over 20 square kilometers.
However, he is waiting for the first analyses of rock samples expected around July 19th. Until then, he is reserving opinion about the composition of the megalithic structures. However, Paulina Zelitsky describes the structures are polished granite not indigenous to either Cuba or the Yucatan.
This week I talked with both Paulina Zelitsky and Dr. Iturralde-Vinent about their current research and theories about what might have happened off the extreme northwestern Cuba peninsula known as Guanahacabibes.
Interviews:
Paulina Zelitsky, Ocean Engineer, Advanced Digital Communications, Havana, Cuba:
Back to bottling my Grenache
Cuba Underwater Megalithic Research
"They (megalithic stones) are very unique structures. They really are not easy to understand and I do not have any easy explanation for them in a natural geological process."
Back to bottling my Grenache
This is actually efficient, someone should refine it into a real design.