Yonaguni Monument
Yonaguni Monument
Yonaguni Submarine Topography | |
---|---|
Rock formation | |
Coordinates: 24°26′09″N 123°00′41″E / 24.435833°N 123.011389°E | |
Location | Japan |
Offshore water bodies | Philippine Sea |
Dimensions | |
• Depth | 26 m (85 ft) |
The Yonaguni Monument (Japanese: 与那国島海底地形, Hepburn: Yonaguni-jima Kaitei Chikei, lit. "Yonaguni Island Submarine Topography"), also known as "Yonaguni (Island) Submarine Ruins" (与那国(島)海底遺跡, Yonaguni(-jima) Kaitei Iseki), is a submerged rock formation off the coast of Yonaguni, the southernmost of the Ryukyu Islands, in Japan. It lies approximately 100 kilometres (54 nmi; 62 mi) east of Taiwan.
Marine geologist Masaaki Kimura claims that the formations are man-made stepped monoliths.[1] These claims have been described as pseudoarchaeological.[2] Neither the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs nor the government of Okinawa Prefecture recognise the features as important cultural artifacts and neither government agency has carried out research or preservation work on the site.[3]
Discovery
The sea off Yonaguni is a popular diving location during the winter months because of its large population of
The formation has since become a relatively popular attraction for divers despite strong
Location and geology
The formations are located below Arakawabana (新川鼻; Yonaguni: Araga-bana) cliff which is the southern tip of Yonaguni island, with its main face oriented south-southeast.[6][7]
It is composed of medium to very fine
Natural formation
Geologist
German geologist Wolf Wichmann, who studied the formations in 1999 during an expedition organized by Spiegel TV, and in 2001 by invitation of Graham Hancock, concluded that they could have been formed by natural processes.[11][12]
At Sanninudai, there are onshore step-like sandstone formations similar to those of the Yonaguni. Robert Schoch, as well as Patrick D. Nunn, Professor of Oceanic Geoscience at the University of the South Pacific, note that the formations are purely natural.[13]
In 2019, Takayuki Ogata and other researchers conducted a topographical analysis of Yonaguni Island using a digital elevation model and geological field investigations of the strata, rocks, and microtopography of outcrops at three locations, known as "geosites", Tindabana, Kube Ryofurishi, and Sanninudai. As a result of their research, they noted that although Yonaguni Monument may look like an artificial construction, it is a natural feature formed by the weathering and erosional processes acting on bedding and linear joints in sandstone. They noted that similar features can be found at Sanninudai geosite and commonly observed on the south coast of Yonaguni Island.[14]
Pseudoarchaeological claims of artificial structures
Kimura first estimated that the formation must be at least 10,000 years old, dating it to a period when it would have been above water, and therefore surmised that the site may be a remnant of the mythical
Supporters of artificial origin, such as Graham Hancock, also argue that while many of the features seen at Yonaguni are also seen in natural sandstone formations throughout the world, the concentration of so many peculiar formations in such a small area is highly unlikely.[12] They also point to the relative absence of loose blocks on the flat areas of the formation, which would be expected if they were formed solely by natural erosion and fracturing. Robert M. Schoch, who believes the formation was formed geologically, has noted that the rocks are swept by strong currents.[10]
See also
- Bimini Road
- Giant's Causeway
- Marine archaeology in the Gulf of Cambay
- Pantelleria Vecchia Bank Megalith
- Unidentified submerged object
References
- ^ "Deep Secrets". New Scientist. Vol. 204, Issue 2736. 28 November 2009. p. 41.
- ^ Feagans, Carl (October 16, 2017). "Yonaguni: Monumental Ruins or Natural Geology?". Archaeology Review.
- ^ National Geographic News. Archived from the originalon August 7, 2019.
- ^ a b c West, John Anthony (1998). "Diving for Lemuria". Retrieved 2010-07-06.
- ^ Mayol, Jacques. Heritage des Peuples de la Mer.
- ^ ISBN 978-4476033052.
- ^ Kimura, Masaaki (2004). "Ancient Megalithic Construction Beneath the Sea off Ryukyu Islands in Japan, Submerged by Post Glacial Sea-level Change" (PDF). Proceedings of Oceans'04 MTS/IEEEE Techno-Ocean '04. pp. 947–953.
- ^ a b c d Schoch, Robert M. (1999). "Yonaguni Enigmatic Underwater Monuments". Retrieved 2010-07-06.
- ^ "National Geographic News Photo Gallery: Asian "Atlantis" Shows Strange Structure". Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
- ^ doi:10.1016/S0262-4079(09)63140-7. Archived from the originalon 2009-11-28. Retrieved 2012-10-14.
- ^ Wichmann, Wolf (2003-03-29). "Zeugnis einer untergegangenen Hochkultur Asiens oder einfach nur ein Felsklotz im Meer?: Das Yonaguni-Monument". Spiegel Online (in German). Retrieved 2019-06-16.
- ^ ISBN 978-1938875038.
- ISBN 978-0-8248-3219-3.
- ^ 尾方隆幸, 大坪誠 and 伊藤英之, 2020. 与那国島のジオサイト―台湾島を望む露頭が語る地形形成環境 (Geosites of Yonaguni Island Located at the Westernmost Points of Japan)(in Japanese). E-journal GEO, 15(1), pp.44-54
- ISBN 978-4195545874.
- ^ Kimura, Masaaki (23 May 2006). "沖縄の海底遺跡についての新知見 (New Information about Underwater Ruins in Okinawa)" (in Japanese). Retrieved 26 July 2019.
External links
- Dunning, Brian (August 24, 2010). "Skeptoid #220: Yonaguni Monument: The Japanese Atlantis". Skeptoid.