Researchers have unearthed more details on a massive underwater landmass off the coast of Australia. A new study has described the submerged continent, which may provide light on the travel patterns of early humans.
Reports show researchers found that the sunken city had been there for over 70 thousand years. Scientists have finally mapped the enormous expanse of land, all because of sonar technology.
The principal author of the new research, an archaeologist named Kasih Norman from Griffith University in Queensland, Australia, said that the region in question is now buried at a depth of more than 330 feet below sea level.
According to the findings, what was previously land connecting what is now Kimberley and Arnhem Land is now underwater. Australia, New Guinea, and Tasmania were all part of this long-gone land bridge known as Sahul. Furthermore, scientists estimate that Sahul formerly provided for a prosperous population of 500,000.
Scientists looked at the family trees of the Tiwi Islanders, who now live on the brink of the ice sheet. Changes in genetic markers near the conclusion of the last glacial era suggested the arrival of new people, the study found. The archaeological record near the periphery of modern-day Australia reveals an uptick in the deposit of stone tools about 14,000 years ago, then again around 10,000 years ago. This is often taken to indicate that there was an abrupt influx of a large number of people to that area.
The buried continent, which is enormous, went unnoticed until quite recently.
According to Norman, there is a widespread belief in Australia that the continental margins were unlikely to have been productive or used by humans in the past. However, evidence from many regions of the globe shows that people were undoubtedly present.
Remarkable information on sea levels from 70,000 to 9,000 years ago is presented in the latest research.
130-foot lower sea levels existed between 59,000 and 71,000 years ago. According to a report, a curved chain of islands off the northwest coast of Australia might be the cause of this drop. A further decrease in sea levels exposed the continent between 14,000 and 29,000 years ago.
