Five mysterious secrets of Antarctica. Unknown Antarctica - Is it fake or true?

Sergey Sall:— You can start, for example, with the Columbus expedition. Columbus had a relative who was the head secret society, so secret maps were given to Columbus. The relative's name was Henry Navigator. There was a Masonic structure. And Columbus already sailed to America, already knowing approximately the outline of North and South America. That is, these cards were in Europe, these same cards, as it turned out, were in Turkey with Admiral Piri Reis. At that time, Egypt was part of Turkey, so it is not surprising that such maps ended up in Istanbul.

The most amazing thing about the Piri Reis map is that it shows Antarctica, without the ice cover that now exists in many parts. How to explain this? This can only be explained by the fact that this map is antediluvian, and North Pole before the flood it was approximately in the middle of Greenland. And, imagine, if the North Pole extended to the north by about two thousand kilometers, then the northern extremity of Antarctica, where the Drake Passage is now located, at that time was approximately at the latitude of Santiago. This means that there was a normal climate and it was possible to live. Naturally, at that time this part of Antarctica was inhabited. What is surprising is that there is no strait on the map of Piri Reis at all. This is the strait that is now called the Drake Passage.

While the smallest depth of this strait is 270 meters, and in other parts it is even deeper. Sea level has risen on average by about 200-300 meters. So, in general, it is not entirely clear why there is no isthmus on the map of Piri Reis, but the explanation may be due to the fact that such strong movements of continental plates occurred that the level of both the World Ocean and these plates actually changed. That is, apparently, this is due not only to the fact that the sea level has risen by 200-300 meters, but also to the movement of the continents. In any case, according to cartographers, including military cartographers, the outlines given by the Piri Reis maps coincide very well with what was obtained using echolocation. That is, with the help of echolocation you can observe what is under the ice. Indeed, at that time, apparently, part of Antarctica was not covered with ice. So people lived there. Official science sometimes simply does not react, because people understand that if they react, they will be misunderstood. So it is better to remain silent about such acts altogether.

Hero of the Soviet Union helicopter pilot Boris Lyalin told Rossiyskaya Gazeta about the unknown Antarctica.

Boris Vasilyevich, the withdrawal of the icebreaker "Mikhail Somov" from a 133-day ice drift ended in the summer of 1985. Your icebreaker "Vladivostok" broke the ice around the "Somov" on July 26, and on August 11 both ships reached clean water. The head of the expedition, Artur Chilingarov, the icebreaker captain Valentin Rodchenko, and you received Hero stars for this feat. When did the award decree come out?

Boris Lyalin: In February 1986. This news caught me on yet another polar expedition. Order of Lenin and medal " Gold Star"was awarded much later. And the entire helicopter crew received state awards.

Were you awarded for a 2000-kilometer flight?

Boris Lyalin: No. You know, if you give awards for everything that was done in Antarctica in those years and is being done today, then there will not be enough awards. This is our job.

Help me figure it out: according to the film "Icebreaker", one Mi-2 helicopter and one pilot were involved in the operation to rescue "Mikhail Somov". But in reality, the Somov had two helicopters and two full-fledged crews. Plus your Mi-8 on the rescue icebreaker Vladivostok. I'm starting to get confused...

Boris Lyalin: About the film. I watched it twice. I decided that I had missed something the first time. In the movie, on a ship, the helicopter crew consists of one person! Was it, as the script writers intended, that he serviced the helicopter and flew it himself? Therefore, it is better not to disassemble this film. It is fictional, not documentary. I decided this for myself: it’s not about aviation, it’s about an icebreaker.

In reality, the Mikhail Somov had two helicopters. But by the time we arrived, everything was frozen over; they couldn’t even clear the site. Therefore, we did not board the Somov, but on the ice, next to it. The management made a decision: only my crew is working. We flew.

I read that the icebreaker "Vladivostok" was caught in terrible storms; 180 barrels of fuel were washed off the deck, including aviation kerosene for a helicopter. The roll reached 40 degrees. During the transition it is hot, plus 30, and in Antarctica - about 45 to 50 degrees below zero... Isn’t this all an exaggeration?

Boris Lyalin: Actually, that’s exactly how it happened. It was hot during the passage from Vladivostok to New Zealand. The icebreaker was old, and of course there was no air conditioning. But we got to New Zealand more or less normally. And then... Icebreaker, it's like an egg. Moreover, literally: the vessels of the Vladivostok type had an egg-shaped underwater part. They were built so that the ice could not be crushed, but rather “squeezed out”. But in the ocean this “egg” shakes great, especially when you go through the “roaring forties” and “furious fifties”. One night many barrels were torn off the deck. They were secured securely: with timber 150 by 150 mm. But a storm in the ocean... I saw it from the bridge: one barrel flew out of the crate, followed by another. Like in the movies, when depth charges fall from a ship. About 180 barrels were lost. They hid near one of the islands, declared an emergency, and rushed everyone to secure the cargo. Then we moved on. And then it started again... It continued for several more days. In fact, this is a humanly terrifying sight: you are standing on the bridge and a gigantic wall of water is coming at you.

And how did the helicopter not get lost at a 40-degree bank?

Boris Lyalin: It was in the hangar, it was well fixed, there were very reliable fastening points.

By the way, you are a land pilot. Where and when did you retrain as a deckhand?

Boris Lyalin: If we are talking about some special center retraining, then there were no such things. I mastered it myself. Who taught? Yes, no one taught, on their own. Before that I flew a lot in the mountains. And also, as we say, “in the north.”

In 1985, my Mi-8 was transferred by plane to a military airfield near Vladivostok. They assembled a helicopter, but they didn’t let me fly to the icebreaker. The test pilot himself flew it to Vladivostok. I performed several flights at the port, everything was fine, I was given clearance.

By the way, at Vladivostok it was very good, large area under the helicopter. It cannot be compared with old icebreakers, where the stern platform was not intended for a helicopter at all. There, in case of war, they were supposed to install artillery installation. And that platform was also at an angle. To level it horizontally, a leveling timber flooring was laid. The railings were cut. They also placed timber under the front wheel to prevent it from rolling off. That's all, actually.

When you sit on such a platform, there is very little space: only about five meters from the mast. The tail of the helicopter remains virtually overboard, and the technicians at sea could not service it.

I spent a considerable part of my life at fighter aviation airfields. You know, your flight time - almost 14 thousand hours - is shocking. A fighter pilot can retire with 1.5-2 thousand flight hours. Army helicopter pilots fly more than fighter jets, but for 14 thousand...

Boris Lyalin: Yes, indeed, we flew a lot. When I worked in Yakutia, I flew 600 - 700 hours a year. Especially when fires started. The taiga burned very badly in 1968. I was still flying the Mi-4 back then, and I was sanitary standard: no more than 75 hours in the air per month. But you have to fly! We are increasing the sanitary norm to 90. But everything is on fire, we need to take firefighters to the taiga. Then the head of the department, by his order, increased the norm to 120 hours. And then - that's all, no longer has the right. But there were still not enough pilots.

Did you find a way out?

Boris Lyalin: Found it. They allowed to raise the standard to 140 hours. For me personally. Believe it or not, the issue was resolved at the government level. The detachment received a telegram from Moscow signed by the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Nikolai Podgorny.

Let's move from the burning Yakut taiga to icy Antarctica. Any pilot always has an alternate airfield. There should be, anyway. What is there an alternate airfield in Antarctica?

Boris Lyalin: The site was selected by the crew commander independently. From the air.

Yes, it is difficult to fly there. After all, it is not always possible to predict the weather even in more developed regions. In Antarctica, the accuracy of forecasts is like guessing on coffee grounds. But there is a feeling. When it’s snowing there, you shouldn’t go there. But, of course, you can’t foresee everything.

You were the pilot of the first Soviet-American drifting research station, Weddell?

Boris Lyalin: The station was opened in early 1992 in the western part of the Weddell Sea. The drift lasted from February 12 to June 4. The expedition consists of about 30 people. We lived in tents on an ice floe: drip stoves, a generator. The Americans had two Bell-212 helicopters. But our Mi-8 was more perfect.

The pilots quickly found common language?

Boris Lyalin: If you turn off the recorder, I’ll tell you.

(After 5 minutes)

The story in my retelling. So, while the recorder was turned off, I realized that the American pilots were having difficulties with our aircraft. But Boris Lyalin easily mastered the American Bellas in flight, even without knowing English.
Boris Lyalin: (Laughs). No comments.

Were there any problems in relations with the Americans?

Boris Lyalin: Not with them. And there was only one problem, Soviet Union had already ceased to exist and was needed Russian flag. Where can you get it on a drifting ice floe in Antarctica?

And where was the national flag found?

Boris Lyalin: Yes, in the end they just sewed it together. And it was really easy to find a common language with the Americans. What should we share with them? It was bad that we didn’t know English well then. The time was different. Now I have a grandson in the seventh grade - and he speaks English fluently. Granddaughter graduates from the Institute foreign languages named after Maurice Thorez. The youngest daughter works in the UK, her husband is a diplomat. Our diplomat.

Have you experienced any other complexes besides language ones?

Boris Lyalin: Absolutely. In terms of technology, even if it sounds strange, we were even ahead of them. I have already mentioned the old Bell helicopters. The American research icebreaker Nathaniel Palmer transported polar explorers from Weddell Station. It was completely new then, built in early 1992. I was interested, I visited it, walked around it all. Not impressed. Ours are better.

In general, polar explorers with everyone good relationship. For example, in January 1979, our IL-14, taking off in a strong headwind, crashed into a glacier dome. He flew as part of the 24th Soviet Antarctic Expedition: he transported polar explorers from Molodezhnaya station to Mirny. When it hit the ice, the cockpit was destroyed and the fuselage was cut in half. The crew commander died immediately, and the co-pilot and flight mechanic died within 24 hours. Five of our seriously wounded were transported to a hospital in New Zealand on a C-130 aircraft. And it was a US Air Force plane.

By the way, I remember one incident. I then flew as part of the UN contingent in Africa. Our aviation chief was an Italian. He was holding a briefing when the American pilots arrived. Among them I saw an old friend from work in Antarctica. Both, of course, were delighted and hugged in front of everyone.

So, you should have seen the eyes of this Italian. And everyone else too.

What, when a Russian and an American hug, the whole world's jaws drop?

Boris Lyalin: Yes, that’s exactly it.

You talked a little about your family. Has anyone followed in your footsteps?

Boris Lyalin: No, no one else in my family flew. And it doesn't fly. I was the only one who connected my life with aviation.

• Photo: from the personal archive of Boris Lyalin

• Tell your friends about it!

A ntarctica is not much different from mars. Just more oxygen. And the cold is the same. In some places the temperature drops to minus 90 degrees Celsius. There is only one fundamental difference - there are people in Antarctica, but not yet on Mars. But this does not mean that the ice continent has been explored much better than the Red Planet. There are plenty of mysteries here and there...

We don't know if there is life on Mars. We do not know what is hidden under the many kilometers of Antarctic ice. And there is only a vague idea of ​​what is happening on its surface.

Surprisingly, the images of Mars high resolution more than Antarctica. You can examine the details of its relief in detail only on a narrow strip in the area of ​​Queen Mary Land, where surprises were found. It wouldn't be a bad idea to look at other places. Especially those that have long been legendary.

The discovery belongs to Joseph Skipper, a famous virtual archaeologist from the USA. He usually “digs” on Mars and the Moon, looking at photographs transmitted from there spacecraft and posted on the official websites of NASA and other space agencies. He finds a lot of surprising things - things that sharply fall out of traditional ideas.

The researcher's collection contains objects similar to bones and skulls of humanoids. And those that (with a stretch, of course) can be mistaken for the remains of their - humanoids - civilized activity.

This time the archaeologist became interested in the Earth - specifically Antarctica. And I found three oddities there at once - a hole, a “plate” and lakes.

I followed Skipper's footsteps and found all the objects he discovered. Their coordinates are known, they are clearly visible on satellite images of the ice continent posted on the Google Earth website.

Coordinates:
“Stroke”: 99o43’11, 28’’E; 66o36’12, 36’’S
“Lake”: 100o47’51.16’’E; 66o18’07.15’’S
“Flying Saucer” 99o58’54.44’’E; 66o30’02.22’’S

According to Skipper, there is a whole underground city. And proof of this are lakes with liquid water among the ice of Antarctica, as well as the huge “Hod” located on the ice continent. But who could build all this in conditions of terrible cold? The answer to this question, according to Skipper, is given by his third find - a huge “plate”, which may belong to aliens.

It’s difficult to take stories about polar aliens and Germans any seriously. But... What to do with the hole, the “plate” and the lakes discovered by Joseph Skipper? One fits very well with the other. Unless, of course, the objects are what they look like.

UFOs can fly out of a hole in the mountains. The “plate” is real. Maybe even alien. Looks icy. And as if exposed as a result of either global warming, or weathering. It belongs to those guys who lived or live in the warm inner cavities of Antarctica.

Well, lakes are just evidence that they - cavities - exist. And they warm up the oases. Like the Schirmacher oasis, which is far from the only one.

Antarctica is generally a strange place...

By the way, Lake Vostok is not free from tales. A strong magnetic anomaly was discovered on its western side. This - scientific fact. But the nature of the anomaly has not yet been determined. Which gives ufologists the right, at least temporarily, to claim that there lies a massive metal object. Specifically, a huge alien ship. Maybe crashed. Maybe it was abandoned millions of years ago, when there was no ice over the lake. Maybe it was operational and just parked.

This is what the ice looks like over Lake Vostok. On the left edge there is a magnetic anomaly and strange dunes. On the right bank is Vostok station

Unfortunately, the magnetic anomaly is located far from the well - at the opposite end of the lake. And it is unlikely that it will be solved soon. If it ever works out.

The existence of an extensive network of subglacial rivers and canals was recently reported by British scientists - Duncan Wingham from University College London and colleagues - by publishing a corresponding article in the authoritative scientific journal Nature. Their conclusions are based on data obtained from satellites.

Wingham assures that the subglacial channels are as deep as the Thames.

The mystery of Lake Vanda. This salt lake, all year round it is covered with ice. But what’s amazing: a thermometer lowered into water to a depth of 60 m shows... 25 degrees Celsius! Why? Scientists don't know this yet. Antarctica will probably present many more similar mysteries.

Laugh and laugh, but the discovery of British scientists does not at all contradict the most delusional versions of hidden Antarctic life. On the contrary, it reinforces them. After all, a network of channels located at a depth of about 4 kilometers under thin ice can connect one cavity to another. Serve as a kind of roads that in some place may have access to the ocean. Or entrance.

Dronning Maud Land is a vast area on Atlantic coast Antarctica, lying between 20° west and 44° 38′ east longitude. Area - about 2,500,000 square kilometers. The territory is subject to the Antarctic Treaty.

This treaty prohibits the use of Antarctic territories for any purpose other than scientific research. There are several scientific stations operating on the territory of Dronning Maud Land, including the Russian Novolazarevskaya station and the German Neumayer station.

Antarctica was discovered back in 1820. However, its first systematic and in-depth study began only a century later. Moreover, the most interested researchers of the ice continent were representatives of Nazi Germany. In 1938–1939, the Germans sent two powerful expeditions to the continent.

“There are still unexplored areas in Antarctica,” says Sergei Bulat, senior researcher at the Department of Molecular and Radiation Biophysics at the St. Petersburg Institute of Nuclear Physics. — The subglacial structure is very diverse; it is an ordinary continental topography, where there are mountains, lakes, etc. There are niches between the continent and the ice, but they are not empty, they are all filled with either water or ice.

However, in my opinion, the existence of a separate civilization under the ice cap is impossible. After all, the ice thickness in Central Antarctica is over three kilometers. It is difficult for anything to survive there. Don't forget that average temperature on the surface of the continent minus 55 degrees. Although it is, of course, warm under the ice - about 5-6 degrees below zero, life there is nevertheless unlikely.

The area of ​​Antarctica is about 14 million square kilometers. Almost the entire continent is covered with ice. In some places its thickness reaches 5 kilometers. And what is underneath is known only about an insignificant part of the surface.

03/29/2016 4 390 0 Jadaha

Unknown

The existence of a highly developed civilization in Antarctica began to attract the interest of professional historians after World War II. The hypothesis is confirmed by medieval maps and studies by Western paleogeologists and glaciologists.

In January 1820, a new continent was discovered on the then map of our planet. Encyclopedic Dictionary Brockhaus and Efron reported that the south polar continent is poorly studied; flora and fauna are absent, indicating a rough estimate of the area of ​​the continent. The author of the article also noted the richness of Antarctic waters in algae and marine animals.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the director of the National Museum in Istanbul, Khalil Edhem, was dismantling the library of the Byzantine emperors in the old palace of the sultans. Here, on a dusty shelf, he discovered a map that had been lying around since God knows when, made on the skin of a gazelle and rolled into a tube. The compiler depicted on it the western coast of Africa, the southern coast South America and the northern coast of Antarctica. Khalil couldn't believe his eyes. The coastal edge of Dronning Maud Land south of the 70th parallel was free of ice. The compiler put it in this place mountain range. The name of the compiler was well known to Edhem - admiral of the Ottoman Empire navy and cartographer Piri Reis, who lived in the first half of the 16th century.

The authenticity of the card was not in doubt. A graphological examination of the notes in the margins confirmed that they were written in the admiral’s hand.

1949 Joint British-Swedish exploration expedition carried out intensive seismic survey southern continent through the thickness of the ice cover. According to the commander of the 8th Technical Intelligence Squadron of the US Air Force Strategic Command (07/06/1960), Lieutenant Colonel Harold Z. Ohlmeyer, “the geographical details depicted at the bottom of the map (the coast of Antarctica) are in excellent agreement with seismic data... We have no idea how to reconcile the data of this map with the expected level geographical science in 1513."

Piri Reis himself, in marginal notes compiled at the beginning of the 16th century, very kindly explained to us that he himself was not responsible for the primary survey and cartography, and his map was based on large quantities earlier sources. Some of them were drawn by his contemporaries (for example, Christopher Columbus), others belong to more ancient times and can be dated to the 4th century of the pre-Christian era. Not later, since one of the sources belonged to Alexander the Great, who lived in that era.

Of course, professional historians specializing in the study ancient world, has the right to declare: “Another working hypothesis... But what about documentary sources and, preferably, those that do not raise doubts about their ancient origin?

I will present the position of the historian of science, professor at Kean College (New Hampshire, USA), Charles H. Hapgood. Back in late 1959, in the Library of Congress in Washington, Hapgood discovered a map compiled by Orontheus Finius. The drawing is dated 1531. Oronteus Finius depicted Antarctica with ice-free shores, mountains and rivers. The relief of the central part of the continent is not marked, which, according to Hapgood, suggested the presence of an ice cap in this area.

A later study of the Finius map by MIT doctor Richard Strachan in the first half of the 60s, together with C.H. Hapgood made it possible to establish that O. Finius actually depicted the ice-free shores of Antarctica. General outline and characteristic features relief are very close to the information about the surface of the continent hidden under the ice, which was mapped in 1958 by specialists from different countries(including from the USSR). By the way, Gerard Kremer, known throughout the world under the name of Mercator, also trusted the testimony of Oronteus.

He included Finius's map in his atlas, which contains several maps of Antarctica and Mercator himself. Moreover, there is one interesting feature- on Mercator's map drawn up in 1569, west coast South America is depicted less accurately than on the earlier map of the same Mercator in 1538. The reasons for this contradiction are as follows: when working on an early map, the 16th century cartographer was based on ancient sources that have not come down to us, and when working on a later map, on the observations and measurements of the first Spanish explorers of western South America. Gerard Mercator's mistake is excusable. In the 16th century, there were no precise methods for measuring longitude and, as a rule, the error was hundreds of kilometers.

And finally, Philippe Boishet. Full member of the French Academy of Sciences. In 1737 he published his map of Antarctica. Buache gave an accurate picture of the time when Antarctica was completely ice-free. His map shows the subglacial topography of the entire continent, which our humanity, which considers the origin of its civilization no earlier than the 4th millennium BC, did not have a complete understanding of until 1958. Moreover, based on now lost sources, the French academician depicted in the middle of the southernmost continent body of water, dividing it into two subcontinents lying to the west and east of the line where the Transantarctic Mountains are now shown. Research under the International Geophysical Year program (1958) argues that the southern continent, which is on modern maps depicted as a single entity, is in fact an archipelago of large islands covered with ice at least 1.5 km thick.

Let's sum up the first results

A. Medieval maps show Antarctica without ice cover or retaining partial ice cover. The accuracy of cartographic estimates of the 16th century is very high and surprising in a number of ways. Their data exceeds the technical capabilities of even the late Middle Ages (for example, determining the longitude of the currently subglacial relief with an accuracy of up to a minute). In the very best case scenario This level of engineering of our humanity corresponds to the last quarter of the 18th century, and for many issues (data on subglacial relief) - only to the middle of the 20th century.

B. Historians’ interpretations of geographical maps Reis, Finius and Mercator in Antarctica cannot be considered convincing. They refuse to comment on such a high scientific level of medieval cartographers. Information about the almost two-thousand-year-old original sources of the P. Reis map is considered to be undocumented. The opinion of modern cartographers, based on strictly scientific assessments in the field of natural science, is considered to be incompetent.

Q. Orthodox geology states that the age of the Antarctic ice can be estimated at millions of years. In this case, we note the following feature of the Reis map: the coastal edge of the continent is free of ice. The Finius map, compiled 18 years after the Reis map, preserves the ice cap around South Pole within the 80th, in some places 75th parallels. Academician Buache 200 years later depicted Antarctica without ice. The conclusion, I believe, suggests itself. We are faced with the process of glaciation of the surface of the southern continent.

In 1949, Admiral Byrd's expedition drilled the bottom of the Ross Sea approximately in the places where Oronteus Finius indicated the river beds. The core sections revealed layers of fine-grained rocks, well-mixed sediments brought to the sea by rivers whose sources are located in temperate latitudes (i.e., ice-free).

Using the radioactive dating method developed by Dr. W.D. Uri, Institute scientists Carnegie in Washington was able to establish with reasonable accuracy that the Antarctic rivers that were the sources of these fine sediments flowed as shown on the Finius map approximately 6,000 years ago. Only after this date, around 4000 BC, “glacial-type sediments began to accumulate at the bottom of the Ross Sea... Cores indicate that this was preceded by a long warm period.”

Thus, the maps of Reis, Finius, and Mercator give us an idea of ​​Antarctica around the time of the birth of the Egyptian and Sumerian civilizations. Such a point of view is excluded by almost all professional historians of the planet. At best, my conclusion will be considered a working hypothesis, not amenable to historical verification. “Such civilizations on our planet at the end of the 5th millennium BC. did not exist,” any specialist historian will say. And the opinion of Dr. Jacob Hoke of the University of Illinois, that the sediments of a fluvial nature are between 6 and 12 thousand years old, counting from the present time, will be sent for discussion with paleontologists or paleobiologists, whose activities again go beyond the scope of the science of “History” and cannot contribute direct study of our highly developed and unique civilization.

But in September 1991, thirteen kilometers from the Nile in Abydos, American and Egyptian archaeologists discovered 12 large wooden boats belonging to the pharaohs of the First Dynasty. The age of these vessels is estimated at approximately 5,000 years. They are considered one of the most ancient ships in the world, believes D. O'Connor, leader of the expedition, researcher at the University of Pennsylvania. While the find is being assessed traditionally, the boats were intended for religious ceremonies. Herodotus back in the 5th century. BC claimed that the Egyptians had been observing stars for more than 10 thousand years. This position is considered by the “father of history” to be esoteric, that is, secret, private, and because of this - untrue. But land-dwelling nations rarely produce astronomers. Perhaps the ancient Egyptians’ passion for astronomy is evidence of some kind of scientific heritage from a seafaring people unknown to us? By the way, technical intelligence officers of the US Air Force determined the center of the projection of the Piri Reis map, the data of which dates back to 4000 BC. Presumably the center was located near today's Cairo. At this time, according to the vast majority of historians, all the then peoples of the world were at an extremely primitive level of development.

American geologists reported the discovery of a subglacial volcano in the west of Antarctica, located at a kilometer depth under the ice, which indicates the onset of a period of increased geological activity on the southernmost continent of the Earth and the accelerated melting of its ice. Surprising but true. The mysterious continent of Antarctica has always attracted researchers. Antarctica is somewhat similar to Mars. The ice continent has been explored no better than the Red Planet. There are plenty of mysteries here and there. We decided to talk about five secrets that Antarctica hides.

According to scientists, the volcano is located at a depth of a kilometer under the ice and wakes up quite often, which in 2010 and 2011 led to a series of tremors with a magnitude of 0.8 to 2.1, recorded by POLENET/ANET stations. Scientists believe that the subglacial eruptions of this volcano, coupled with the heating of the base of the glaciers by magma flows in the upper layers of the crust, may partially explain why the Antarctic ice sheet is melting so quickly, RIA Novosti reports.

There is an opinion that Antarctica is that same lost continent that both scientists and ordinary people have not stopped talking about for many centuries. An article published in the Italian magazine "Europeo" almost half a century ago reported that American scientists had found traces of a highly developed prehistoric civilization. This hypothesis was developed by the Italian Barbiero Flavio, author of the book “Civilization Under the Ice.” In his opinion, the legendary state of the Atlanteans was located on the site of present-day Antarctica, its climate then was much softer and warmer. The death of civilization occurred 10–12 thousand years ago due to the collision of the Earth with a large celestial body, which led to a displacement of the axis. This explains the middle position between Africa, Asia and Europe in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans.

According to research results, the north magnetic pole was previously located in eastern Asia. Antarctica thus fell into one climate zone with Central America, Mesopotamia, Hindustan and Egypt - the cradles ancient civilizations. According to Barbiero Flavio, after the catastrophe the Atlanteans moved not to uninhabited lands, but to colonies located in these territories, and brought with them the fruits of a highly developed culture.

Frozen Evolution

Among some scientists there is an opinion that the subsoil ice continent may hide unexplored forms of life - the product of evolution, which followed a different path. At the same time high hopes entrusted with the study of the Antarctic lake. It is an ancient sea measuring 500 by 150 km, hidden under a colossal layer of ice. The first assumption of its existence was made in 1972, and in 1997, with the help of a unique drilling complex, a hole was made in the ice shell of Antarctica with a depth of 3523 m - only 200 m from the surface of the lake. If drilling products, as well as modern bacteria and microbes, do not get into the reservoir, then the Antarctic lake, which has remained untouched for several million years, will become a storehouse of scientific data for biologists and geologists.

Driest place on the planet

Another habitat for Antarctic organisms is the so-called “Dry Valleys”. They are unusual in that it has not rained there for more than two million years. The many kilometers long Victoria, Master and Taylor valleys have no ice cover due to too dry air. According to many scientists, this is the driest place on the planet. Antarctic "oases" were discovered by Robert Scott in 1903. He wrote about these places: “We did not see any living creatures, not even moss or lichen... This, of course, is the “Valley of the Dead” from biblical prophecies...” And yet there is life here. “Dry valleys” are inhabited by the most unusual organisms. In 1978, American biologists discovered seaweed, fungi and bacteria even inside stones.

Hitler's final resting place

One of the most amazing legends of Antarctica relates to Hitler. Some researchers deny the fact of his suicide at the end of World War II. They believe that the Fuhrer and his associates fled Europe and took refuge somewhere among the Antarctic ice. It is known that the Nazis were very interested in Antarctica. A number of expeditions were sent there. And they even staked out a vast territory in the area of ​​Queen Maud Land, calling it New Swabia. There, in 1939, on the coast, the Germans discovered an amazing plot of about 40 square meters. km ice-free. With a relatively mild climate, with numerous ice-free lakes. It was called the Schirmacher oasis - after the German pioneer pilot.

According to the official version, the Third Reich went to Antarctica to build bases there to guard its whaling fleets. But there are much more interesting assumptions. In short, the story is this. Allegedly, during expeditions to Tibet, the Nazis learned that there was something inside Antarctica. Some vast and warm cavities. And in them there is something left either from aliens, or from an ancient highly developed civilization that once lived there. As a result, already at the end of the 30s of the last century, German submarines found a secret passage in the ice.

According to this version, Hitler and his staff escaped in submarines, since during the war 54 German submarines disappeared without a trace, and only 11 could be blown up by mines. The Commander-in-Chief of the Navy of the Third Reich at one time dropped the phrase that they managed to build a real one for the Fuhrer Shangri-Lu of our days. At the end of the war in German city Keele removed weapons from the submarines and loaded containers with huge supplies of provisions, equipment and documents. Their further fate unknown.

Ancient inhabitants of Antarctica

The fact that animals lived in Antarctica is evidenced by discoveries made by scientists over lately. American researchers have discovered fossilized burrows in Antarctica, the age of which is estimated at 245 million years. The burrows could serve as homes for four-legged reptiles. The largest burrows go 35.5 centimeters deep into the continent. Their width is about 15 cm and height - 7.5 cm. Paleontologists did not find the remains of animals inside the burrows, but traces of the claws of their inhabitants were found on the walls.