A group of researchers see the light at the end of the tunnel (of Atlantis)
The tunnel of Atlantis is the submerged part of the volcanic tube created by the eruption of the Volcano of La Corona. It is considered the largest of its category with its 1600 meters long and 64 deep.
Now a team from the UNED has managed to reach the end of the tunnel 32 years after it was achieved for the last time. This is the third time that such a feat has been achieved throughout history.
From the UNED, its researchers explain that “it is one of the places of greatest geological interest of the Geopark of Lanzarote and Chinijo Archipelago, both for its geological meaning and the unique diversity that lives within it”, point from the university.
Technical complexity
Due to the difficulty that immersions required, only two work teams had managed to carry out this task until now. Specifically, a group of Franco-Belgian researchers who reached the height in 1986 and the Madrid divers STD, who did it in 1987.
The team led by the professor of Geodynamics of the UNED Javier Lario Gómez has also managed to “collect geological samples from the end of the tunnel and document others in the tunnel galleries to begin to develop what will be the first geological study in the area.”
These investigations will help improve the knowledge of one of the most diverse anchialine ecosystems (jameos are a significant example of them) in the world – with 36 endemic species. The Atlantis Tunnel was formed approximately 20,000 years ago and was submerged with the rise in sea level.
