[güttsfükk]

Massive rock structure hidden 60-100 feet underwater found in 1987 in Yonaguni, Japan. Experts call it the greatest discovery in the history of underwater archeology. Its massive size is equivelent to 2 football fields. Geological evidence shows that it was submerged during the meltdown of the last ice age which means it was built over 14,000 years ago.

The Yonaguni Monument is a massive underwater rock formation off the coast of Yonaguni, the southernmost of the Ryukyu Islands, in Japan. There is a debate about whether the site is completely natural, is a natural site that has been modified, or is a manmade artifact.

The site is variably referred to as the "Yonaguni Underwater Formations" (与那国島海底地形 Yonaguni-jima Kaitei Chikei?) and the "Yonaguni Underwater Ruins" (与那国島海底遺跡 Yonaguni-jima Kaitei Iseki?) in Japanese.

Main features

The Monument consists of medium to very fine sandstones and mudstones of the Lower Miocene Yaeyama Group, deposited about 20 million years ago. Most of the significant formations are connected to the underlying rock mass (as opposed to being assembled out of freestanding rocks).


The formation called "The Turtle"
The main feature (the "Monument" proper) is a rectangular formation measuring about 150 by 40 m (490 by 130 ft), and about 27 m (90 ft) tall; the top is about 5 m (16 ft) below sea level. Most of its top surface consists of a complex series of terraces and broad steps, mostly rectangular, bounded by near vertical walls.

Some of its peculiar details include:

Two closely spaced pillars which rise to within eight feet of the surface;
The "Loop Road", a 5 m (16 ft) wide ledge that encircles the base of the formation on three sides;
The "Totem", a stone column about 7 m (23 ft) tall;
The "Dividing Wall", a straight wall 10 m (33 ft) long;
The "Gosintai", an isolated boulder resting on a low platform;
The "Turtle", a low star-shaped platform;
The "Triangle Pool", a triangular depression with two large holes at its edge;
The "Stage", an L-shaped rock.


Interpretations

Artificial structures

The flat parallel faces, sharp edges, and mostly right angles of the formation have led many people, including many of the underwater photographers and divers that have visited the site and some scholars, to the opinion that those features are man-made. These people include Gary and Cecilia Hagland and Tom Holden who went on underwater expeditions to study and photograph the site as well as Dr. Sean Kingsley, a marine archaeologist. These features include a trench that has two internal 90° angles as well as the twin megaliths that appear to have been placed there. These megaliths have straight edges and square corners. However sea currents have been known to move large rocks on a regular basis. Some of those who see the formations as being largely natural claim that they may have been modified by human hands. The semi-regular terraces of the Monument have been compared to other examples of megalithic architecture, such as the rock-hewn terraces seen at Sacsayhuaman. The formations have also been compared to the Okinawa Tomb, a rock-hewn structure of uncertain age.

Other evidence presented by those who favor an artificial origin include the two round holes (about 2 feet wide, according to photographs) on the edge of the Triangle Pool feature, and a straight row of smaller holes which have been interpreted as an abandoned attempt to split off a section of the rock by means of wedges, as in ancient quarries. Kimura believes that he has identified traces of drawings of animals and people engraved on the rocks, including a horse-like sign that he believes resembles a character from the Kaida script. Some have also interpreted a formation on the side of one of the monuments as a crude moai-like "face".

Supporters of artificial origin 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. 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.

If any part of the Monument was deliberately constructed or modified, that must have happened during the last Ice Age, when the sea level was much lower than it is today (e.g. 39 m (130 ft) lower around 10,000 years BCE). During the Ice Age, the East China Sea was a narrow bay opening to the ocean at today's Tokara Gap. The Sea of Japan was an inland sea and there was no Yellow Sea; people and animals could walk into the Ryukyu peninsula from the continent. Therefore, Yonaguni was the southern end of a land bridge that connected it to Taiwan, Ryūkyū, Japan and Asia. This fact is underscored by a rock pillar in a now-submerged cave that has been interpreted as a fused stalactite-stalagmite pair, which could only form above water.

Kimura first estimated that this must be at least 10,000 years old (8,000 BCE) dating it to a time when it would have been above water. In a report given to the 21st Pacific Science Congress in 2007 he revised this estimate and dated it to 2,000 to 3,000 years ago as the sea level then was close to current levels.

The existence of an ancient stoneworking tradition at Yonaguni and other Ryukyu islands is demonstrated by some old tombs and several stone vessels of uncertain age.

Natural formation

Some of those who have studied the formation, such as geologist Robert Schoch of Boston University, state that it is most likely a natural formation, possibly used and modified by humans in the past. Schoch observes that the sandstones that make up the Yonaguni formation "contain numerous well-defined, parallel bedding planes along which the layers easily separate. The rocks of this group are also criss-crossed by numerous sets of parallel and vertical (relative to the horizontal bedding planes of the rocks) joints and fractures. Yonaguni lies in an earthquake-prone region; such earthquakes tend to fracture the rocks in a regular manner." He also observes that on the northeast coast of Yonaguni there are regular formations similar to those seen at the Monument. Schoch also believes that the "drawings" identified by Kimura are natural scratches on the rocks. This is also the view of John Anthony West.

Patrick D. Nunn, Professor of Oceanic Geoscience at the University of the South Pacific, has studied these structures extensively and notes that the structures below the water continue in the Sanninudai slate cliffs above, which have "been fashioned solely by natural processes" and concludes in regard to the underwater structures that "there seems no reason to suppose that they are artificial."

Other examples of natural formations with flat faces and sharp straight edges are the basalt columns of the Giant's Causeway and the natural staircase formation on Old Rag Mountain.

[johnleeknoefler]

Looks natural to me. It takes more than a right angle to make it an artifact.
Of course supposing it is manmade I suggest that rather than having a direct purpose it could be what is left after someone quarried the stone. That would happily explain where there is no abundance of stone rubble from naturally fragmenting rocks.
Also there would be no need to embellish the quarry. I have yet to see any photos of tools. Or any real engravings.
It has no logic or reason to it's structure. No human puts that much effort that it would have taken to create such a rambling structure. And the structure seems attached to the native stone. It wasn't placed there. It was already there. If disagree then show the foundation stones. And these massive formations are larger than any known man made artifact. In fact as I pointed out the main formation is part of the native stone. There are no tooling marks whatsoever. It's not an intentional formation even if it is a result of human activity. Even if it is it is an incidental product.

[kellyhound]

pics: http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/yo...onaguni_4b.htm
looks man made to me.
Must be many more places like this laying somwhere at the bottom of oceans.

[Blewvane]

E.T built it?? When i looked into this some years ago one researcher suggested the area was above an underground magma chamber and sunk into the ocean because of severe tectonic activity. Once the plates shifted enough, the magma then escaped into the new void which created a cavern below the rock formation. The weight of the rock formation was too much for the surrounding stone to support so it sunk into the void. It was also pointed out that the site was carved out of a small rock formation and does not actually consist of multiple stones at all.
As there is no evidence either way it is moot, let's just say that it looks cool and move on. E.T?? pfffft!

[Oswald2001]

I'm watching "Superman And The Molemen".

It's more scientifically sound than the 'man made structure' theory of these natural formations.

[güttsfükk]

i dont think that the whole water levels rising theory is that far fetched, there's a potential that back in those days the "gods" which people spoke of were actually more advanced humans, and that these civilizations were lost as a result of the rising seas when the icecaps melted.

i'm sure that we would appear as gods to the cavement of 10,000yrs ago.

and it would also explain issues like that crazy intricate piece of technology that was found in the mediteranian.

and besides, humans live near to water, so the more advanced civilizations would've been living by the watersides and the cavemen more inland considering they didnt have the technology or weapons to stand up to the more advances humans.


though, this is all theoretical, much more likely than aliens, and much more likely than it all being natural as well, this isnt the only site like this and there are many sites of this age all round the globe.

[luton loyal]

[Mr.Goodbar]

Richard Schoch – Professor of science and mathematics at Boston University does not accept that the site is anything other than a natural rock formation

"I'm not convinced that any of the major features or structures are manmade steps or terraces, but that they're all natural,"

"It's basic geology and classic stratigraphy for sandstones, which tend to break along planes and give you these very straight edges, particularly in an area with lots of faults and tectonic activity."

The photograph below shows what is believed to be a similar natural rock formation on land.
Cool post though

[güttsfükk]

i find the most likely explanation is the "natural site which has been modified" theory

[johnleeknoefler]

Originally Posted by Mr.Goodbar ↗

The photograph below shows what is believed to be a similar natural rock formation on land.
Cool post though

See? Like I was thinking. Just having right angles is not enough to make it an artifact. Here are many right angles but no consistent design. Humans don't work so hard without a design. This Japanese formation has no obvious purpose. It's not art that anyone can recognize and I see no sign of tooling. And no tools. And the "carved face" is just someone's imagination.

It was also pointed out that the site was carved out of a small rock formation and does not actually consist of multiple stones at all.

If it can be proved to satisfaction that there was any intentional human activity here then it would support the idea of a quarry but not a structure.