The mysterious underwater pyramid at Yonaguni in Japan

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on the Yonaguni Monument, a large underwater structure off the coast of Japan that has sparked debate regarding its origins. Many scientists who investigate the site shift their views, suggesting it may not be a natural formation due to its right angles, terraces, and steps. Discovered in 1985 by dive tour operator Kihachiro Aratake, the site features markings indicating possible human alteration, with tools and carvings found nearby. Critics question the documentary's assertion that any artificial shaping must date back to the Ice Age, citing examples of coastal cities like Alexandria and Port Royal that sank due to geological activity rather than global sea level changes. The geological context of Japan, situated on a tectonic fault line, adds complexity to the debate about the monument's origins, with some participants expressing skepticism about its classification as a natural formation. The conversation also touches on other submerged sites, such as the Cuban megalithic site, highlighting a broader interest in underwater archaeology.
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This has intrigued me, mainly because a lot of the scientists that go and see it for themselves change their mind and end up thinking that it is not a natural formation. It is an absolutely huge stone monument off the coast of Japan, and it has right angle sides, parrallel ledges, steps, and various other features that are hard to explain by nature.

the history channel did a documentary on it a while ago, an overview of it can be seen here; http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=XMMBLNJqw1M#GU5U2spHI_4

http://www.morien-institute.org/yonaguni.html
"The structure was found by dive tour operator Kihachiro Aratake in 1985 and has been a source of controversy ever since. It appears to be a construction made of wide terraces, ramps and large steps. [...]

[...] According to the report, Japanese scientists have documented marks on the stones that indicate that they were hewn. Not only that, the tools used in this process have been found in the area, and carvings have been discovered. A small stairway carved into the rocks appears to render the theory that this is a natural formation implausible."

some good pictures of it can be seen [/URL]
 
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I would like to see if any other natural rock formations have rocks at such clear cut right angles as this monument has. Some of them seem very precise, and i find it hard to see how they would form to be that precise underwater, water usually makes everything smooth. I can't find any other formations like this one from a quick look around, submerged or not.
 
yup, i really wonder why they keep insisting it's natural... I'm no expert but it really really looks man-made.
 
It looks about as man-made as columnar basalt does at any rate...
 
I think it's difficult to have a conclusive opinion based on the documentary. People have historically shown a predeliction for building settlements on high rock structures and carving the outlying regions to suit, so it might be totally natural, or it might be artificial, or it might be a bit of both.

One thing that I would query in the documentary is their idea that if the rock is artificially shaped, that that stoneworking must date from the Ice Age, when global sea levels were lower.

Coastal cities sometimes sink over comparatively short periods of time, for instance, the archeologically-interesting bits of Alexandria are now under quite a lot of water.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandria
Sometimes the sinkage is pretty sudden, e.g. Port Royal
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Royal
... we wouldn't date the underwater remains of Port Royal or Alexandria as going back to the last Ice Age, because we know that isn't true ... they sank due to local geological effects.

Given that the islands that make up Japan run along a faultline between tectonic plates (part of the "Ring of Fire"), and the region is notable for being geologically active (which is why the islands are there!), it seemed a bit odd for the documentary guys to be trying to date any potential human involvement based on mean global sea levels.
 
wow, that's interesting!
 
And then there is also Mega, the Cuban submerged megalithic site, discussed here. It's still there but almost forgotten.
 

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