Meltwater Pulse 1B
Meltwater Pulse 1B (MWP-1B) is a hypothesized rapid sea-level rise event that took place around 11,500 to 11,200 years ago, during the early Holocene. This event followed the Younger Dryas period and is considered one of the major contributors to post-glacial sea-level rise, potentially raising sea levels by 15–28 meters within a few centuries.
Recent studies suggest that the meltwater may have come primarily from the melting of the Laurentide Ice Sheet in North America and significant ice discharges from Antarctica, particularly from the Pacific sector of the Antarctic Ice Sheet. This rapid influx of water is thought to have impacted global ocean circulation and climate, contributing to the warming that marked the beginning of the Holocene.
Evidence supporting MWP-1B comes from various coral records, such as those from Barbados and Tahiti, though discrepancies in regional sea-level rise data suggest that the event may not have been globally uniform. Antarctica’s contribution, based on iceberg calving events documented in “Iceberg Alley” in the Weddell Sea, aligns with the timing of MWP-1B, further supporting a global ice melt.
Understanding MWP-1B is crucial for reconstructing past climate dynamics and anticipating future sea-level changes in response to modern ice sheet melt, as it provides a historical parallel for how ice sheets and oceans interact during periods of rapid climate change.
Graham Hancock discusses the mysteries surrounding the lost civilization of Atlantis, as described by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, and its possible connection to the archaeological site of Göbekli Tepe. Hancock recounts how Plato detailed an advanced society with impressive seafaring, architectural, and technological capabilities that fell into corruption and excess, ultimately leading to its destruction in a cataclysmic flood. Plato placed the fall of Atlantis at around 9,600 BC, approximately 11,600 years ago, based on information he said was passed down through Solon, a Greek lawmaker who visited Egypt. Egyptian priests claimed the story of Atlantis was inscribed on the temple walls and relayed to Solon during his visit around 600 BC.
Hancock challenges the mainstream academic view that Plato’s account was purely fictional, pointing out that Plato emphasized the truth of the story. He further connects Plato’s date of Atlantis’s destruction with a significant geological event, known as Meltwater Pulse 1B, which occurred around 11,600 years ago and led to a massive rise in sea levels as ice sheets collapsed. Hancock argues that if Plato had fabricated the story, it is remarkable how accurately it aligns with modern geological data.
Moreover, Hancock highlights the significance of Göbekli Tepe, which was founded precisely 11,600 years ago, the same time Plato claims Atlantis was destroyed. This correlation between the fall of Atlantis and the emergence of Göbekli Tepe, a site that seemingly came out of nowhere, suggests to Hancock that there may be deeper mysteries regarding human history and lost civilizations that academia has been too quick to dismiss. Hancock advocates for a reconsideration of ancient stories, as new evidence continues to challenge the established historical narrative. He believes that within our lifetimes, a major reevaluation of the past could reshape our understanding of human civilization.
Hancock points out that while sites like Stonehenge can be explained within the context of agricultural societies that had the resources to support labor and innovation, Göbekli Tepe, which predates Stonehenge by 7,000 years, emerges out of a context inhabited solely by hunter-gatherers. Remarkably, without any background in architecture or agriculture, these early people built an immense and sophisticated megalithic site, one that is 50 times larger than Stonehenge, with precise astronomical alignments and complex stonework, despite no prior experience with such feats.
Hancock proposes that this wasn’t simply the work of local hunter-gatherers suddenly gaining advanced knowledge. Instead, he suggests that Göbekli Tepe was the result of technological transfer from survivors of a lost civilization—likely the same one described by Plato as Atlantis. According to Hancock, these survivors settled among the hunter-gatherers in Turkey and spearheaded a project to revive their civilization, leading to the simultaneous rise of agriculture in the same region. Göbekli Tepe, founded exactly 11,600 years ago, coincides with Plato’s date for the destruction of Atlantis, indicating a possible link between the two.
Where did these survivors come from, equipped with the advanced technology they were able to transfer to the hunter-gatherers? Were they the fabled Atlanteans, a people with extraordinary knowledge and abilities? Or perhaps, a spacefaring species, often described in mythology as having blonde hair and blue eyes—an image reminiscent of the “Nordic” type beings frequently mentioned in ancient texts and modern UFO witness accounts. These tantalizing possibilities open the door to profound questions about humanity’s forgotten past and whether these survivors were more than just remnants of a terrestrial civilization, but perhaps visitors from elsewhere, who seeded early human development with their superior knowledge. There are intriguing connections between Atlanteans and people described with blonde hair and blue eyes. One particularly fascinating case involves the Guanches, the original inhabitants of the Canary Islands, who are often linked to the Atlantis myth. Some researchers suggest that the Guanches might be descendants of the Atlanteans, as they were described as tall, fair-skinned, with blue or gray eyes, and blonde or reddish hair.
Hancock further looks into the cataclysmic changes that occurred between 12,800 and 11,600 years ago, a period marked by a comet impact that devastated 50 million square kilometers of the Earth’s surface, caused rapid sea-level rise, and plunged the planet into a deep freeze for over a thousand years. This event, he argues, could have wiped out almost all traces of a previous advanced civilization. Hancock draws parallels between the downfall of Atlantis, which he believes was struck down by the universe for its hubris, and the precarious state of modern civilization, which relies on fragile networks and lacks the resilience to survive a similar catastrophe. He warns that if such a cataclysm were to happen again, only hunter-gatherer societies, with their inherent survival skills, would endure, and they might one day recount tales of our present civilization’s arrogance and downfall, much like the story of Atlantis.
