Book Review: The Geology of Greece (The Legend of Atlantis & the Science of Geology, 2)

Reviewed by Erica Ball

A persuasive look at how the Greek landscape is evidence for a massive worldwide flood and the sinking of Atlantis

If you’ve ever wondered why the Acropolis in Athens is such a distinctive landmark, this book offers an explanation you might not expect. 

In this second installment of a series on the mythical Atlantis, geologist Joseph O’Donoghue delves into the landscape of Greece to argue it features evidence of earthquakes and large-scale flooding from the same time that the doomed island is said to have sunk into the ocean. 

This flooding has left behind telltale signs that would have been acknowledged long ago had the study of such things in geology and archeology not been limited by an insistence on uniformitarianism, which only allows for natural features to be explained by incremental changes over long spans of time, rather than large catastrophes.

The author argues that all the attempts to explain the geography of Greece so far have been unable to satisfactorily address the evidence that is plain to see, like boulders on hilltops, oysters and marine fossils on cliffs, masses of intermingled animal remains, and uprooted trees buried upright. He argues such things could only be accomplished by massive and fast-moving floodwaters and that they would also be needed to carve out the wide valleys and sweep away parts of the previous Acropolis, leaving behind what we see today. 

He has amassed a lot of supporting evidence, including studies of the contents of underwater basins in the Aegean Sea and Greek river valleys, which have been filled in ways typical of flooding, but difficult to otherwise explain. Other studies discuss the fossilized remains of plants and animals that indicate a Greece much warmer than today (and definitely warmer than would be expected of an Ice Age) which to be preserved as found must have been deposited all at once and quickly buried. He draws on many such studies, and they are all thoroughly cited, as are the numerous photos, charts, and graphs. 

In his discussions the author also takes to task some of the conventional explanations that try to explain these finds with a uniformitarian worldview—but which defy common sense and simple physics. Among these are some well-known ones, like that rivers can cut out wide valleys over time, that water can erode hard rock on its own (it can’t, sediment in the water is required), or that glaciers could be responsible, even where it was much too far south for them to have existed.

Due to the rigorousness of the debate, this book is highly recommended for those interested in human prehistory in general and the prehistory of Greece and the Mediterranean area in particular. It will challenge readers familiar with established timelines of geology and archeology, especially concerning the period of time around the end of the last Ice Age (approx. twelve thousand years ago). Readers are forewarned that the discussion does get technical, so a background in a related field is helpful, or at least a willingness to learn some new concepts and terms. 

Though focused on evidence present in Greece, the arguments in The Geology of Greece: Uniformity or Catastrophe? have far-reaching ramifications for our understanding of phenomena worldwide. If the possibility of such catastrophes can be acknowledged, it will open up new possibilities for study on all continents and in all seas. It would necessitate a complete overhaul on our thinking of the history of our planet and of our society. As such, it is both a call for another look at the possible truths in the Atlantis story, as well as a broader challenge to the blind adherence to a tenet of science that, despite all its efforts, doesn’t actually explain what it is supposed to explain.

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