HAYES & PIMM DEEP-SEA PROJECT

The Atlantic Ocean depths as determined by the Hayes and Pimm Deep-Sea Project of the 1970s (sponsered by the Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory). Contours shown are at the 1000m and 4500m levels (Redrawn from Hays & Pimm; 1971) Notice the Dolphin Plateau in the upper left-hand corner, unlabeled in the original chart, and compare the contour with the color version on the main page. Deep ocean core samples taken during this project established the existence of a "proto-Atlantic Ocean" existing 200 million years ago before the American and African continents began moving apart. Continental "drift" is so gradual that there has been more than enough room for Atlantis for the last 60 million years.