Book excerpt: A Soviet scientist examines geology, climate, oceanography and attempts reconstruction of Atlantis. Illustrated with maps, charts, tables, illustrations, seismic data, sonar images, etc. The fascinating age-old riddle of the legendary continent of Atlantis is a challenge to any investigator for it would be hard to name a problem of longer standing or one that has given rise to sharper controversies and differences of views and opinions. Some investigators have rejected it as a key to an ancient riddle throwing light on many aspects of human history and civilization. Thousands of books and papers have been devoted to the thrilling problem of Atlantis, and a new scientific trend, atlantology, studying Atlantis has emerged. Atlantology cannot advance without the aid of geomorphology and marine geology, which are relatively new spheres of human knowledge. Indeed, the problems linked up with Atlantis can be approached successfully only by drawing upon the latest achievements of world science in the study of the geological structure and relief of the ocean bed, only in the light of the new ideas about the youth and active development of oceans. The author believes that Atlantis existed and uses a great number of facts to back up his arguments. His work sums up much on what we know about atlantology. This book will unquestionably serve as the basis for elaborating on many aspects of one of the world?s most dramatic problems. Zhirov was a chemist by trade and a leading Soviet Atlantologist. The book was written between 1959-63. New data was added for this English edition. Seismics, gravimetrics, climatology, paleobotanical data, geomorphology, plate tectonics, turbidity data, bottom current patterns, submarine erosion and geological data separate this book from most of the rest of the Atlantology field. Cites 825 separate sources in 34 pages of references - Russian, Ukrainian, Greek, German, English, Latin...