&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Sunken land inhabited 65,000 years ago discovered under Australia's Great Barrier Reef")
Scientists have found an ancient landscape beneath Australia’s Great Barrier Reef that now stands frozen in time. It comprises rivers, lakes, estuaries, and beaches, all of which were mapped in great detail. The researchers discovered it during a 24-day voyage across the coast of Queensland, Australia. This place was inhabited by indigenous people nearly 65,000 years ago, but started submerging 7,000 years ago.
Helen Bostock, chief scientist for the voyage, said, "First Nations people arrived in Australia over 65,000 years ago when sea levels were 80 meters below present day. At that time, the Great Barrier Reef area was a vast coastal plain bordered by towering forests that stretched inland."
The team undertook the voyage on a ship named Investigator. Darumbal Traditional Owners of Sea Country and the Woppaburra people helped design the voyage. The sonar system on board the vessel found the landscape deep in the sea. Using the data and combining it with the cultural knowledge of the Aboriginal people helped recreate the history of his sunken landscape.
Also Read: 13,000ft-deep secret: Scientists discover oxygen in the darkest region where it shouldn't exist
“Our research has revealed submerged rivers, lakes, estuaries, and beaches in stunning detail that helps tell the story of the First Nations people who lived on this land in times past,” Bostock said.
Reconstructing the history of the sunken landscape
Trending Stories
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
National Handloom Day 2026: From Alia Bhatt to Samantha Ruth Prabhu; Actresses who celebrated India's textile heritage as brides
)
The Royals enter the Doctor Who universe: King Charles and Queen Camilla beam into Commonwealth Games in TARDIS
)
Unitree Robotics targets $9 billion valuation in landmark IPO backed by DeepSeek and Tencent
)
India names 27 sites in Arunachal Pradesh
)
Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata OTT: When will Kangana Ranaut's film stream online?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How many soldiers operate one S-400 battery?
)
Shakib Al Hasan ready to return to Bangladesh—under one condition
)
‘Fake news’: MEA rejects report claiming India sought defence pact with Israel after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey deal
)
Rockstar to unveil GTA 6 extended look ahead of November launch
)
Russia forms Ukrainian Volunteer Spetsnaz Brigade to fight Ukraine
)
Drug-resistant fungus that hides in hair and enters bloodstream reported in 23 US states
)
Technology transfer deal boosts India's defence manufacturing ambitions
)
Border row erupts in Europe after Ceuta crossings, Spain imposes border controls on Italy
)
Morale plummets on USS Abraham Lincoln: Are US sailors reaching a breaking point? | GRAVITAS
)
'Security can't be bought with Pakistan, Turkey deal': Iran tells Saudi Arabia
)
Baba Vanga's 2026 prophecy: 2 predictions 'already came true', 3 terrifying ones remain. Details inside
)
Colombia’s new president Abelardo de la Espriella vows to ‘defeat narco-terrorists’, signals hardline shift
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New Friday OTT releases (August 7, 2026): Operation Safed Sagar, Vadhandhi, Main Vaapis Aaunga- 6 movies and TV shows on Netflix, Prime Video and more
)
Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth scripts history as Indian Air Force gets its first woman ‘Top Gun’ pilot
)
RSS says Gen Z protests reflect genuine distress
)
Trump says Iranian school bombing photos could be AI-generated - 'I don’t think...'
)
IAF officer held for sharing sensitive information in 'honey trap' case, booked under Official Secrets Act
)
Stray Kids under scrutiny? Fans react to Grammy submission silence after BTS boycott
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI doesn't need external fuel tanks to fly vast distances
)
Jugal Hansraj reunites with Shekhar Kapur after 40 years for Masoom: The Next Generation
)
New speed limits, automatic challans: Big traffic change coming to Delhi-Meerut Expressway. All you need to know
)
India officially names 27 places in Arunachal to counter China's renaming claims
)
Trump calls White House ballroom ruling a 'national disgrace' as court says Congress approval needed
)
US sanctions Iran’s crypto network after Strait of Hormuz attacks, offers $15m bounty for intel on IRGC finance
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI is one of the heaviest fighters ever built
)
Uttarakhand young innovator builds India's own flying vehicle, conducts first test flight: WATCH
)
Chilling video shows students take cover as teen opens fire at Thai school
)
Reese Witherspoon's father hospitalised after poolside incident in Nashville: Report
The researchers will next reconstruct the climate of this time, sea level rise, vegetation, and evolution of the southern Great Barrier Reef. During the voyage, they collected more than 20 sediment cores from the seabed to check for fossils, which will reveal what the place looked like thousands of years ago. "Seafloor sediments act like time capsules and allow us to reconstruct the history of the region... and connect this with the cultural stories of the Darumbal people and Woppaburra people," Bostock said.
Also Read: Scientists discover world's largest 'whale graveyard' hidden 7km beneath the Indian Ocean
Besides reconstructing the journey of indigenous people, researchers will also use the data to study ocean conditions and predict how future changes might impact the reef. "“By weaving together modern science and traditional knowledge systems, we have a much greater understanding of the story of the southern Great Barrier Reef," Bostock added.
