Doggerland: The History of the Land that Once Connected Great Britain to Continental Europe

by Charles River Editors

*Includes pictures *Includes a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents Well beyond the breadth of human existence, major land masses have through the ages reformed into disparate configurations on an inevitable path toward apocalyptic continental collisions. Within that process, our present tectonic reality shows no sign of slowing. Speculation holds, for example, that the African continent will in time overrun what is now the south of Europe. As an aid to perspective, population centers such as Venice and other iconic present-day cities are unlikely to survive what is to us an interminably lengthy natural process. In the distant past, the continents were not so separate. The southern portion of the globe was at one time occupied by a “supercontinent” dubbed “Gondwana” or “Gondwanaland” that existed 600 million years ago. The mass included present-day South America, Africa, Arabia, Madagascar, India, Australia, and Antarctica. The term “supercontinent” was coined by Austrian geologist Eduard Suess, an expert on the Alps who helped lay the basis for the study of paleography and tectonics. The latter was to replace the “drifting continent” theory with “the study of the architecture of the earth’s outer rocky shell.” In the late Paleozoic Age between 254 to 544 million years in the past, a global supercontinent commonly known as Pangea included the entire masses of Gondwana, Eurasia, and North America as the two northern continents collided. Added to the shifting of continents away from what has been theorized as an original “supercontinent,” other natural events have contributed to life’s tenuous existence. The unexpected oceanic covering of dry land masses by sudden seismically-driven tsunamis is more familiar to modern societies, and the sudden destruction wrought by these errant waves brought about by either volcanic action or sub-oceanic landslides is an ever-present danger to coastal communities. But equally perilous are slower alterations caused by climate change, a subject that has only recently begun to gain more attention. On the other hand, the famed “lost city” of Atlantis has been a point of intense interest for thousands of years, and the notion of a submerged civilization is not uncommon. Inundated cities have remained a regular feature of the planet since people developed coastal enclaves a few thousand years ago. The early twentieth century theory of a floating land mass was in the decades following Suess’ career eclipsed by the acceptance of tectonic plates and the effects of their relentless friction as one passes under another. Such ongoing action affects not only land masses, but the vast oceans in which they are situated. Relocation of water on a grand scale is common to geological annals as a dominant and dynamic majority element. Among the most significant water displacement phenomena in the Western world was Doggerland on the northern European continent. The notable inundation occurred in both a steady and eruptive fashion covering a vast stretch of former tundra, a land bridge between today’s British Isles and the European continent. The event brought about the modern English Channel and an expanded North Sea, and unlike the early supercontinents, the inundation of Doggerland took place after the appearance of people. Incrementally submerged since roughly 18,000 years ago as the climate warmed, the patch of sea between Britain and Europe is the subject of much recent scientific scrutiny. Several fields are participating in the inquiry as to how and why the inundation took place, and the nature of the peoples that settled there. This encompasses earliest man to Neanderthals and on through the Mesolithic prototype of the modern European.

Genres: History, Science, Nonfiction

82 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 1, 2021

About the author

Charles River Editors is an independent publisher of thousands of ebooks on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and Apple iBookstore & provider of original content for third parties.

Reviews

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

On one side it's an interesting look at the area beneath the current North Sea centering around the Dogger Banks, a high area which shipping vessels are keenly aware of and attempt to avoid if necessary. At one time in the deep past, England was connected to northern Europe from the coast of Calais along the fjords separating Norway from Sweden.

But on the other side, it seems rushed, disjointed and repeats itself a couple of times.

It also attempts to tie the drowned of the area with the drainage of Lake Agassiz which flooded the Arctic and Atlantic with a massive amount of fresh water about 8,200 years ago which raised sea levels from 1 - 3 meters, flooding many areas of Doggerland. Also the writers contribute the tsunami waves from the Storegga landslides inundating the coastal areas.

Then there is the attempt to tie Atlantis with the sunken Doggerland - not likely in my opinion. We're talking Mesolithic farmers and hunters - not a enviable civilization.

Of course, like many books today, it also has to tie in with climatic change although this is one that actually contributes some insight. The residents of lost Doggerland did have to deal with rising sea level but they responded by moving elsewhere. Society today really has no new, unexploited land to transfer their populations (without starting wars over it) and technology can only do so much being limited by costs and time.

2022-160

[Jerry Jares · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before reading this book, I was aware of the supercontinent known as Pangea (from the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras).  But Doggerland is a whole new universe  (to me) and it is fascinating. What scientists are learning about Homo Sapiens and the Neanderthal Man in this area knocked my socks off.  The 'why' theories of the extinction of the Neanderthals are engrossing reading.

Doggerland was 18,000 square miles of land, now submerged beneath the southern North Sea, that connected Great Britain to continental Europe. It was flooded by rising sea levels around 6500–6200 BCE. Geological surveys have suggested that it stretched from what is now the east coast of Great Britain to what now includes the Netherlands, the western coast of Germany, and the peninsula of Jutland.

This treatise explains the roles of tsunamis, Ice Ages, tectonic shifts, volcanic action, and various climate changes in the submerging of the Doggerland connective body.  What is amazing is the number of submerged artifacts that are constantly being found.  As water took over more of the Doggerland land, ancient men moved to higher ground, leaving behind settlements and artifacts.  With the advent of DNA testing, more answers are emerging.

Of course, with the discovery of Doggerland, scientists have tried to compare the area to the tales of 'Lost Atlantis' with mixed results.

[WILLIAM E BISCHOFF · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nature reshapes Europe

I liked the description of how the geologic processes reshaped the European continent following the last ice age. I faulted the ridiculous idea that the human race could reshape or somehow reverse the process of plate tectonics to reclaim submerged ocean floor.

[Hal8999 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than nothing

It is difficult to find much written about Doggerland, so I was glad to find this very short and ironically dry book. Unfortunately, while it is informative, it is also poorly written and edited. I still hope to find a good book on the topic. Open to suggestions.

[Joan S. MacDonald · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don’t expect to learn much

A jumbled mish-mash of whack-a-mole like information and speculation about Doggerland, i.e., a poorly written college paper, ending with the prospect of reclaiming Doggerland from the sea. Need I say more?

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short academic study of Sutherland readable .. Didn't really cover anything new it interesting atlantis speculations

[Aingeal Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short book on a topic I have been very interested in recently. Short and sweet.

[Mozelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent information

Atlantis?? What great information this book contains! For more information and to digitally see it look on YouTube! Scary to think it could happen again!

[tracy s irons · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazing topic, but awfully written book.

[Ben Nordstrom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written with interesting archeological details.