Mediterranean land bridge discovery connects Sicily and Malta

Researchers participating in the BRIDGES expedition have uncovered high-resolution maps of a prehistoric land bridge that once connected Sicily and Malta. Using the Italian research vessel Gaia Blu, scientists mapped a complex underwater landscape featuring elongated ridges, low-lying areas, and sheltered basins.

Rather than a single continuous corridor, the data suggests the region may have functioned as a lost archipelago of islands separated by narrow channels and shallow lagoons. This landscape changed dynamically as rising sea levels approximately 13,000 years ago gradually submerged the land.

The discovery, led by geologists Maria Filomena Loreto and Emanuele Lodolo, provides new insights into prehistoric migration. While previous theories suggested early inhabitants of Malta arrived by sea, the detailed mapping of this submerged terrain offers a more nuanced understanding of how animals and potentially humans navigated the shifting environment of the Mediterranean basin.