Did last night's episode prove "The Lost Continent Theory"? Richard Alpert has been on the island longer than anyone sans Jacob and the man in black. Is it a coincidence that he originally set sail from the Canary Islands?

Last night everybody learned a good bit more about the immortal Richard Alpert, including how he made it to the island. After being sentenced to death because of an accidental murder committed in hopes of saving a dying wife, he was saved from execution only because he had taught himself English. As a slave aboard a ship called The Black Rock, Alpert left 1867 Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands, and found himself shipwrecked.

The following is from Wikipedia:

The Canary Islands have also been identified as a possible location, west of the Straits of Gibraltar but in proximity to the Mediterranean Sea. Various islands or island groups in the Atlantic were also identified as possible locations, notably the Azores. However detailed geological studies of the Canary Islands, the Azores, and the ocean bottom surrounding them found a complete lack of any evidence for the catastrophic subsidence of these islands at any time during their existence and a complete lack of any evidence that the ocean bottom surrounding them was ever dry land at any time in the past.

BUT! Check out this YouTube video, because whether it's a hoax or a conspiracy it sure does seem to push the idea that the island on LOST is indeed a remnant of The City of Atlantis.

There are tons of these videos, just go to YouTube and type "Canary Island" and "Atlantis." You can also read more about "The Lost Continent Theory" at LOSTpedia.