Google Earth, it’s fair to say, has revolutionised our generation. Anyone with an internet connection is now able to easily scour the globe from the comfort of their own home. Entire online communities have been formed online that have devoted their time and energies into discovering some of the most bizarre, most unique, and of course undiscovered locations around the world. Not only has their been discoveries of some pretty cool sights which no-one would have realised had it not been for the birds-eye view technology but Google Earth has helped scientists, archaeologists and the police with its power. Here are 10 of Google Earth’s most amazing finds.
1. Iraq’s Bloody Lake
Image source - webecoist
This blood-red lake in Iraq has led to scary rumours that it has been caused by a nearby slaughterhouse that is responsible for an insane amount of bloodshed. An official explanation has never actually been offered but sceptics believe that it is most likely the cause of sewage in the water that has turned it into this polluted colour. The jury’s still out on this one.
2. Face in the Clay
Image source - zmescience
This amazing shot was taken over Alberta, Canada. Quite clearly a face can be seen in what appears to be Native American headdress. The face has since been nicknamed the “Badlands Guardian”. The face is made up eroded clay in a valley. Some people have said that it looks like the head is wearing earphones. That sight is actually a road and an oil well.
3. Heart-Shaped Island
Image source - techdigest
Not surprisingly this heart-shaped island discovered on Google Earth became a huge hit on Valentine’s Day. It’s located in the Adriatic off the Croatian coast and is currently uninhabited. It’s 130,000 square yards in size and has been named Galesnjak. The owner of the island was not even aware of its shape until he was inundated with requests from romantic couples who wanted to rent the island!
4. Lost Ship At Sea
Image source - theshitiputupwith
The S.S. Jassim was a Bolivian cargo ferry that ran aground and sunk on the Wingate Reef off the coast of Sudan in 2003. Google Earth captured a shot of it though and it has now become one of the most searched for Google Earth images as well as becoming one of the largest shipwrecks captured by the programme.
5. Swastika
Image source - techblog.aidan
The Coronado Naval Amphibious Base in San Diego was built back in 1967. Little did the architect and builders know though that an aerial shot taken by Google Earth in 2007 would unfortunately reveal that the four unconnected buildings form the shape of a swastika. Horrified by the revelation the Navy are now spending $600,000 to disguise the shape.
6. Oprah Maze
Image source - techpaparazzi
Dubbed the most powerful celebrity by Forbes and with her iconic show and popular magazine, Oprah Winfrey is, without doubt, the most influential celeb in America. One fan decided to pay tribute to Oprah’s status by designing her own personalised corn maze in 2004. How touching, but seriously how much time did this person have on their hands? Still, at least their effort hasn’t gone unnoticed and has made it into the top ten of Google Earth finds.
7. Firefox Crop Circle
Image source - gearthblog
In 2006 the Oregon State University Linux Users group designed this giant Firefox logo crop circle in a cornfield in Oregon. The huge crop circle spans 45,000 sq. ft. and was created in celebration of the Web browser’s 50 millionth download. Nice work!
8. Atlantis?
Image source - crunchgear
After this Google Earth find people began wondering if it was the lost city of Atlantis. Excited explorers certainly thought so (or hoped so). The grid was found off the coast of Africa and the markings are believed to be streets. The area is said to be the size of Wales. Google Earth engineers quashed the hype by announcing that the grid was actually a digital artifact created by the sonar boats collecting mapping data, but some people still believe otherwise…
9. Santa
Image source - freakitude
Remember those online Google Earth communities I mentioned back in the intro? Well one of those members found this beauty. Going by the name of ‘ear1grey’ they posted this discovery of a giant Santa, proudly standing at an incredible 36 miles tall! Santa was found inconspicuously hiding in Finland.
10. Fighter Jet in Car Park
Mystery surrounds this find on Google Earth and the question begs an answer: why is a fighter jet parked in what looks to be a residential neighborhood car park near Paris? Some people have said that it is a full scale model of a Mirage 2000 on a campus of the University of Paris, while others state that it is an old Mirage based at a Dassault Système office. Hmm…jury’s still out on this one too!