From talking ice to mysterious fortifications, here are 10 strange things that are going
on in Antarctica…
10.
Antarctic Volcano
You know that Antarctica is covered in ice, but surprisingly, this hostile part of the
planet is actually sitting on something surprising.
This year scientists made an amazing discovery about Antarctica.
It turns out there is a huge expanse of buried volcanoes under the ice that until now, no
one knew existed.
And not just one or two… we’re talking 91 volcanoes!
That’s a whole lot of lava…
Based in the West Antarctic Rift, it’s reportedly one of the biggest concentrations of volcanic
activity in the world.
Now scientists are wondering just how their volcanic heat might affect the shrinking of
Antarctica’s endangered ice.
We’ve been looking at ice melting from above, but the volcanoes could be melting the ice
from underneath.
The tallest volcanoes are about 1000 m (3,280 ft) high and tens of kilometers (dozen miles)
across, so it’s extremely surprising they hadn’t been found before.
Even stranger is that the find was made by an undergraduate geology student!
Using an “ice-penetrating radar” he decided to take a look at what Antarctica looked like
under the ice and observed volcano-like shapes.
He reported it to the geology professors at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and
the team published their findings last year.
Now the question is, just how active are they?
The race is on to see just what is going on with these volcanoes.
9.
Alien Ladder
When it comes to working out what’s going on in Antarctica, Google Earth is both a blessing
and a curse.
It gives scientists and even amateurs access to places most of us won’t ever be able
to visit in person, but it is also a treasure trove for conspiracy theorists who are constantly
speculating on the images!
An online forum got a juicy story last year when a photo of what appeared to be a huge
staircase was posted by an anonymous enthusiast.
Some think it’s a stair case, others think it’s the marks left by an alien spaceship.
The weird feature was located in East Antarctica, and fed into numerous theories concerning
buried civilizations out in the snow.
Of course there are more plausible explanations such as a tech glitch, but maybe it isn’t
so unbelievable.
After all, people wouldn’t have thought you’d get volcanoes under the ice till this
year!
Many believe it is evidence of Hitler’s military camp, or that aliens have been landing
in Antarctica.
If they did let’s hope they brought their hats, scarves and gloves… if they have heads,
necks and hands to put them on that is…
8.
Climate Change Soundtrack
The Earth is getting warmer by the decade.
Surface temperature is rising and weather patterns are getting more extreme.
If you’re not worried about climate change, you should be!
Just in October of this year, 2018, the United Nations scientific panel issued a warning
that damage and crisis caused by climate change may affect us severely by 2040.
If you don’t believe me, maybe it’s best to let nature speak for itself.
Literally!!
In the Antarctic the environment is now playing its own soundtrack.
Between 2001 and 2007, a glaciologist from the University of Chicago named Douglas MacAyeal
used an earthquake seismometer on the Antarctic ice to record vibrations, a bit like putting
a glass against the wall to hear what your neighbours are up to.
This “seismic data” was then studied to further understand how ice reacts to climate.
Normally you wouldn’t be able to hear this data but in 2015 an artists’ collective
named Luftwerk raised the pitch of MacAyeal’s recordings, making them audible to the human
ear.
It includes the sound of a giant iceberg breaking off the Antarctic ice sheet.
They then installed speakers in Chicago’s North Riverside Plaza so the public could
hear these mysterious sounds too.
Just listen and then tell me what you think!!
And now for number 7, but first if you are new here, welcome and be sure to subscribe
before you leave!
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7.
Crashed Spaceship
When a strange object was found in the snows of South Georgia Island this year, it looked
like UFO and alien hunters had finally gotten their wish.
The long trail leading up to the object suggested that this thing, whatever it was, had crash-landed
from another world.
Located in the South Atlantic Ocean near Antarctica, the sparsely-populated island became a major
talking point on the internet.
It certainly looked cool, and strange, but just because you see something on Google Earth,
doesn’t mean you know what it is!
Could anyone shed more light on the subject?
Conspiracy theorists had their balloon burst by Dr. Richard Waller of Keele University
in Staffordshire, England.
He studied the area and noticed signs of an avalanche, from which the so-called alien
object had probably been shoved along, making a trail in the snow as it went.
In fact he said it wasn’t a spaceship so much as a boring old rock or chunk of ice!
Well not boring if you are a geologist but extremely boring if you are hoping for a UFO.
This isn’t a cast iron explanation from Dr. Waller but it makes more sense than an
alien crash landing\.
The island only has 20 people on it, but surely someone would have noticed a UFO smashing
into the ground?
Maybe?
6.
Mysterious Light
Google has a lot to answer for when it comes to Antarctica.
A member of Conspiracy Depot, spotted a mysterious object using Google Maps.
Word spread and only a matter of months ago eagle-eyed internet users were speculating
over the presence of a shaft of light, which appeared to be emanating from a black object
on a mountainside.
It was thought to be either a beam of light or something reflecting light off it.
It’s been described as a “lantern”, or light pointing towards or indicating something.
Some people think it is a military or research base.
Apparently people also see a miniature model of a city nearby.
Of course some people say the light is shining on the edge of a saucer, which just landed.
The most convincing is that it’s probably just a boring old research vehicle driven
by a human!
With 75 research stations on Antarctica and various snowmobiles and vehicles that scientists
use to get around, it’s likely we’re checking out some poor guy who parked his ride so he
could write his name in the snow…!
What do you think?
What is your explanation for the image??
Let us know in the comments below!!
5.
Underwater World
When ice cracks it’s a pretty awesome spectacle.
But there’s one thing you maybe don’t think about when something like that happens…
the water underneath.
The melting Ice can often be covering the most remarkable things and often for thousands
of years.
So when the famous Larsen C Ice Shelf shed a massive iceberg this year, scientists from
the BAS (British Antarctic Survey) rushed to see what the trillion ton mass revealed.
The water below the berg had been hidden from view for an epic 120,000 years!
The new environment is approximately 2,246 sq m (5,818 sq km) wide, and experts hope
they can get wet for long enough to explore all the life forms down there.
After all, it is chilly down there but there could be a whole treasure trove of new discoveries.
Once the sunlight hits the water it changes the whole system.
Creatures will adapt to the new situation and stuff gets reorganized, meaning important
discoveries could be lost.
Scientists have really got to be quick if they want to understand what’s going on
in this part of Antarctica…!
4.
Alien Bacteria
While we have just recently learnt of the possible existence of water on Mars, we should
also remember that looking closer to home gives us an insight into extraterrestrial
life.
Last Christmas, a team from the University of New South Wales ventured into the harshest
parts of the Antarctic landscapes, which are referred to as the “desert regions”.
These deserts aren’t hot of course but you will get burned to death by the cold!
The scientists took soil samples and then extracted genetic material from them.
This was then put through a process called ‘shotgun DNA sequencing’ which gave further
information about what could live in that frozen wasteland.
The results were pretty surprising.
Two types of bacteria were found that survived on air, or to be more precise atmospheric
gases.
Same thing!!
By consuming these they could change the game for alien life.
If something exists that eats air, then experts have to redefine the boundaries when sizing
up what could or couldn’t live in a hostile environment.
3.
Giant Hole
Ice is pretty much a constant in Antarctica so when something dramatic happens like a
big hole appearing on the surface, it makes scientists sit up and pay attention.
I mentioned ice cracking earlier but this is a different phenomenon known as a ‘polynia’.
These polynias seem to appear out of nowhere and are divided into 2 types, coastal and
‘open ocean’.
It’s believed the unfrozen patches of water are caused by wind and warm water underneath.
Last year an unusual type of polynia appeared in the Weddell Sea which didn’t appear to
have been formed in the usual way.
This giant hole was said to be as large as the state of Maine!
The area has played host to a polynia before, 40 years ago.
After seemingly disappearing it’s now been making its presence felt in recent years.
Scientists are trying to work out why the polynia is happening there, and what significance
it has for the Antarctic environment.
2.
Antarctic Pyramids
You’d think watching Antarctica on Google Earth would be pretty boring.
What is there to look at, apart from mile after mile of snow and mountains?
Well now you know there’s lots of stuff going on!!
There’s plenty to check out if you’re into ETs and the supernatural!
Enthusiasts’ brains went into overdrive in 2016 when a cluster of pyramid shapes were
spotted from above.
The pyramids certainly look impressive and resemble a snowier take on the Ancient Egyptians.
Question is, are they actually human made or alien made structures?
The real truth behind the matter appears to be they aren’t either!
It’s far more likely they’re part of the famous Ellsworth Mountains.
And while they look like pyramids, chances are they’re not.
What’s deceptive about these kinds of shapes according to researchers, is that they aren’t
a perfect pyramid all the way round.
So while they may look like pyramids from one angle, from another they’d probably
look like a regular mountain.
Guess we have to go there for ourselves and find out!!
1.
Mysterious Structure
In 2012 an internet user posted a Google Earth image of what appears to be a buried object.
Estimated to be over 14 miles in length and over 4 miles wide, it radiates white light
and also seems to be obscured by online brush strokes, leading some to speculate Google
has taken part in a cover up.
What are they covering up?
Apparently it’s a top secret facility owned by the government.
However, wouldn’t they have done a better touch up job than that if they wanted it to
stay hidden?
Excitement grew even further when what was described as a trail leading behind the object
was also noticed.
Scientists don’t appear to know what it is, so the feedback is mainly coming from
online commentators.
While the possibility that it’s a submerged UFO or scientific base is compelling, there
are also more down to earth suggestions.
Among these is that the bright object is simply a reflection.
Well that’s boring!
At least top secret government facility is realistic AND intriguing!!
Conspiracy theorists can take heart from the fact that no-one has gotten to the bottom
of it, even after 5 years…maybe some files will get declassified 60 years from now!
Then we'll know the truth!!
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