Top 10 Google Earth Finds
Columbus and Magellan had it rough. Exploration these days is quite literally an armchair activity, as high-resolution satellite images and tools like Google Earth make it possible for anyone with an Internet connection to pore over the globe with a fine-toothed comb. There are entire online communities devoted to finding and cataloging the most unusual locales worldwide, creating 21st century atlases of minutiae. It isn't just for hobbyists, either — Google Earth has helped scientists find previously unknown ruins and police locate clandestine marijuana fields. Here are 10 of the most unusual discoveries.
— By Dan Fletcher
Atlantis Found?
Might these be the ruins of the lost continent of Atlantis? Eager explorers certainly thought so, trumpeting this grid off the coast of Africa as streets in the mythical sunken city. Observers noted the area appeared to be the size of Wales, making such a large grid an impressive feat of ancient urban planning. The real explanation is far less fun: Google Earth engineers soon announced that the grid pattern was merely a digital artifact created by the sonar boats collecting mapping data. Whispers still linger, but it doesn't look like anyone will be dredging up a forgotten civilization anytime soon.
See the "Atlantis" site on Google Maps.
See the top 10 Conan O'Brien moments.
View the full list for "Top 10 Google Earth Finds"Latest Lists
Most Popular »
- Why Obama Has to Worry About Polls
- How Panera Bread Defies the Recession
- Israel vs. Hizballah: Drumbeats of War
- In Germany, a Disturbing Rise of Right-Wing Violence
- Lindsey Graham: The Senate's New Republican Maverick
- The Pentagon Prepares for a Missile Attack from 'Iran'
- Why Brittany Murphy Is Worth Remembering
- The '00s: Goodbye (at Last) to the Decade from Hell
- Brazilian Family Concedes Defeat: Sean Goldman Home by Christmas?
- A Pariah No More: Serbia Bids to Join the E.U.
- How Panera Bread Defies the Recession
- Rehabilitating Joseph Stalin
- In Germany, a Disturbing Rise of Right-Wing Violence
- Lindsey Graham: The Senate's New Republican Maverick
- Holland's Plan to Tax Every Kilometer Driven
- A Pariah No More: Serbia Bids to Join the E.U.
- In Cleveland, Worker Co-Ops Look to a Spanish Model
- Domestic Terror Incidents Hit a Peak in 2009
- New Job for Ex-Soviet Pilots: Arms Trafficking
- Tapping Into India's Growing Alcohol Market
RSS