Lifestyle7 min(s) read
Published 14:44 27 Aug 2019 GMT
In an effort to spare you any of the “geology rocks” puns, which I cannot stand, I will get right into the article. There is a geologist named Will who’s well-known in certain circles of the web for collecting and uploading incredible earth shots that he finds on Google Earth.
While some have a certain peculiarity about them, others are your standard of breathtaking. Either way, it’s certain that they’re all one of a kind and are all worth scrolling through to take a moment and marvel at.
[post_page_title]A Fort In Lille, France[/post_page_title]
What Will says about this image is: "I love finding forts while exploring. Star forts are an easy to spot shape. I especially like finding forts in the middle of cities."
A truly beautiful sight of what nature and man can accomplish when working together. As one user named Foxxy said, "The tear drop shape with the star in the middle looks awesome."
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]A Private Island In Maine[/post_page_title]
Who wouldn't want a private island, period? And this one off the coast of Maine looks lush. There is a bridge with a gate so you can close out the world and just watch the ships sail by on the busy shipping lane in the Penobscot Bay.
If it were me, I would never leave. Just give me a cozy cottage, tons of wifi, a couple streaming subscriptions, and a big f**k off TV and we're in business.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Salt Mining Pits[/post_page_title]
When looking at this image, Will explains: "It looks like an abstract painting. My first thought was a huge archeological excavation site. Turns out that was wrong. These pits are used in a very old fashioned salt extraction operation."
It turns out that Will, the geologist from New Orleans, finds most of his images on Imgur. He goes by the username geologistsmakethebedrock. He talked about what he does, saying: “I tried to find interesting examples of geologic processes to use in lecture presentations. That’s when I started gathering screenshots of cool stuff for myself. Then I decided to share some images on Imgur because my wife was tired of me making her look at them and listen to my explanations."
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]A Snaking River[/post_page_title]
This is a beautiful shot. the winding river just meandering through the countryside, loop after loop.
As Will explains: "This is a good illustration of how oxbow lakes form." And one commentator, username Susie, interestingly added: "This reminds me of termite damage."
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[post_page_title]A Real Oasis[/post_page_title]
While most of the large tracks and lines are probably from cars driving in and out, the smaller ones could be from animals. Isn't it fun to think about?
What would you do if you were in an oasis? I'd probably phone for help, to be honest.
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[post_page_title]A Meteor Crate[/post_page_title]
There's no doubt that this image is super cool. Especially since it was made as a result of space junk accidentally crashing into the ground. Will explained: "Here is a perfect meteor crater. It has a very nice raised rim. I bet if you mapped out the lake bed you would see a central peak too."
As one user wrote, "Looks like the eye of a fish." Perhaps it's Mother Earth's eye watching us all as we slowly kill her?
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[post_page_title]Symmetry Is Everything[/post_page_title]
Will wrote: "One tip to find interesting geology things is to look for symmetry or patterns in landscapes. Most symmetry is from human activities, but certain geologic processes can create semi-symmetry." As a result, the geologist wrote on his Imgur that he enjoys “perusing Google Earth looking for cool things. My captions either come from basic internet research or my guess about what's happening.”
Regarding the image in question, we all want to know what exactly that place is. Our imaginations can only run wild with speculation. However, even Will doesn't know. "I couldn't find anything about this strange place. It's a huge, planned settlement near Namibe, Angola. It seems to have been constructed around 2013-2014. It also appears to be uninhabited due to no vehicles," he revealed before adding, "Does anyone know anything about this place."
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[post_page_title]They're Waves Not Rocks[/post_page_title]
One look at this picture and you would assume it's some kind of up-close image of a rock or something, right?
Well nice try, but you're wrong. It's actually waves hitting a coastline somewhere. When you crane your neck at an awkward angle to see it upside down on your screen it kind of looks like a peaceful place to hang out on the edge with a good book, just watching the sea.
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[post_page_title]Assamakka, Niger[/post_page_title]
Here is another one that looks like an optical illusion from far away. At first, I assumed it was beach glass getting swept away with the tide.
Instead, it's Assamakka in Niger. And as Will puts it into perspective for us, "it's a community that appears to be fighting a losing battle with the sands. It's easy to see the prevailing wind direction here."
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[post_page_title]A Ghost Ship Off The Coast Of Africa[/post_page_title]
Can you believe that Google Earth is already 18 years old? It was started way, way back in 2001! In that time, the majority of us have used Google Maps and Google Earth in order to navigate our way around our busy lives. But sometimes, with images like this, we're reminded that there are people like Will who can take a moment to find the beauty in the chaos of the every day.
He wrote: "I recently read the book, 'Skeletons on the Zahara.' It tells the true story of some US sailors who wrecked on the NW African coast in 1815. It sucked for them. I wanted to see if I could find a shipwreck. I figured a desert coast would preserve metal wrecks well. It didn't take to long to find this one in NW South Africa. It looks like a modern ship, and sure enough, it wasn't there in 2003 (the oldest picture available)."
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[post_page_title]A River That Has Cut A Hole In Ice[/post_page_title]
It's incredible when you stop and think about the powerful force that is nature. Here we have a river that is determined to flow; nothing in this world is going to stop it.
The power of water am I right? Where do you think this spectacle is located?
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[post_page_title]Before And After Hurricane Katrina[/post_page_title]
Sometimes, Google Earth is a great reminder of all that we've been through as a planet. Like natural disasters for example. I'm sure if you were to go online now and check the before and afters of the Amazon, you'd see some pretty heart-wrenching images.
But what Will has uploaded here, is a before and after of Lakeview neighborhood, exactly a day post-Hurricane Katrina. It's incredible to see the aerial view of the destruction. It's a humble reminder just how powerful the force of nature can be.
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[post_page_title]A Reservoir In Belgium[/post_page_title]
Just look at that lush greenery! It's so pretty! and then in the middle, the mysterious octagonal pond which happens to be a water reservoir. Why they made it that shape I have no idea, from the air it looks pretty cool, right?
A user who goes by the name Marcellus the Third cracked the illusion a bit and gave an explanation for the shape, writing: "It's certainly easier to lay out a large square than round pond in concrete. Cutting the corners off saves you concrete because round= maximum surface/volume for minimum circumference; and 45degree corners are still very easy to set out rather accurately. Cutting these eight corners off (to get a regular 16-sided polygon) then has a small gain for a lot of extra planning & work... so that's why. If there were a bunch of them, hexagons would be the more obvious choice as they tesselate (i.e., like in a beehive, the six-sided cells would fit together without empty/unused space), similarly superior to squares (that obviously also tesselate)."
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[post_page_title]A Park With A Controversial Name[/post_page_title]
Apparently, Google Earth can even be used to find the subtle digs at world leaders, as exemplified with the name of this North Korean park.
"A park in Pyongyang, North Korea. Someone at Google [is] going to be in hot water with the glorious leader," Will said.
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[post_page_title]A Tibetan Plateau[/post_page_title]
This one looks pretty cool too. Don't know if you can see it, or if it's just me, but the color contrast almost makes it look like a highly professional map of some kind of fantasy world. Westeros, Middle Earth, Narnia, could be any one of them, right?
Instead, our geologist friend Will says it is, "A lake somewhere on the Tibetan Plateau in summer and winter."
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[post_page_title]Assebroek[/post_page_title]
Yes, this is a real place. It's not fiction. And no, not all millennials live there.
It's actually located in Belgium in case you ever feel the need to visit. I know I'd travel there, but my...
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[post_page_title]Rotterdam And The North Sea[/post_page_title]
An impressive photo; here we see the city of Rotterdam with some huge gates that are guarding it against the waters of the North Sea. It's truly a feat of human engineering.
The storm surge barrier is called the Maeslantkering. Since most of The Netherlands is at sea level, it makes sense that these things be installed in order to protect against rising sea levels during a storm...however, if global warming continues to happen, they won't just be needed during storms.
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[post_page_title]Molokini Crater, Maui[/post_page_title]
This small, uninhabited island is actually a volcano that is poking out of the waters of the South Pacific. Don't think it's active though, fortunately!
Either way, the rich people yachting around don't seem too bothered by the fact that they're literally on top of a volcano.
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[post_page_title]An Atoll Somewhere[/post_page_title]
This particular shot is of an atoll looks more like a close up picture of a gemstone. However, it's not.
As Will explains: "Atolls: Hot spots not only punch holes in the crust, but they also raise it up and heat it. As the plate moves away, it cools and subsides. The mountains also subside and also erode. If the mountains are formed in a tropical climate a reef will form around its edges. If the coral growth can keep up with the relative sea-level rise from the subsidence, then the reef will survive while the mountain sinks and eventually disappears below water level. If that happens you will get a circular ring of reef with an open lagoon in the center like the atoll above. At one point there was a volcano in the center of that lagoon. It's a cool example of biology and geology interacting and biology winning, so to speak."
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[post_page_title]Incheville[/post_page_title]
There are so many dirty jokes that I could make about this place. I will restrain myself though, as my boss has already said I can't curse in the content that I write.
I wasn't the only one to snicker at this name. Other people that came across this post by Will had things to say like, "This made me lol in the office." Yes, user CR82, it made us all "lol" today.
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[post_page_title]The Zambezi River[/post_page_title]
Will has said, "The Zambezi River downstream of the falls. That's a very unusual path for any river."
In case any of you are wondering, the Zambezi River is located in Africa. And, fun fact, it's the fourth-longest river in Africa. Can you guess the first? No? You must be in... de Nile. Don't worry, I'll show myself out.
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[post_page_title]This Optical Illusion Beach[/post_page_title]
Would you believe that this is a beach? Yeah, I didn't believe it either. It looks like the hem of a dress. But instead, it's actually waves hitting the sand in a pattern.
"I've never seen this saw-tooth pattern on a beach before," Will said. Yes, neither have we. It's absolutely fascinating.
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[post_page_title]New Mexico[/post_page_title]
"While looking up that lava flow in New Mexico, there were some maps showing some nuclear bomb test sites nearby. This must have something to do with that. I'm fairly sure this is the sight of the first nuclear detonation," Will said.
While it probably does have something to do with nuclear test sites and all, my writer's mind can't help but imagine it's more in line with ancient aliens.
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[post_page_title]A Mountain Casting A Shadow[/post_page_title]
No, it's not lava or bedrock or any of those geological terms I studied in Geology 101 but have since forgotten about. Instead, it's something quite simple: a shadow from a mountain.
Isn't it amazing? Where do you think that mountain is?
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[post_page_title]This Glacier And A Lake[/post_page_title]
As Will points out, there's a lot going on in this image. "A glacier flowing out into a lake. The presence of a connecting stream suggests the 2 parts of the lake are at different levels. The glacier made an ice damn. That's pretty cool. A river trying to do the same thing in another lake."
It's pretty cool indeed. The first image almost looks like someone zoomed in on an opal gemstone. Nikki D seemed to agree, and said, "The colors are amazing!"
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[post_page_title]A Power Plant In Egypt[/post_page_title]
"I think this is a coal-fired power plant in Egypt. Lookin a little nasty," Will said. Couldn’t agree more – we’re past the days of requiring coal as a fuel. What about a transition towards clean energy?
I wasn't the only one thinking this. One person who goes by the username Grumble O'Pug pointed out, "Of all the countries that could work solar." Yeah, no kidding. And user Wij just made a Mad Max joke stating, "I expect a bunch of whacked-out wasteland cars should be circling it."
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[post_page_title]The Timelapse Of Logging[/post_page_title]
For this image, Will says, "The dark green lines caught my eye because they didn't make sense. My guess was that they were logging roads, but then why are they more vegetated than the surrounding fields? Going back in time. They are certainly logging roads. I guess different plants grew on the churned up roads, thus the different colors seen in the last image."
One user, Luke Bouley, broke the images down a little further, saying, "Trees actually inhibit ground cover growth around them, especially pine and other evergreen types. when these logging roads were cut into the area, they became overgrown with denser ground cover than the areas they (I assume) replanted. they left the roads for when they return in a few years and reharvest."
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[post_page_title]The Trick Pyramid[/post_page_title]
Ready for another eye test image? Here it is below. You may think at first that it's a pyramid...but it's not.
"This was a pit of an optical illusion. At first, it looked like a pyramid, but the coastline is a bluff, so it must be the inverse of a pyramid. My guess is an abandoned evil villain's mansion," Will joked.
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[post_page_title]The Lonely Tit[/post_page_title]
Hey, don't blame me, blame Google Earth. They translated the Arabic letters for us, and apparently, that spells T-I-T...whatever that may mean. Is it an acronym or an anagram? Is it literally spelling out the word? We'll never know.
Apparently, this mystery in the desert is also a mystery for the geologist himself. All Will had to say on the subject matter was, "HA. Nice."
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[post_page_title]Tombua, Angola[/post_page_title]
"More ships near Tombua, Angola. These might have been intentionally abandoned. They were also not here in the 2003 pics," Will said. Are they more ghost ships? I'm sure that's on everyone's mind, right?
This image has something so forlorn about it. Maybe it's the color tone, or maybe it's the ships that look like they're just floating without purpose. I don't know but it makes me feel sad when I look at it. I'm maybe not the only one, user The Girl on Fire commented, "Huh. I wonder what the story is here." Same.
