Google Earth is a fascinating phenomenon. It allows users to see the entire world at close range with a click of a button and a few keystrokes, creating an interactive overview of our planet that would have blown ancient mapmakers’ minds. 

Launched in 2005, Google Earth was created by weaving aerial photography, satellite images, and other data together. Unsurprisingly, the satellites and cameras used to create Google Earth have managed to capture some very strange and surprising things while traversing almost every corner of the globe—though some things they’ve immortalized are more disturbing than others. 

1. A Blood-Red Lake Outside Sadr City in Iraq
2. Diamond-Shaped Etchings in New Mexico That Mark a Scientology Bunker
3. A Blacked-Out Island in the Pacific Ocean
4. A Chinese Building Spelling Out “Antibody”
5. A Vast Boneyard in Tucson, Arizona
6. Ancient Symbols in the Kazakh Steppe
7. Etchings in the Gobi Desert, China

A Blood-Red Lake Outside Sadr City in Iraq

This lake created quite a stir when eagle-eyed Google Earth-trawlers noticed it on the platform in 2007. Located near Iraq’s Sadr City, this lake is squeezed between several other very normally-colored bodies of water, but is, for reasons that still remain unknown, a distinct scarlet color. Some have proposed that the shade may be the result of sewage, but the truth about this phenomenon’s existence remains a mystery.

Diamond-Shaped Etchings in New Mexico That Mark a Scientology Bunker

Out in the deserts near Mesa Huerfanita, New Mexico, a strange sight can be seen: two diamond-shaped etchings inside overlapping circles, forming a very bizarre Venn diagram that can only be seen from the air. 

It turns out that these symbols mark a facility owned by the Church of Scientology, the secretive and controversial religious organization founded by L. Ron Hubbard. Some reports have alleged that the property beneath the symbols is actually a “space alien cathedral,” while others have speculated that Shelly Miscavige—the missing wife of current Church of Scientology leader David Miscavige—may be held there, though there is no credible evidence supporting these theories. However, a representative from the Church told NBC News that the vault actually “is a Church of Scientology archival storage for the preservation of L. Ron Hubbard’s scriptural writings and lectures.” 

She also clarified the meaning of the symbols. “Because [the facility] is in such a remote area, the most practical way to it is by air,” she said. “The corporate logo of the church that operates the facility is carved into the ground to help pilots find the facility.”

A Blacked-Out Island in the Pacific Ocean

Google Earth has allowed us land-dwelling humans to see far more of the Earth’s vast oceans than ever before. This has, unsurprisingly, led to some strange finds—including the discovery of an island that appears to be jet-black.

Located in the heart of the Pacific Ocean around 400 miles northwest of Tahiti, Vostok Island looks a bit like a black hole surrounded by endless waves. This uninhabited island created a buzz when a user posted it on Reddit in 2021, and its appearance triggered conspiracy theories of all kinds. However, it turns out that the whole thing is actually the result of an optical illusion caused by its dense layer of pisonia trees, which appear black due to satellite imagery limitations.

While the island may not actually be a portal to another dimension, it is a fairly treacherous place—if you’re a bird, that is. Pisonia trees produce sticky seeds that occasionally attach themselves to the wings of birds unfortunate enough to land on the island, and sometimes are so heavy that birds find themselves unable to fly and wind up starving to death.

A Chinese Building Spelling Out “Antibody”

Deep in the mountainous Chinese province of Anhui is a peculiar facility that, when seen from above, spells out the word “antibody.” It turns out that these buildings are apparently research facilities owned by biotech drug company Sinobioway Group Co Ltd., and they are designed for scientific research and the development of vaccines. As for the English lettering used here, the buildings are reportedly a collaboration between China and the San Diego-based company BioAtla.

A Vast Boneyard in Tucson, Arizona

Tucson, Arizona’s Davis-Monthan Air Force Boneyard is one of the most famous sites on Google Earth, and it’s easy to see why. This sprawling graveyard for military planes stretches across an estimated 2,600 acres and holds some 3,500 aircraft, and presents a dizzying sight when seen from above. The boneyard opened in the mid-1940s and used to allow visitors in for tours, but no longer does. Some of the planes kept there are sent back into duty, but many remain there forever. Interestingly, the boneyard was used as the backdrop for Tom Petty’s music video for the song Learning to Fly.

Ancient Symbols in the Kazakh Steppe

In 2015, a man named Dmitriy Dey developed a habit of trawling Google Earth in his free time. He wound up discovering some strange manmade designs in a remote part of his home country of Kazakhstan that have sparked extensive debate among the archaeological community. 

These designs, which include over 260 circles, crosses, and swastikas and have since been named the Torgai Steppe Geoglyphs, have been dated to 800 B.C., though some analyses have argued that certain features might be up to 8,000 years old. The purposes of these designs also remain entirely obscure, though experts have proposed theories ranging from religious functions to patterns connected to animal migration.

Etchings in the Gobi Desert, China

Deep in China’s Gobi Desert lies a series of patterns and etchings located by intrepid Google Earth explorers. While no one knows for sure what they represent, the shapes are not far from the headquarters of China’s space program and from a retired nuclear test site. Defense expert Tim Ripley told The Telegraph that some of the lines resemble missile testing ranges also found in the United States’ Area 51, a highly classified Air Force base in the Nevada desert. Meanwhile, other experts have said they are almost certainly calibration targets for spy satellites.

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