00:00You will be surprised to discover the incredible discoveries that a simple exploration on Google Maps can allow.
00:06This is the case of this individual who, observing an unusual crater, could have made a major scientific advance.
00:13In 2024, the Canadian Joel Lapointe planned a hike in his native region.
00:19He opened Google Earth and became interested in the region of the northern coast of Quebec.
00:24It was then that he noticed an unusual structure, perfectly rounded.
00:28The size of this structure was impressive, about 15 km from one end to the other, with an adjacent lake.
00:35He soon made a screenshot and sent the image to a French geophysicist to get a clear opinion.
00:42Most of the time, this type of image turns out to be of no interest.
00:45Sometimes they are even simple artifacts from Google Earth.
00:48However, he was surprised to discover the answer of the scientist.
00:52According to the geophysicist, the topography suggested that Lapointe may have just revealed the impact zone of a meteorite.
01:00Impact points are particularly difficult to identify.
01:03Present for millions of years, their shape has often been profoundly altered by erosion.
01:08These areas, designated by scientists as impact structures, are generally circular or in the form of craters,
01:15and are made up of sea rocks deformed by the impact of a meteorite.
01:19The problem is this.
01:20The huge walls formed around these craters can easily be confused with mountain ranges, which disconcerted the Canadian barouder.
01:28However, the geophysicist who studied this case gave him hope.
01:32This particular formation in Quebec had been classified as a type of volcanic formation.
01:38However, after Lapointe brought this subject to the forefront of the scene,
01:42scientists had to deepen their research to reach the truth.
01:46Until this recent discovery, no other cause could be imagined than volcanoes to explain the particularity of the region.
01:53This is in fact common, because other phenomena such as volcanism or dolinae can easily be confused with impact craters.
02:01In order to verify, researchers have collected samples from the site,
02:04a more reliable method to determine whether a meteorite has actually hit it.
02:09When a meteorite hits the earth, it brings with it unique minerals from space.
02:14This is what makes impact craters so fascinating.
02:17They reveal a direct link between our planet and the universe around it.
02:21To date, scientists have catalogued most of the minerals present on our planet.
02:26In the search for impact structures, they usually look for minerals such as tahenite and kamacite, which are only found in meteors.
02:34The largest impact crater known to the world is that of the Vredefort dome, in South Africa, formed about 4 billion years ago.
02:42The asteroid at the origin of this crater is considered one of the most impressive to have ever hit the earth.
02:48When Canadian researchers received the samples made on site, they confirmed the presence of zircon, a mineral often associated with impact zones.
02:56Although it is impossible to guarantee that the tip is truly discovered an impact crater,
03:02researchers are organizing a research mission in the region to have a clear heart.
03:07If this turns out to be accurate, it would be a major discovery, the last one taking place in 2013.
03:14Another captivating discovery comes to us from a 15-year-old teenager.
03:18William Gadouri, also Canadian, nurtured an inexplicable passion for the search for forgotten Mayan cities.
03:25Unlike the previous story, William had a methodical approach and a precise objective.
03:30He had read many books on this civilization and was convinced that the Mayans had built their cities according to the stars.
03:37He therefore opened a book and mapped all the cities already set in motion.
03:42It was then that he made a major observation.
03:45In the Mexican peninsula of Yucatan, archaeologists had soon discovered two Mayan cities.
03:50However, the map of the constellations showed three stars.
03:55He wondered if this did not mean that a third city, still unknown, could be nearby.
04:01William Gadouri is now recognized as a scientific prodigy and has even received an award for his theory of constellations.
04:08When he realized that a city seemed to be missing in the 23rd studied constellation,
04:13he conducted research on Google Earth, hoping to find satellite images to solve this mystery.
04:19The advances in satellite technology had already brought a new light on Mayan cities that had long been forgotten,
04:26such as Tikal, located in the heart of the Guatemalan jungle and considered the capital of the former Mayan Empire.
04:33Full of hope, Gadouri therefore contacted a friend who worked within the Canadian Space Agency to experience his discovery.
04:40Strong of his previous distinctions, he benefited from high-ranking relations.
04:45And it was then that things took an unexpected turn.
04:48The images revealed a vast square zone, located at the border between Mexico and Belize, resembling the remains of an old city.
04:57William submitted these images to a teledetection specialist.
05:01Together, they examined them in detail and concluded that the area could house about thirty buildings, as well as a large pyramid.
05:09Gadouri called this new city the Fire Mouth.
05:13However, his theory has aroused strong criticism within the archaeological community,
05:18where many experts in Mayan civilization have tried to invalidate his discoveries.
05:23According to specialists, theories based on constellations lack scientific rigor.
05:29Reputed anthropologists and astronomers have described Gadouri's approach as a simple exercise in creative imagination.
05:36However, that a fifteen-year-old teenager has practically unveiled a lost Mayan city remains a remarkable fact, you will agree.
05:44As for these small dots visible on the images of Google Earth,
05:48these are curious spiky circles discovered in the middle of the Algerian desert.
05:52A YouTuber, browsing Google Earth, spotted them and found that their origin had been controversial for several years.
06:01He first thought of an anomaly of satellite images.
06:04These circles, in the number of several dozen, extend over kilometers in a straight line.
06:09Far from any city, road or human activity, their presence raises the question of whether they are of human or natural origin.
06:17To solve this mystery, the YouTuber interviewed the people in charge of Google Earth photographs.
06:23He learned that this was by no means an anomaly.
06:27These circles do exist and appear on clichés taken several years in between.
06:32Initially, he considered that these circles could be linked to an oil business.
06:37Given the richness of Algeria in hydrocarbons, this hypothesis seemed logical.
06:42Companies often perform seismic surveys to determine whether an area is exploitable,
06:48sending shock waves into the ground to analyze the way they hit, thus revealing what is under the surface.
06:55However, another explanation remained possible.
06:59The Sahara is an extremely arid region, with average summer temperatures exceeding 40 degrees.
07:06Local populations must adapt to access water.
07:10He therefore issued a second hypothesis.
07:12These circles could be the remains of old wells.
07:16However, after consulting a specialist, he discovered that this could not be the case.
07:21We can observe some of these traditional constructions in other areas on Google Earth,
07:26but their appearance is very different from the mysterious circles in question.
07:30Decided to elucidate the mystery, he went to Algeria, traveling 160 kilometers in the desert.
07:36Once there, he discovered a vast crater dug in the sand, surrounded by 12 small holes.
07:42This arrangement evoked a kind of ancestor of our modern clocks.
07:46He also spotted something invisible on Google Earth, thin metallic filaments.
07:52By digging in the sand with his team, he discovered old dynamite, as well as sardine boxes.
07:58Apparently, they held the key to the mystery.
08:02The Sahara circles, as they are now known, were not made of remains of former seismic surveys,
08:07since this technology did not exist at the time they were made.
08:11However, they were indeed linked to oil exploration.
08:15The dynamite holes were once used as a means of prospecting,
08:18while these sardine boxes witnessed the passage of the workers.
08:22And now, another mystery of Google Earth solved.
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