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Google Maps is one of those apps that many of us rely on daily (myself included). Whether it’s finding the fastest route, checking traffic, or scoping out the best-rated spots in town, it’s an essential tool.

But besides its usual functions, Google Maps has plenty of surprises if you know where to look. These people did just that—scanning satellite images and street views—and ended up stumbling upon things they never expected. From curious to downright bizarre, here are some of the strangest discoveries they made.

Scroll down to check them out, upvote your favorites, and maybe try your hand at it yourself. You never know what you might find!

#1

Group Of Buildings In China Spelling Out The Word “Antibody”

Google Earth view of buildings spelling "ANTIBODY," highlighting a strange discovery.

PetrifiedHistory , Google Maps Report

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    #2

    Ax Prank In Edinburgh Caught On Google Street View

    Two people on a cobblestone street, one lying down, captured by Google Earth in a strange scene.

    Playing around with the Google Street View car can be fun, but as these mechanics from Edinburgh discovered, sometimes having too much fun can have consequences. The two goofs forgot about the pranks until the photos were uploaded to Google months later and a concerned citizen called the police. The images depict a man assailing the other.

    Luckily, one of the cops who "solved" the case had a friend who had his car serviced at the mechanic's shop where this took place. Dan Thompson, the shop's manager, told authorities: "It was in the spur of the moment [...] It seemed like the obvious thing to do so I threw myself on the ground and Gary grabbed a pick-axe handle from the garage."

    independent , Google Maps Report

    If Google Maps suddenly vanished, we'd all be in trouble. It’s hard to even wrap your head around its scale when you look at the numbers. With over 2 billion monthly users, it’s the most popular navigation tool in the world. And in 2024 alone, it provided directions covering 1 trillion kilometers, which, according to Google, is like Earth orbiting the sun more than a thousand times.

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    #3

    Is Your Bike In Here? Neighbour From Hell Is Arrested After 500 'Stolen' Bikes Are Discovered In His Back Garden In Pile So Big That It Is Visible From Google Earth

    Strange Google Earth find of a backyard filled with old bicycles, highlighted with a red circle.

    dailymail Report

    #4

    Disturbing Message Spotted On Google Earth Near Cesar Chavez Ave In La: ‘Help,’ ‘Trafico,’ ‘Lapd,’ And ‘Federal’ Written In Debris

    Strange Google Earth image showing "HELP" written on the ground with a location pin.

    rj_motivation Report

    But keeping a map this massive up to date is no small task. Google is constantly refining its data, making 100 million updates to the map every single day. That’s over 4 million updates per hour! And no wonder so many people rely on it to find their favorite spots. With 250 million businesses and places mapped out, getting where you need to go is extremely convenient.

    #5

    Lying Spouse Caught Red-Handed In UK

    A person standing in a driveway captured by Google Earth near a brick house and parked car.

    If you're going to get caught lying to your spouse, you should try to make it count. Not like Donald Ryding, who was caught smoking in his driveway by Google Street View long after he told his wife that he'd kicked the habit. The car captured an image of Ryding trying to be furtive outside of his Merseyside home in England.

    Mrs. Ryding said, "I couldn't believe it - there was no denying it now we'd seen him smoking. When Street View first launched, they didn't blur out faces, but there was no need to with him - he was covered by a cloud of smoke anyway." Burn.

    thejournal , Google Maps Report

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    #6

    Louisburg, Kansas

    Strange Google Earth view of a field with a deer design inside a circular pattern showing unusual artwork.

    Stan Herd lives nearby and he does amazing work similar to this. He's done big ads and was even in an oreo Comercial for his field art.

    VolumeRich6345 Report

    #7

    I Found The Eiffel Tower And Fake Cities And Fake Highways In A Military Base In The Chinese Desert With Tanks Artillery And Planes ( 42°14'11.32"N 112°44'24.22"E)

    Strange sight captured on Google Earth shows a replica of the Eiffel Tower in a desert landscape.

    EMACRAFTO9 , Google Maps Report

    Of course, Google Maps isn’t just about navigation. One of its coolest features is the ability to explore the world through satellite images and Street View. I use Street View all the time—to get a sense of a new place, check for parking (pro tip!), or just wander through different cities from my couch. It’s an amazing way to glimpse everyday life in countries all over the world.

    #8

    Gigante De Tarapaca. Norte De Chile

    Strange geoglyph found on Google Earth resembling a humanoid figure in a desert landscape.

    Patrick Ortiz Downing , Google Maps Report

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    Pyla
    Community Member
    12 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Amazing and beautiful. PBS did a program on this, apparently used as markers for travelers

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    #9

    40 Year Old Man Went Missing After Night Out. 22 Years Later, A Local Man Spotted A Car In The Lake In Google Maps. When It Was Searched, The Missing Man’s Skeletal Remains Were Found

    Strange discovery on Google Earth near a pond and residential area.

    Crookstaa Report

    #10

    A Possible Offender On The Run In South Africa

    Person in orange suit walking down empty rural road found on Google Earth.

    This image was captured in South Africa in 2010. While the man depicted in the image capture looks like an escapee from the United States, many pointed out he could be a municipal worker. In South Africa, some municipal workers wear orange as part of their uniform.

    It's unclear where the man is running from or what he's running towards.

    express , Google Maps Report

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    But have you ever wondered how Street View actually works? How does Google capture all those visuals, constantly update them, and upload them into a single app? And why go through all the trouble?

    As Harold Stark explains in a 2017 Forbes article, back in 1998, when Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page started the company, they had a vision to “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” Google Maps is a huge part of that mission. By collecting an enormous amount of geospatial data and making it available in a mobile app, Google is essentially creating an interactive digital world.

    #11

    Teen Finds Bike Nabbers On Holland Street View

    Strange scene captured on Google Earth: three blurred people walking and cycling on a street in Groningen, Netherlands.

    After a teen in Groningen, Holland had his bike taken, he couldn't get the police to do anything about it. But six months later he found photo evidence using Google Street View. Cameras captured an image of the alleged culprits trailing behind the victim prior to taking the bike.

    The 14-year-old used the image to help authorities apprehend two suspects.

    theregister , Google Maps Report

    #12

    Downed Japanese Fighter Plane On Palau And The Photos I Took At The Location: 7°32'40.9"N 134°31'50.7"E

    Strange object found on Google Earth in dense green forest, resembling an aircraft.

    Heard of this from a guy who served on Palau. He only knew it was near a shooting range the US military uses. With the help of google earth I found the possible location and went there during my visit to Palau a few years back.

    alex_1982 , Google Maps Report

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    Corvus
    Community Member
    10 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    There's something really poetic in the way old weapons of war are overgrown by nature and eventually turn to dust...

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    #13

    Disappearance Of 83-Year-Old Woman After Two Years Solved Thanks To Google Street View

    Strange sighting on Google Earth: elderly person walking alone on Rue Repos, countryside road.

    Paulette Landrieux disappeared on November 2, 2020 without leaving a trail. At the time, the police spread a search message for the 'potentially confused woman', but even after a large -scale search she was not found.

    The public prosecutor recently wanted to close the file unsolved after two years. But a person who made a final attempt caused a breakthrough: the man searched for the images of her house on Google Street View. There, as a miracle, you could see how the woman crossed the street to her neighbor's house.

    The police then searched the garden of that man and found the corpse of Landrieux on the bottom of a hill, in the direction of the Meuse (Maas) river. The woman probably fell, but an autopsy must give a definitive answer.

    Personally, as a researcher, I would study Google Maps the first day in such a case, but maybe it was not yet on Street View at the time.

    andorraliechtenstein , Google Maps Report

    To bring that world to life, Street View launched in 2007, letting users see real images of locations rather than just a flat map. But Google doesn’t do it all alone. For the base maps, they pull data from organizations like the U.S. Geological Survey, the Forest Service, and city councils, stitching together everything from massive highways to tiny backroads.

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    #14

    After A Successful Escape From A Prison Sentence, Runaway Gioacchino Gammino Lived Unnoticed For 20 Years. Until He Chatted In The Wrong Spot, That Is

    Street view of a store called "El Huerto de Manu" on Google Earth with two people talking outside.

    The convicted murderer, considered one of Italy's most wanted criminals, had been working as a chef under a different name in the town of Galapagar (near Madrid in Spain). Google Maps imagery showed a man who looked suspiciously like Gammino chatting outside a fruit and veg shop, and it was confirmed to be him by police later.

    theguardian Report

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    MrLiesegang
    Community Member
    5 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    But how did they found the image? A face recognition program roaming the internet 24/7?

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    #16

    Shipwreck North Sentinel Island

    Google Earth view of a strange shipwreck near a coastline.

    The story of the shipwreck on North Sentinel Island revolves around the MV Primrose, a cargo ship that ran aground near the island in 1981. The crew initially believed it was a routine stranding, but they soon realized the danger when the indigenous Sentinelese, a fiercely isolated tribe, began appearing on the beach armed with bows and arrows. The crew was stranded on the ship for several days, defending themselves with makeshift weapons and calling for help. Eventually, they were rescued by helicopter, narrowly avoiding contact with the Sentinelese, who remain one of the most isolated groups in the world.

    Own_Salamander_3802 , Google Maps Report

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    Then, of course, there’s the Street View imagery, the part we love most. To capture those shots, Google sends out cars fitted with special 360-degree cameras, driving through streets, neighborhoods, and even quiet residential areas. You’ve probably seen one of these Street View cars yourself! Some lucky people even spot them in time to strike a pose—or, in the case of a group of kids in Syracuse, chase it down the street, securing their place in Google Maps history.

    #17

    Missing Michigan Car Visible On Google Maps

    Aerial view of a small pond beside a parking lot, found on Google Earth.

    In 2015, a car that had both been missing since 2006 was found while employees at a Michigan mortuary home were decorating their building for Christmas. While looking in a nearby pond, they saw what looked like the roof of a car, promptly solving a nine-year-old missing person case. It turns out that the car had been visible on Google Street View this whole time.

    Authorities did not suspect foul play, as it appears 72-year-old Davie Lee Niles may have driven into the body of water by accident.

    mlive , Google Maps Report

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    #19

    Random R In The Mountains In Cali

    Letter "R" on a hillside discovered using Google Earth, showcasing strange findings from satellite imagery.

    it appears to be the "Redlands R". Put there by university student in 1913.

    Savanna_Krewz , redlands Report

    But cars aren’t always enough. To capture hard-to-reach places, Google also uses boats, snowmobiles, motorcycles, and even backpacks equipped with cameras for areas where vehicles can’t go, like the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu.

    #20

    Strange discoveries on Google Earth: people seated against buildings in urban street settings.

    On a corner of Sagrada Família, in BH, there was a man who would sit next to a lamppost all day long. He had been spotted by the google maps car since 2015 in the same place. Recently, he disappeared. I was worried and went to find out what had happened

    correafabios Report

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    Mavis
    Community Member
    9 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    .....and the guy who went to find out what happened has never been heard from again.

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    #21

    Found A Sunken Jeep Near Key West, Fl Via Google Maps. So A Friend Of Mine Went To Check It Out In Person

    Strange underwater discovery from Google Earth in a secluded lake surrounded by trees and greenery.

    KevinByMail , Google Maps Report

    #22

    I Noticed On These On Google Earth. Today On "Failed Camouflage" We Learn That Hiding Under Trees Isn't Always The Best Strategy

    Strange shapes located on a grassy field, captured by Google Earth.

    brownsofagamer123 , Google Maps Report

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    So, if you ever spot a Google Street View camera in the wild, why not give it a wave? Pull a funny pose! Who knows, you might end up immortalized in Google Maps, with a great story for your next team-building event or a killer “Two Truths and a Lie” icebreaker.

    #23

    A Weird Pentagram Is Discovered In Kazakhstan

    Aerial view of a large pentagram shape on grassy land found on Google Earth.

    People were understandably freaked out when, in 2013, a pentagram appeared to be carved into the ground in a deserted part of Kazakhstan. Thanks to Google, the image came to public attention. No sign of life appears to be even close to the creepy symbol. In fact, Lisakovsk is the closest city to this patch of land, and it's about 12 miles away.

    Before conspiracy theories could spin out of control, archaeologist Emma Usmanova told LiveScience: "It is the outline of a park made in the form of a star." Still, some don't believe Usmanova and think it could be linked to a more sinister, darker secret.

    nbcnews , Google Maps Report

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    Corvus
    Community Member
    10 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Kazakhstan was once a part of the Soviet Union, and the five-pointed star was a major communist symbol, so Usmanova's theory is quite plausible.

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    #24

    A Lot Of People In Athens Were Caught With Undisclosed Pools

    Google Earth view showing a landscape with intersecting roads and several bright blue swimming pools.

    In the Greek city, those with pools are supposed to pay a special tax for them. There were 324 pool declared in Athens' suburbs — but after looking at Google Maps, authorities found out there were actually 16,974 pools in the area.

    spiege Report

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    G A
    Community Member
    12 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The council had a good year on the undeclared income tax

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    #25

    This Is The Largest Coca-Cola Logo In The World I Found It On Google Earth -18.5292 -70.2500

    Aerial view of a large Coca-Cola logo etched into the desert, a strange find on Google Earth.

    our-free-books , Google Maps Report

    And since Google is capturing everything, everywhere, you can bet there are some weird, funny, or downright eerie things hidden across the app. If you’re ever bored or feeling a little adventurous, maybe take some time to hunt for them. Who knows what you’ll find?

    #26

    Plane Without Wings Found On Google Maps

    Aerial view of airplane parked on runway, a strange find on Google Earth.

    I pulled up Google Maps just to see the taxiway configuration and the plane isn't there. It sure looks like the same general image as in OP's post, it even has the black rectangle next to where the plane is/was. It's entirely possible Google edited the image because someone reported it due to this post, but all I can say is the wingless plane isn't there now!

    RXBarokk , Google Maps Report

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    Ace
    Community Member
    7 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Not just the wings, the whole fuselage has been foreshortened by two overlaid images, one taken a few seconds after the other while the plane was moving.

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    #28

    A Florida Man Illegally Dumped His Boat Near His Home, Eventually Facing A $5,000 Fine

    Boat on a trailer beside a road with a truck, found through Google Earth in a strange, unexpected location.

    The fee for legal dumping would have been just $18. Police spotted the illicit dumping via Google Maps.

    nbcnews Report

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    #29

    Weird Shape On Google Map At Saguenay, Québec, Canada

    Strange circular pattern with symbols found on Google Earth, marked by a red pin in a forested area.

    thestrible , Google Maps Report

    #30

    What Are These Artifical Looking Small Hills Near Area 51

    Strange circular patterns found on Google Earth in a desert landscape.

    Atomic testing site..Nevada test range

    truthseeker_92 Report

    #31

    B-2 Stealth Bomber

    Strange aerial view of a stealth bomber on a field, captured by Google Earth.

    This B-2 at Whitman AFB seems to be shown disabled after sliding off the runway. You can see the plane leaning on its left wing and emergency personnel around.

    GreenReport5491 , Google Maps Report

    #32

    Six Pointed Star, In The Nevada Desert

    Aerial view of a strange circular pattern in the desert found on Google Earth.

    TheBeardedWelshman79 , Google Maps Report

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    Lyone Fein
    Community Member
    10 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    There seems to be some sort of small structure in the middle of each of those six pointed areas.

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    #33

    Massive Door In Antarctica? 3/20/24

    Strange object found on Google Earth, located in a snowy, rocky landscape.

    realg00n , Google Maps Report

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    Apachebathmat
    Community Member
    9 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It’s just a chunk of ice that has shifted, no secret criminal mastermind’s bolt hole

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    #34

    Google Earth Reveals Tax Evasion Scam To Italy's Finance Police

    Aerial view of a strange star-shaped structure on Google Earth surrounded by trees and a beach shoreline.

    A man told authorities he'd sold his home for €280,000, but the taxmen of Italy thought that didn't sound quite right. So, they cross-referenced an image of the property's distinctive pool to find the building — its location and size made them sure the declared sale price was wrong. Turns out he'd lied to the tune of seven million euro.

    italy magazine Report

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    #35

    Area 51 Baseball Team?

    Aerial view on Google Earth of a strange, green, irregularly shaped area next to buildings and roads.

    Of all the things I was expecting to see while looking at area 51 on Google maps the last thing I was expecting was a baseball field.
    I wonder if it's like terrestrials vs extraterrestrials?

    CompSciGuy11235 , Google Maps Report

    #36

    Disney Tried To Hide The Millennium Falcon And Google Maps Revealed It

    Strange Google Earth find with a face-like shape and winding paths near a forested area.

    Google Maps Report

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    G A
    Community Member
    12 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That was to stop the press when filming on The Force Awakens.

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    #38

    The Pacific Island That Was "Undiscovered"

    Strange Google Earth find: Sandy Island, a mysterious dark shape in the ocean.

    Sandy Island was first noted on nautical charts in 1876. Since it had a designated location, Google Earth tried to account for it in imagery, but couldn't do so. Finally, in 2012, a group of Australian scientists went to the region to discover that it didn't exist or no longer exists. They effectively "undiscovered" the island.

    reddit.com , Google Maps Report

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    Corvus
    Community Member
    10 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It is possible that it sunk due to geological processes.

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    #40

    On My Way To Gloucester Airport Fir A Delivery And Saw This Disassembled Plane On Google Maps, Any Idea Of What It Is?

    Strange findings on Google Earth show parts of an old airplane scattered in a grassy area near a parking lot.

    gphillips97 Report

    #41

    Is This An Old Base? Antarctica - 79°28'23"S 112°06'05"W

    Aerial view of a strange structure found using Google Earth, resembling an abandoned airstrip in a desolate landscape.

    WAIS (Western Antarctic Ice Shelf) divide camp, nice find! I flew a twin otter on skis out of there a few years ago, recognized the ski way orientation to the camp and confirmed with coordinates. Here’s some images of the camp from the ground! For those wondering it’s a scientific camp open seasonally. When I was there it was used for researches to access “nearby” areas of interest of the Thwaites glacier, nicknamed the Doomsday glacier. There was a joint effort from USAP (United States Antarctic program) and BAS (British Antarctic Survey).

    4nts , Google Maps Report

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    #43

    What Is This And Why Is It In The Middle Of Nowhere?

    Strange object found on Google Earth, marked with a red location pin on a rugged surface.

    In October 1949, a Douglas C-47 Skytrain (tail number 316062) crash-landed near the station. No one was killed, but three on board were injured. The wreckage has been preserved by the cold weather and dry conditions.

    love_philo , Google Maps Report

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    #44

    Plane Crash In Mexican Jungle Near The Mexico Guatemala Border

    Strange plane found on Google Earth at coordinates 18°03'52"N 90°13'13"W.

    BillabongKid , Google Maps Report

    #45

    Found This Weird Giant Rectangle On Google Maps In Russia. It’s Look Like A Bunch Of Identical Half-Destroyed Buildings Surrounded By Forest. There Is A Village Just Near By This Thing

    Aerial view of a strange rectangular grid formation in a forest, found on Google Earth.

    KovalevSuka310469 , Google Maps Report

    #46

    Strange sight on Google Earth: lone person walking on rocky terrain in a remote area.

    Here I am, just cruising around google maps, when this...Thing (I guess?) catches my attention. The little bugger is just sneaking across a trail on a lonely mountain in the middle of the Canadian Rockies and I haven’t the foggiest what it is. Anyone else got a clue, ‘cause I sure as hell don’t

    sairalindai Report

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    #47

    Found A Sunken Ship On Google Maps While Exploring The North Sentinel Island, Home To A Tribe Who Hasn’t Had Contact With Modern Civilisation

    Aerial view of a shipwreck partially submerged in clear coastal waters, a strange sight found on Google Earth.

    kachasingh , Google Maps Report

    #48

    What Is This Huge Triangle In The Upper Peninsula Of Michigan That Is Almost Visible From Space. I Am Not Familiar With Any Airport Up There And There Are No Planes When You Zoom In

    Triangular structure in a remote area captured on Google Earth, showcasing a strange finding from above.

    reddit.com , Google Maps Report

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    Ace
    Community Member
    7 hours ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    No mystery there when you click on the maps link. Quite clearly a private landing strip for an industrial company.

    #50

    Mystery In The Middle Of The Saudi Arabian Desert. What Is It?

    Strange Google Earth finding of a mysterious shape in a desert landscape.

    Yes to all the obstacles you mentioned.

    Excluding the obvious obstacles of drilling in the middle of a vast desert, this region of Saudi has hydrocarbon reservoirs deeper than other regions.

    Hydrocarbon wells in eastern Saudi are typically around 12,000 ft deep, while in the Rubi Al Khali desert the same reservoir would be around 18,000 ft deep. This is because the geological beds are dipping southeast. And this particular desert was a basin, so more sediments were deposited there.

    Thus drill time is higher, and so costs are higher to drill there.

    reddit.com , Appropriate-Bug-8857 Report

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    #51

    What Island Is This, And Why Does Google Maps Block It Out As You Zoom In?

    Strange red circle found on Google Earth near Cayman Islands.

    Fryedreality97 , Google Maps Report

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    Ace
    Community Member
    7 hours ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It's a reef, not an island. The green colouration is an anomoly, zoom in og google image and the colour changes. Also see https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=14%C2%B020%2700.0%22N+80%C2%B020%2700.0%22W&iaxm=maps

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    #52

    Google Maps Placing Fake Planes?

    Strange Google Earth find of planes on a tarmac with red arrows and circles highlighting their positions.

    honestly I'm not really trying to conspire here all too much, I don't think that there's some extremely secret and malicious reason as to why they pasted planes around, but I know for a fact that it isn't a composite image, and I'm curious as to why they'd paste random planes around.

    SeamaldoesReddit , Google Earth Report

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    Jane
    Community Member
    10 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Are the arrows showing which direction the light is coming from to make the shadows?

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    Ic_polls

    Poll Question

    How likely are you to use Google Maps to search for strange or curious findings?

    Very likely

    Somewhat likely

    Not very likely

    Not at all