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Is this mysterious ‘door’ an entrance to a secret underground bunker in Antarctica? Truth behind viral pic
What do you think is the truth behind this viral picture that social media users claim shows a doorway to a secret underground bunker in Antarctica?
“Massive door in Antarctica?” a Reddit post asked while sharing a screenshot of an “unusual addition” to Antarctic ice that they spotted on Google Maps. As expected of social media, the picture went viral, prompting outlandish ideas. While many suggested that it is a doorway to a secret underground bunker, others were more creative with their imagination, adding that it is the remains of a UFO. A few also claimed that it was the broken gate of an aeroplane.
What does the picture show?
“69°00'50"S 39°36'22"E,” a Reddit user mentioned the location coordinates while sharing the screenshot. The picture shows a satellite view of Antarctic ice. The terrain is mostly ice-covered, with patches of exposed rocks in some areas. In the middle of the viral photo, there is also a structure which has piqued everyone’s curiosity.
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Take a look at the viral post:
What is the truth behind it?
Though the ideas proposed by Reddit users are interesting and exciting, the truth is rather mundane. According to the New York Post, it is an iceberg.
“This is an iceberg that became grounded and is now stuck and melting out [in place],” Bethan Davies, a professor of glaciology at the University of Newcastle, told the outlet. “You can see many other icebergs in the area,” Davies added.
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Professor Martin Siegert, co-director of the Imperial College London’s Grantham Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, confirmed the same.
“This is simply ice flow around a solid subglacial obstacle, influenced also by melting and re-freezing of ice and by katabatic winds,” Siegert told the outlet, adding, “The ice is quite thin here, as evidenced by other outcrops of rock nearby, so the influence of the bed on ice flow will be strong.”
“It’s an interesting pattern, but not unusual or surprising glaciologically,” he continued.
