A Redditor messing around with Google Maps discovered a mysterious black hole in the center of the Pacific Ocean, but no one can agree on what it is. In the Google Maps subreddit, member kokoblocks shared a snapshot of the strange occurrence and asked for help from the community “What the f—- is that? This looks nothing like an island.”
A number of individuals shared their thoughts, which varied from joking to actual analysis.
Community Thoughts
“There is no doubt that this is the gateway to the Hollow Earth. Duh, that was obvious. “According to the “Hollow Earth” theory, the Earth is, in fact, hollow. This user’s response supports the theory.
Several brilliant jokes were thrown around in response to the original poster’s question. However, some users were more informative when they said, “It’s surrounded on three sides by water, making it a peninsula.”
However, some genuine replies were given to the question of what the photo showed. Several people agreed that the site appeared to be filtered for some reason. “My initial instinct was that it’s censored,” another person remarked. “It wouldn’t make sense for a natural formation to be black like that in such a shallow, small island.”
The practice of Google Maps blurring out sensitive locations, such as military bases, is relatively common, and an island airfield in the Pacific is something unusual.
In the minds of some, volcanic rock offered a more natural explanation. And many other explanations were discussed. But what is the reality?…
The Dark Green Forest
This black hole in the water that looks really weird is actually the island of Vostok, located a few hundred miles south of Hawaii. From a distance, the island appears dark, but as you get closer, the picture starts to come into focus.
What seems to be black is actually a deep forest made up of Pisonia trees. “What you see as black is actually very dark green; it’s a very dense forest made up of Pisonia trees,” one Redditor explained.
The Vostok Island
As part of Kiribati’s Line Islands group, Vostok Island, an uninhabited coral island, is located in the central Pacific Ocean. Vostok Island was discovered in 1820 by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, a Russian sailor who named the island after his ship (the name means “East” in Russian).
Vostok has a total land area of around 24 hectares (0.24 sq. km) (0.01 sq. mile). Flint Island, located 158 kilometers (98 miles) to the south-southeast, is the closest neighbor.
Sand and rubble make up the island’s beaches, which are 25 to 30 meters (82 to 98 ft) wide. The island lacks a lagoon or any other source of freshwater.
The majority of Vostok is covered with a dense forest of Pisonia trees, which are rooted in one meter of damp peat soil. It is impossible to grow anything else under these trees, which may reach heights of up to 30 meters (98 ft).
Although coconut palms are already present on the neighboring islands of Caroline and Flint, attempts to grow coconut seeds on Vostok in 1922 were a failure. Under the Guano Act of 1856, the United States claimed ownership of Vostok, although no phosphate was extracted from the area.
While the presence of rats implies an early Native presence on the island, it’s not certain if the island was ever populated. There has never been any sign of a permanent settlement.
Vostok was formerly a colony of the British Gilbert and Ellice Islands until 1979 when it became a part of the newly independent Kiribati.
You can take a look at the island through google maps app: Vostok Island
