Fixed the black island mystery of Google Maps

(Image Source: Playback / Google Maps)

On the 22nd, we posted a story about the mystery of a nonexistent island on Google Maps. For those who don't remember, Sandy Island, as it was marked by the online service, appeared black in the middle of the South Pacific. Based on the location of this mysterious island, researchers at the University of Sydney set out to venture to the place and the island. What they discovered made everyone even more intrigued: there was no island in that region.

In addition to Google Maps and Google Earth, the world atlas published by The Times also marks the existence of this island, but identifying it as Sable Island. Later, people around the world reported that Bing and Yahoo! they also exhibited such a "ghost island". But now a New Zealand researcher claims to have solved this modern-world cartographic prank.

Auckland Museum researcher Shaun Higgins led an investigation and came to the conclusion that this island never existed. According to an article published by Discovery News, it is all a mess caused by data collected by a whaling ship in 1876.

Same Island Seen by Yahoo Map System (Image Source: Playback / Yahoo Maps)

In an interview with ABC, Higgins explained that the record of this “island” also appears on old maps and that its origin is due to notes made by whaling captain Velocity as a way to warn future navigators of the dangers of islets or breakwaters. existing on site.

“My assumption is that they simply noted a threat found at the time. They may have registered a reef in formation or thought they actually saw a reef. There are several possibilities. But the fact is that we have a note from that time that was simply replicated over time, ”attests Higgins.

Now it remains to be seen whether this error will be corrected this time or whether future generations will continue to see this mysterious island on maps released from 2013.