Google Maps Showed a Mysterious Black Hole in the Pacific Ocean — Then People Realized What It Was
The Pacific Ocean, the largest and deepest of five oceans, has been a source of mystery and fascination for ages. That said, researchers and enthusiasts are always on the lookout for a striking discovery that may quench their curiosity. In 2021, a satellite image captured from Google Maps displayed a strange triangular structure in the middle of the Pacific. Its dark appearance triggered conspiracy theories about its origin but scientists were quick to debunk the rumors clarifying that it was actually a small island from the Republic of Kiribati in the South Pacific, per BBC.
The peculiar speck of landmass was first brought to the internet’s attention via a Reddit Post shared by a user (u/kokoblocks). Though the caption clearly mentioned that it was an island, most netizens had qualms about the fact sparking a debate in the comments. “This looks nothing like an island,” the post read. Several people agreed with the post sharing their thoughts about the strange natural feature. “You found the loophole in geography,” one person (u/elendil1985) said while another (u/scottcmu) explained, “It’s surrounded on three sides by water, making it a peninsula.” u/flobber_worm joked, “Scrolling past I thought it was a hole in a leather seat.” Someone else (u/pala4833) cleverly pointed out, “No it doesn’t. Not atoll.”
According to the National Geographic Society, a ring-shaped coral reef or island is referred to as an "atoll" and is typically surrounded by a body of water called a lagoon. Amidst all the debate, the landmass was confirmed as Vostolk Island, one of 33 islets that make up the Republic of Kiribati. With an area of just 0.1 square miles (0.25 square kilometers), the island is located 4,000 miles (6,000 km) east of Australia, and the virtually dark hues are caused by the dense tree coverage of Pisonia trees in the region. The island is essentially uninhabitable because of its limited space and lack of freshwater sources.
From a satellite’s viewpoint, Vostolk Island appears as a deep pit carved in the middle of the Pacific, but with a more detailed look, it is clear that the high concentration of the Pisonia trees imparts such an appearance from Earth’s lower orbit. The absurd conspiracy theories surrounding the existence of Vostolk Island were rather hilarious. Some speculated it to be a military base blurred out on Google Maps for security reasons while others referred to it as a massive black hole in the Pacific, per Metro. However, the Vostolk Island was already discovered as early as the early 19th century by Russian explorers.
It was later reported at length in a 1966 newspaper article marking it as “one of the few islands” never inhabited by either Polynesians or Europeans ever in history. It was named by explorer Captain Thaddeus von Bellingshausen, who discovered the island from a ship, on August 3, 1820, per Pacific Islands Monthly. While devoid of human inhabitants, the island hosts a diversity of wildlife, particularly seabirds. These birds, including boobies, noddies, and frigatebirds facilitate the dispersion of the Pisonia seed pods stuck on their feathers to other islands and ensure the survival of the tree species, per a survey reported in Smithsonian Archives.