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I think everyone has used Google Earth once or more. The first destination? Our home. Job, Friends’ homes, international Landscapes etc are the next stops.

Some of us use Google Earth for more serious reasons and some others have accidentally stumbled upon great discoveries,

While searching for this post i realized that Google Earth could be a great tool for Archaeologists and Geologists. But! If some scientific knowledge is involved while surfing the Earth  , some major discoveries could surface.

1. Cows point north

After looking at thousands of satellite images of cattle (and dears), researchers from Duisburg-Essen University of Germany found that those animals are tending to align their body in a north-south direction when the are resting or eating!

2. The flood of Noah (and other floods)

Geologists Researchers using Google Earth detected some characteristics (chevrons) of a Giant Tsunami in the Indian Ocean. They analyzed the satellite surface altimetry data and there was a huge crater. It is now believed that when this crater was created, a tsunami of 200m height hit the area and it was raining all over the world for days. They estimated the age of the crater at 5000 years. Another research, of Bruce Masse, studied 175 myths about floods from many cultures and religious. He found that in 14 of them there was a reference of a total sun eclipse that is believed to be the one of May 2807 b.c. Hey that’s about 5,000 years ago

3.Hickman Crater

Geologist Arthur Hickman was killing time on Google Earth to find iron ore on Western Australia when he suddenly found a strange surface. He sent the picture to his colleagues at the Australian National University who visited the Area. You may read about the Hickman crater in your future books since the crater was named after Arthur

4. 101 ancient sites in France

For 25 years, Archaeologist Scott Madry was trying to make his research concerning ancient Celtic people who lived in France at about 300 B.C. It wasn’t until he found about Google Earth that he managed to locate 101 sites of possible archaeological interest in the Burgundy area. When he passed the sites to the France authorities they found that the 75% were already known sites. 25 new sites is not bad for an “armchair archaeologist”, is it?

5. Registan Derert - Afghanistan

David Thomas and his colleagues from Trobe University of Melbourne started a project titled “Archaeological Sites Of Afghanistan in Google Earth”. As it was dangerous to visit  Afghanistan for Archaeological purposes, especially the Registan Desert, they used Google Earth to spot possible sites of interest. They collection of 463 sites with information and analysis was presented at the World Archaeological Congress of Dublin

6.Living next door to an ancient Roman Villa 

Italian programmer Luca Mori has been checking the area around thw town Sorbolo at Google Earth when he noticed a strange shadowed oval areal 150m long. He contacted local Archaeologists who examined it and brought  to light a series of findings that indicated there had been a Roman Villa on that spot.

7. Rare Coral Reefs at Australia

Dr. Chris Simpson, coral reef specialist, had been looking for years at satellite images for reefs formations. He found Google Earth to be a very useful scientific tool. The program provides high resolution photos over Western Australia and Dr Simpson managed to locate at Kimberleys  an extensive formation of fringing coral reefs.

8. World’s Longest Beaver Dam

Jean Thie from Ottawa uses Google Earth to find evidence of climate change as he is the Executive Director at Canadian Institute of Geomatics. Almost a year ago he found something really… big! . He discovered a huge Beaver Dam 850m long! It is the longest Beaver Dam found in the world, (the second one recorded is only 652m located in Three Forks, Montana)

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