FAST FACTS
Where is it? Finniss Springs Plateau, South Australia [-29.532472, 137.468390]
What's in the photo? A 2 mile high geoglyph of an Australian Aboriginal hunter carved into the ground in the outback.
Which satellite took the photo? Landsat 8
When was this done? June 22, 2019
This stunning satellite image shows a giant geoglyph dubbed “Murree Man” that suddenly appeared in the Australian outback less than 30 years ago. The origins of Aboriginal-inspired artworks remain a mystery.
The figurine's design is likely based on an Australian Aboriginal man, who is depicted naked and brandishing either a woomera throwing stick or a boomerang. It is about 2.2 miles (3.5 km) wide at its widest point, from the sole of the feet to the tip of the weapon, and its perimeter overall is about 17 miles (28 km).
Compared to most other geoglyphs such as Peruvian. Nazca Lineswhat can date back to 200 BC. — Man Murray is very young, suddenly appearing in the summer of 1998. But experts aren't sure who created this tall figure or how they drew it so quickly.
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By 2016, the Murree Man lines, which were originally about 10 inches (25 centimeters) deep, had almost completely disappeared due to wind erosion.
As a result, local business owners decided to re-route the lines using a commercial excavator and a GPS guidance system, resulting in much deeper lines, according to the company. ABC News.
The traced geoglyph, shown in the satellite image, should last longer than its predecessor (see below) because special grooves designed to trap water have been added to its outline. In theory, this should allow vegetation to grow along the edges, creating a more durable green border, according to the Earth Observatory.
Who created Murray Man?
“Murry Man” was first discovered by a charter pilot on June 26, 1998, shortly before an anonymous fax was sent to nearby hotels alerting staff to the creation of the geoglyph and initially calling it “Stewart's Giant.” (Murry Man's name was later popularized by the press.)
Landsat 8 satellite imagery subsequently revealed that it was created at some point during the 16-day period between May 27, when the satellite did not see the geoglyph, and June 12, when it was first photographed from space.
It was likely created by some type of earth-moving equipment, and some experts argue that it could only have been achieved using an early form of GPS mapping.
When the lines were redrawn in 2016, it took workers about 60 hours to complete the task using the updated technology. The team also discovered 250 bamboo stakes around the perimeter that were likely used as markers for the original, according to a paper published in 2016. Expedition Australia.
Most often the purported creator of Murray Man was an Adelaide artist named Bardius Goldberg. Some of Goldberg's friends claimed that he told them he was responsible, but he never publicly admitted it and died in 2002.
There is also evidence that it may have been created by American military personnel at a nearby Royal Australian Air Force base: a small plaque with a US flag was discovered near the giant's head. Experts subsequently noted that the anonymous fax also contained several “Americanisms,” ABC News reported.
In 2018, Australian entrepreneur and researcher Dick Smith offered a reward of A$5,000 ($3,700) to anyone who could provide information about the origin of the geoglyph, according to the report. CNN.
