Funny things on Google Earth is like putting the earth into a microscope – you think you see mountains, rivers, lakes and seas, but in fact, there are countless “earth-level jokes”: someone put together a car version of Stonehenge in the desert, and the natural weathering of rocks for hippos to take a bath, and even emoticons hidden on the roof… The following wonderful discoveries in Google Earth are enough to amaze you: it turns out that the Earth has learned to play memes a long time ago!
Human art: using the earth as a canvas
1. Car version of Stonehenge: absurd tribute in the desert
Coordinates: 41.1784° N, 102.8676° W (Nebraska, USA)
38 rusty scrapped cars are arranged in a circular structure of Stonehenge in the desert – this is “Carhenge”. In order to commemorate his father’s obsession with Stonehenge, the artist replaced the “stones” with cars and even reproduced the location of the “altar stone”. Every summer solstice, the ancient ritual of Stonehenge is reenacted here, except that the participants smell the exhaust of cars (wrong). What’s more, some cars still retain the “graffiti of the previous owner”, which adds a layer of absurd fireworks to this tribute.
2. Guitar Forest: Rock Funeral in the Wasteland
Coordinates: 33.8339° S, 62.0781° W (Argentina)
On a wasteland, a giant guitar sculpture stands, and the outlines of violins and drums are scattered next to it – this is a “musical instrument cemetery” built by local musicians to commemorate the deceased guitarist. In the satellite image, these metal instruments are like toys abandoned by giants, silently playing the elegy of rock and roll. It is said that if you turn up the volume late at night, you can hear the whimper of the wind passing through the strings (of course, it was made up by netizens, but it is romantic enough).
God-level coincidence of nature: Earth also plays Cosplay
1. Hippo Bathing Rock: Cute Easter Eggs Carved by Sea Breeze
Coordinates: 30.1875° S, 153.1183° E (East Coast of Australia)
A rock eroded by sea breeze has naturally formed the shape of a “hippopotamus drinking water with its head down”! When the tide is high, the sea water overflows the bottom of the rock, as if the hippopotamus is taking a bath. Local fishermen named it “Mr. Hippopotamus” and even made up a jingle: “Hippopotamus don’t take a bath, the sea breeze tickles them.” What’s more interesting is that there are also “seals basking in the sun” and “turtles turning over” hidden in the rocks nearby, which look like the natural version of “Animal Crossing”.
2. Heart-shaped Lake: A romantic gift from glaciers
Coordinates: 51.8769° N, 79.1614° W (Canada)
Glacier movement and geological action have carved a perfect heart-shaped lake in northern Canada. When the ice freezes in winter, the surrounding white snow makes the heart shape clearer. A couple used satellite images to locate the lake and successfully proposed here – the romance of the earth is hidden in the longitude and latitude. What’s more surprising is that there are shell fossils from the ancient glacial period hidden at the bottom of the lake, as if they are a double gift of love and time.
Unexpected aesthetics of human traces: cyber romance in abandoned land
1. Aircraft cemetery: cemetery of metal migratory birds
Coordinates: 32.1841° N, 110.8461° W (Arizona, USA)
In the desert of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, thousands of retired military aircraft are neatly arranged, like disassembled metal building blocks. In the satellite images, the outlines of F-16 and B-52 are clearly visible, and military fans can recognize each model here – this is a silent witness of war and peace. What’s more magical is that the “silver ocean” formed by the reflection of metal at sunset is unexpectedly beautiful, like a scene from a science fiction movie.
2. Rice field paintings: pixel art of the earth
Coordinates: 41.8159° N, 123.4348° E (Shenyang, China)
Farmers use colored rice to “paint” giant patterns: from anime characters to landscapes, the theme is updated every year. In satellite images, these rice fields look like pixel paintings of the earth, vividly interpreting “every grain is art” – it turns out that farming can also have a cyberpunk feel. What’s more, the local area has also developed a “rice field AR”, scanning the satellite map coordinates can trigger virtual animations, turning farmland into a metaverse scene in seconds.
Netizens’ prank carnival: Google Earth has become a meme area
1. Smiley faces on the roof: community emoji raid
In a village in Oxfordshire, England, residents painted yellow smiley faces on their roofs, which looked like scattered emojis in satellite images. It was originally a community activity, but it turned out to be an easter egg for Google Earth – who would have thought that the “smiley face” of the Earth was hidden on the roof? What’s more interesting is that the village next door followed suit and drew “crying faces” and “dog heads”, which looked like an emoji war in the satellite image.
2. Virtual landmarks: netizens’ brainstorming
Searching for certain coordinates, you will find that the names of landmarks have been spoofed: “Unicorn Habitat”, “Chocolate Factory”, “Alien Takeaway Station”… These virtual markers have made Google Earth the world’s largest meme area – after all, who stipulates that the earth cannot have a two-dimensional setting? Some netizens even crowdfunded and wrote fan stories for the “virtual landmarks”, giving the absurd coordinates a literary color.
Conclusion
Open Google Earth and enter these coordinates, and you will find that the Earth has never been a boring blue-green planet, but a blind box full of Easter eggs. Next time, when you slide the satellite image, you might as well slow down – maybe in a desert, there is a car version of Stonehenge, waiting to play a cross-longitude meme with you! Maybe the next Easter egg to be discovered will come from your roof?
