Mystery in Libya

[techumseh]

I've been playing around with Google Earth and I found a fascinating feature in the south of Libya. It's dark blue/black, with undefined borders and a trail of blue off to the south east, hundreds of klicks long. I can't find it on any map. The coordinates are 24,52'W and 17,45'N. Can anyone identify it?

[techumseh]

A closer view.

[Ted Striker]

ZOMG TEH WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION HAVE BEEN FOUND!!!!

[techumseh]

About 130 km high.

[techumseh]

Yes Ted, it's the much dreaded India Ink messy bomb.

[Dinner]

Those look like two craters in the black part. It could be ash from an ancient volcano which has been spread by the wind. You'd be amazed how persistant that stuff can be. Once the ash forms a tuft its basically there forever.

[Winston]

The trail goes south-west, not south-east.

My guess would be some petro-chemical activity caused this, the burning of natural gas or, more likely, an oil well fire.

[germanos]

http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/africa/waw_an_namus.html

Great find Techumseh

[Winston]

Interesting! I wouldn't have thought there were volcanoes in the Sahara.

[Sir Og]

Are the colours you see on Google Maps the actual colours as seen from satelite.
As far as I know they are tweaking the colors so that the picture has more contrast. Maybe the actual colour of that erea is not dark blue/black.

[techumseh]

@germanos - thanks! Maybe we should organize a poly meet there.

@Winston - yes, south-west.

[techumseh]

Originally posted by Sir Og
Are the colours you see on Google Maps the actual colours as seen from satelite.
As far as I know they are tweaking the colors so that the picture has more contrast. Maybe the actual colour of that erea is not dark blue/black.

Some are, but it's obvious. Mostly trees dyed green, rivers blue. I don't think this is. Could be wrong.

[FrostyBoy]

So the volcano dirtied itself..... nice

Google

Earth

Google Earth

[germanos]

Originally posted by techumseh
@germanos - thanks! Maybe we should organize a poly meet there.

Awesome

[Gangerolf]

Originally posted by techumseh
About 130 km high.

amazing