Many years, scientists have unable to understand by a strange phenomenon occurring on Google Maps. A small strip of island locate between Australia and New Caledonia in the South Pacific keeps appearing and disappearing.
As this is not a technical fault, as this strange island had every indication of a landmass through satellite view.
Many called it the Sandy Island or ‘phantom island’ that was first found mention in British Explorer Captain James Cook’s Chart of Discoveries in the South Pacific Ocean all the way back in 1776, as per Daily Express newspaper.
As per reports, it was spot again 100 years later in 1895, with many believing that the island was 14.9 miles long and 3.1 miles wide.
The mystery island was finally unravel on 22nd November, 2012, when Australian scientists on the R/V Southern Surveyor found nothing but the sea.
Scientists record the ocean depths to be more than 4,300 feet, suggesting that there was no chance of anything lurking under the ocean that would previously have visible.
After four days, the island was remove from Google Maps.
Maria Seton, of the University of Sydney, told AFP :
“We wanted to check it out because the navigation charts on board the ship showed a water depth of 1,400 metres (4,620 feet) in that area very deep.
“It’s on Google Earth and other maps so we went to check and there was no island.”
“We’re really puzzled, it’s quite bizarre.”
But, if one were to search the island through the exact coordinates on any maps, a small lump could still be seen in the ocean.
Till now, there is no official explanation as to why one could still sight the so-call Sandy Island, but there is a leading theory which suggest that the island may have the floating remains of a submerge volcano or coastal subaerial eruption.
