Has a “mysterious doorway” been discovered amidst the snow in Antarctica?  

By October 17, 2024 Environment, Science

Images of a “mysterious doorway” spotted on Google Maps have been circulating on social media along with a wide spectrum of claims and conspiracies – from theories about Bigfoot’s abode to  secret government bases and mysterious hidden cities.

According to articles published in the New York Post and the Daily Mail, internet users “discovered” something that appears to be a doorway embedded in a snowy hill while using Google Maps to look around Antarctica.

However, while the headline and pictures being circulated are certainly eye-catching and easy to spread around social media, a closer look on Google Maps with the coordinates of the supposed “doorway” shows that it is located right next to an actual research station, and, based on Google Map’s measuring tool, the formation would actually be over 6 meters tall.

Given the supposed doorway’s size and proximity to a permanent research station, it seems highly unlikely that internet sleuths would have been the first to “discover” it – and casts doubt on the conspiracies and theories surrounding it having a mysterious purpose or origin. Further, upon zooming out, other similar looking formations can be also seen nearby.

When in clusters, the larger formations vary in shape and resemble blocks of ice covered partially by snow. This has since been supported by scientists speaking to The Daily Mail and IFL Science who have little doubt that the “doorway” is just an ice formation embedded in the landscape. The melting and refreezing of ice and snow over these glacial formations (such as icebergs) can result in different shapes and the door-shaped formation being solitary and rectangular is merely a natural coincidence amidst many other different possibilities.

Therefore, we give this claim a rating of false.

While most of the articles covering this claim have clarified that it is very likely not a mysterious doorway, we’ve seen the headlines and images circulating in isolation without the added context and facts.

Despite being extremely easy to debunk, the build-up of small pieces of misinformation or unsupported headlines on social media and the internet can nevertheless result in a messy and unstable information environment.

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