1. Ancient geoglyphs found in Kazakhstan
These are geoglyphs, that is, large man-made marking in the earth. These were probably carved by ancient civilizations, of which we know very little. More than 50 of these have been discovered using Google Earth, many of them here in Kazakhstan.
2. Top secret US Airbase, Area 6, Nevada
This existence of this site came as a complete surprise to everyone without the required classified knowledge. It seems to be a secret base run by the National Nuclear Security Administration, possibly for purposes related to counter-terrorism.
3. Geoglyphs of Sunrise, Jordan
These fascinating wheels, referred to locally as 'the works of old men' cannot be seen on the ground, meaning Google Earth is the perfect tool for analyzing their purpose. What appear to be images of the Sunrise during the winter solstice here may in fact be something different. The question is just whether a better theory can be found to explain mysteries such as these.
4. The nonexistent Sandy Island
This discovery is a little unusual. When investigators, who had been using Google Earth to locate islands around the world, spotted Sandy island, they sent a team to find it so it could be categorized properly. However, when the team came to the location, they found it didn't actually exist. This island had been shown on maps for about 100 years. Apparently this was just a cartographic error. Luckily Google Earth was able to wipe it from the record.
5. The mysterious red lake of Sadr, Iraq
This gory looking lake was first noted in 2007, and garnered plenty of queasy-stomached speculations, particularly given Iraq's bloody recent history. Though whether the redness is due to a nearby slaughterhouse, or local pollution and sewage works, no one has yet been able to ascertain.
6. The eerie airplane graveyard, Arizona
This rather sad looking place was never really considered by people, possibly because children never had the curiosity to ask us 'where do old planes go to die'. There are more than 4,000 military aircraft here that have passed their use-by-date. Thanks to Google Earth, this location has now become a popular tourist spot.
7. The corn maze that looks like Oprah Winfrey
Possibly due to excitement at the advent of Google Earth, and devotion to a daytime TV icon, one Arizona farmer took the time to actually make this unique maze.
8. Coronado naval base (swastika), California
The swastika is a considerably potent symbol in the Western world, and causes many people to feel great sorrow, and even offense (though of course in Asia it is a different story altogether). So you can imagine how embarrassing it was for the US Navy to see, thanks to plucky Google, that they had actually built a base with the very same symbolic structure as the German National Socialists' favorite emblem. Rumor has it that the Navy has since sought to change the building's appearance.
9. The Badlands Guardian, a natural clay face, Canada
Most of the discoveries here are of previously unknown human activity, yet this is a different thing altogether, being a chance formation of nature. What looks like a mysterious ancient face is actually a valley eroded into the Canadian clay.
10. The sunken S.S. Jassim
This ferry was carrying cargo from Bolivia when it sank near Sudan in 2003. This famous image, taken by Google Earth's satellites, is one of the most famous in internet history, since it helped locate the missing liner. What a discovery! How many more sunken ships, with treasure galore, are waiting to be revealed?
11. A missing person's missing car
The car you can just about make out in this lake could never be seen from ground level due to the murkiness of the water. It belonged to one David Lee Niles who went missing at the age of 72 in 2006. After prolonged searches, his family held a funeral ceremony in 2011 without knowledge of his whereabouts. Then someone noticed the white shadow in the lake and the mystery was solved. After this, David's remains could finally be interred. May he rest in peace.
