In a bizarre incident, a small island off the coast of Kerala has mysteriously shown up on Google Maps, despite having never been seen by anyone at sea. The ‘island’, shaped like a kidney bean, was picked up by the Google Maps satellite imagery and is half the size of Western Kochi, The News Minute reported. However, no such structure that might resemble an island has been seen at sea in the location being captured by the Maps.
The incident has left many, including experts baffled with some speculating the structure was perhaps submerged underwater. The matter was first raised by Chellanam Karshika Tourism Development Society who wrote about it in a letter to the officials of the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies. The matter is currently under investigation by KUFOS, who have already been working on issues of coastal erosion in the region.
In a Facebook post by Chellanam Kasrshika President Xavier Julappan stated, “The reasons for the formation of this ‘thitta’, the role it plays in sea flow and sea attacks, the possibility of artificial coastal nourishment in Chellanam panchayat using this sand collection, etc. many questions need to be studied".
“There should be studies to find the reasons for this formation, what role this has to play in water currents and coastal erosion and whether this sand dune can be used for artificial shore conservation in Chellanam," Chellanam Karshika Tourism Development Society wrote in its letter to KUFOS.
According to the TNM report, nothing is known about the underwater island so far apart from its shape which was captured by the Goolge Maps satellite. The composition of the ‘island’ and the factors that caused it are yet to be studied once the island is physically found.
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