El Ojo Explained

Location:Paraná Delta
Pushpin Map:Argentina Buenos Aires Province
Pushpin Map Width:220
Pushpin Label Position:left
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Buenos Aires Province
Area M2:13924

El Ojo is an uninhabited circular rotating floating island located within a slightly larger circular lake in the Paraná Delta in the Buenos Aires Province, Argentina.[1]

Description

The island is unique among its floating counterparts as its shape is almost perfectly circular.[2] [3] As the island is constantly rotating on its own axis due to the flow of the river beneath it, shearing occurs around its outer edge, eroding the island into its circular shape, similar to ice disks.[4] [5] The island is approximately in diameter, though will get smaller over time as the erosion occurs. It is not yet known how or when the island was formed, with the first known Google Earth imagery being dated 2003.[6] [7] The island was named because of its resemblance to an eye when viewed from above: as the island rotates within its surrounding circular lake, the eye appears to move.[8] [9] The island has been compared to a similarly shaped and rotating floating ice disk phenomenon observed in the Presumpscot River near Westbrook, Maine.[10] [11]

El Ojo was discovered by Argentinian filmmaker Sergio Neuspiller and research has shown that the island has existed at least since 2003. In 2016, Neuspiller and hydraulic engineer Ricardo Petroni started crowdfunding an expedition to the island hoping to perform scuba diving, drone data collection, and soil and plant analysis; however, their fundraising attempts failed, reaching only of their goal. On 10 October 2016, Kickstarter eventually declared the fundraising campaign unsuccessful.[12]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2016-09-18 . El misterio de la isla argentina 'que se mueve' . The mystery of the Argentinian island 'that moves' . 2023-09-10 . . es . 2023-09-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230926184332/https://www.elobservador.com.uy/nota/el-misterio-de-la-isla-argentina-que-se-mueve--201691815300 . live .
  2. Web site: Fernández . Maximiliano . El Ojo: la isla circular que se mueve sola en el Delta del Paraná . El Ojo: the circular island that moves on its own in the Paraná Delta . 2023-09-07 . . es . 2019-01-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190130023546/https://www.infobae.com/tendencias/2016/09/05/el-ojo-la-isla-circular-que-se-mueve-sola-en-el-delta-del-parana/ . live .
  3. Web site: Vizzi . Florencia . "El ojo", la misteriosa isla del Delta que esconde extraños enigmas . "The eye", the mysterious island of the Delta that hides strange enigmas . 2023-09-08 . Diario Digital Conclusión . es . 2023-09-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230908082458/https://www.conclusion.com.ar/sin-categoria/el-ojo-la-misteriosa-isla-del-delta-que-esconde-los-mas-extranos-enigmas/09/2016/ . live .
  4. Web site: 2022-03-21 . La isla del delta que no deber a existir: se llama "El Ojo" y tiene una historia misteriosa . The island of the Delta that should not exist: named 'El Ojo' and has a mysterious history . 2023-09-08 . . es . 2023-09-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230908082458/https://www.cronista.com/informacion-gral/la-isla-del-delta-que-no-deberia-existir-se-llama-el-ojo-y-tiene-una-historia-misteriosa/ . live .
  5. Web site: Baños Pozzati . Malena . 2016-09-08 . A ilha que se move sozinha na Argentina . The island that moves by itself in Argentina . 2023-09-08 . . Portuguese . 2023-09-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230908082459/https://www.clarin.com/br/revista/ilha-move-sozinha-na-Argentina_0_SJELI-yh.html . live .
  6. Web site: Porjolovski . Alejo . December 2016 . ¿Fin del misterio? . End of the mystery? . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20230328202349/https://www.dia32.com.ar/fin-del-misterio/ . March 28, 2023 . 2023-09-08 . DIA 32 . es.
  7. Web site: Wiemeyer . Federico . 2020-01-08 . El ojo misterioso: una isla en el Delta donde suceden cosas extrañas . The mysterious eye: an island in the Delta where strange things happen . 2023-09-07 . . es . 2023-09-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230907165819/https://tn.com.ar/sociedad/el-ojo-misterioso-una-isla-en-el-delta-donde-suceden-cosas-extranas_1024307/ . live .
  8. Web site: Una isla circular que rota sobre sí misma conmueve a la comunidad científica . A circular island that rotates on itself moves the scientific community . 2023-09-10 . www.infofueguina.com . es . 2023-09-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230926184328/https://www.infofueguina.com/el-pais/2016/9/6/isla-circular-rota-sobre-misma-conmueve-comunidad-cientfica-17328.html . live .
  9. Web site: Márquez . Enrique . September 15, 2016 . El secreto del misterioso círculo del Delta al descubierto . The secret of the mysterious Delta circle revealed . 2023-09-11 . InfoVeloz.com . es . 2023-09-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230926184323/https://www.infoveloz.com/post/el-secreto-del-misterioso-circulo-del-delta-al-descubierto_163074 . live .
  10. Web site: 2021-04-30 . El Ojo . 2023-09-26 . ETA BETA Magazine . it-IT . 2023-09-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230926190623/https://magazine.etabeta.it/el-ojo/ . live .
  11. News: Danielle . Monica . January 17, 2022 . Incredibly cool, spinning ice disc is back and drawing onlookers again . AccuWeather . September 6, 2023 . September 6, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230906115753/https://www.accuweather.com/en/winter-weather/rotating-ice-disk-appears-in-presumpscot-river-in-maine/1127020#:~:text=The%20disk%20in%20Westbrook%2C%20a,Horvat%20explained%20to%20Brown%20University. . live .
  12. News: Guillen . Marina . September 18, 2016 . El misterio de la isla argentina 'que se mueve', objeto de una investigación . es . The mystery of the Argentine island 'that moves', object of investigation . . September 7, 2023 . October 3, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231003020139/https://www.elnuevoherald.com/noticias/america-latina/article102590037.html . live .