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Hundreds
of Geoglifos Discovered in the Amazon
2010.01.20 - Geoglifos is
the term applied in Brazil to geometric earthworks discovered after
recent deforestation.  Geoglyphs
are not new in South American archaeology, but these are different—massive
earthworks of tropical forest soil rather than desert surface alterations.
The Amazon Geoglifos present geometric forms; circles, squares, ellipses,
octagons, and more, with individual forms up to several hundred meters
across. Some are connected by parallel walls. Their distribution spans
hundreds of kilometers, and much of the area remains forested jungle.
Geoglifos have been discovered in Google Earth exploring
areas with recent high-resolution imagery updates. (Click thumbnail
images herein to view larger image files in a new window.) Recent Brazilian
news videos (five reports embedded below) on the ground and from small
planes clearly illustrates the impressive scale, the massiveness of
the amount of earth moved, and the unique monumental quality of this
ancient cultural expression.
Earthworks preservationists, researchers, and recent archaeology
news feeds called my attention to these constructs enough times
to finally prompt online research. I was surprised by their numbers
and scale. I quickly noticed many newly-discovered earthworks are
already damaged by modern roads. No wonder conservationists are raising
alarms. There seems to be no respect or recognition of the unique
archaeological remains. Have efforts been made to protect them? Do
the forms go unnoticed on the ground in the jungle because of their
large scale?
... more at permalink ...
VIDEOS
and more: Hundreds
of "Geoglifos" Discovered in the Amazon
 Download
Google Earth Placemarks: amazon_geoglifos.kmz
I posted a placemark
file of the geoglyphs I found. Recently local archaeologists
thought, given the known distribution and the amount of the
area deforested so far, only ten percent of the geoglifos
were known. Some are visible in YouTube videos that are not
yet seen on Google Earth. Hundreds exist and more will be
visible and discoverd as new areas of Google Earth update
with hi-res images. I seek additional placemarks and data
files. Please GPS monuments you visit.
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