The "Nazca Lines" near Pine Gap, Northern Territory, Australia

reply to post by JustMike

Thanks JustMike, I have not really read your all of your posts but obviously you know the area .
Funny that you mention the stars, It was a beautiful sky filled with the best milky way ever . The old astronomy cafe closed two years ago but there is a tourist like astronomy show just outside Alice now. They seemed to know their stuff pretty well. The astronomy club still exists apparently its just I don't have a contact yet.

Going back to Alice after so many years was such a great experience I wished I could have stayed longer.

reply to post by zorgon


anyone have the google map coordinates for these patterns handy?

reply to post by rajaten


The coordinates are on the images, just scroll the images to the right and you will see them.

1. They don't look like spirals.
2. They look like concentric circles.
3. They look like irrigation circles often seen in the West and other areas of the planet--except, no vegetation and perhaps no water nearby.
4. The placement of a number of the circles appears to also fit the irrigation purpose--i.e. smaller circles nestled into areas between larger circles.

Just speculating.

Might plausibly be some tried and failed scheme at irrigation.

I don't recall ever hearing about those before, I'll have to research them here in the near future.

reply to post by BO XIAN


Better look again.

They are clearly spirals.

Hello... my first post here.
I have lived in Alice Springs since 1988.

I just had to join and enlighten you on the circles. There is no great mystery, ufo landing pads or links to the Incans.

Regarding the circles, there really is no mystery attached to them. Whenever any person flies in or out of Alice Springs, you will see many of them in the vicinity of Alice Springs. They can also be found to the north around the vicinity of the small town of Ti Tree located about 200 kilometres north. East of Alice Springs towards Ross River on a couple of cattle stations you can see many more.

Some are quite old and some more recent.

They are created to restore ground that has been subjected to soil erosion. To plow straight lines and seed it with native vegetation, the result is that either wind or flowing water or both will just erode the soil further. The circles are made as they do not provide an erosional path and subsequently have the capacity to trap wind blown seed and also wind blown soil.
Another method used is to lay out a grid pattern of squares where the exterior of the square is slightly elevated (mounded up levee banks). At the eastern end of the Alice Springs airport, you will see a combination of both circles and squares. The method of squares is to trap and hold water like mini-dams.

What you see at the corner of Hatt Road and Stuart Highway (the road to Pine Gap) is where a road construction camp was located with many heavy vehicles coming and going. (it is one of several along the highway between Alice Springs and the turn-off to Ayers Rock some 200 kilometres south). At those locations, after the road work gangs left, the areas were void of all vegetation and when the winds blew (Predominately from the west), it was common place for sand drifts to reach across the road creating a "speed bump" which subsequently was a traffic hazard.

Other methods used to prevent soil erosion is to spread clumps of spinifex grass around but this is not so effective in high wind as the clumps would blow away.

At some former work camps, no effort was made to restore the damaged land. Around the airport, the need to prevent erosion is more critical because of danger to aircraft. There is a very wide exclusion zone around the airport where no cattle are permitted to be grazed and no earthworks permitted.
In the deserts here in Central Australia, we experience a weather phenomenon called "dust devils" or "willy winds". They are like a mini tornado where they only form a diameter of a few metres at best, but they suck the dust into the air forming a snake like spiraling tower sometimes several hundred metres into the air. Several tonnes of dust can be sucked up in these wind spirals.

www.ziplink.net...
www.youtube.com...
These are hazardous to jet engines.
The corner of Hatt Road and Stuart Highway is the flight path of planes coming and going from Alice Springs.

Sorry to burst your bubble. There is no mystery.

reply to post by NTresident


Thanks for your reply



What was Nasa up to at the airport last year attempting to launch Balloons ?

Nasa and others are frequently launching balloons here in Alice Springs. Also from time to time have been a couple balloon enthusiasts trying to break world records.

Above us here is the "jet stream".
www.bom.gov.au...
www.recreationalflying.net...

This high altitude tunnel of air traveling at speeds of around 800 kilometres per hour allows balloons to travel from one side of the world to the other at great speed and along an identifiable flight path. Ideal conditions for weather research and the occasional balloon enthusiast trying to fly around the world (eg. Sir Richard BRANSON).

reply to post by NTresident



You mention Nasa Launch quite often, exactly how often ?

Hows your internet speed up there NT?

Heres a vacant position in PG..

www.seek.com.au...

Regional Operations Manager - Alice Springs Leighton Contractors I&E Industry Division's strategic vision is to be a national leader in supplying fully integrated EPC solutions in the Mechanical, Electrical, and Controls markets. We strive for only the best and we only want the best people working for us. We are looking to appoint an Regional Manager to continue to develop and oversee our Alice Springs area operations, located within the Pine Gap Joint Defence Facility. The majority of works are in the Mechanical and Electrical areas. With the support of Australia's largest construction company behind you, you will utilise your general management, and strategic experience to maximise the full potential of the dedicated project team. You will have full P&L accountability and utilise your previous experience within the resources or infrastructure sector to make this role a success. You will be a self-starter who can build upon your established networks to win and deliver high quality outcomes.

reply to post by zorgon


This is hard to tell who made them or why, most people say that sights like this are often on high energy areas

Originally posted by Somamech
reply to post by NTresident

 

You mention Nasa Launch quite often, exactly how often ?

weather balloons are launched maybe 2 or 3 times a year on average. There is currently a hold on them because last one launched went astray, crashed and caused a lot of damage and put lives at risk. There was a recent inquest into that crash and a whole array of safety procedures have been recommended with possible legislation to be introduced.

Originally posted by Somamech
Hows your internet speed up there NT?

excellent

Originally posted by NTresident
Hello... my first post here.
I have lived in Alice Springs since 1988.

I just had to join and enlighten you on the circles. There is no great mystery, ufo landing pads or links to the Incans.

Regarding the circles, there really is no mystery attached to them. Whenever any person flies in or out of Alice Springs, you will see many of them in the vicinity of Alice Springs. They can also be found to the north around the vicinity of the small town of Ti Tree located about 200 kilometres north. East of Alice Springs towards Ross River on a couple of cattle stations you can see many more.

Some are quite old and some more recent.

They are created to restore ground that has been subjected to soil erosion. To plow straight lines and seed it with native vegetation, the result is that either wind or flowing water or both will just erode the soil further. The circles are made as they do not provide an erosional path and subsequently have the capacity to trap wind blown seed and also wind blown soil.
Another method used is to lay out a grid pattern of squares where the exterior of the square is slightly elevated (mounded up levee banks). At the eastern end of the Alice Springs airport, you will see a combination of both circles and squares. The method of squares is to trap and hold water like mini-dams.

What you see at the corner of Hatt Road and Stuart Highway (the road to Pine Gap) is where a road construction camp was located with many heavy vehicles coming and going. (it is one of several along the highway between Alice Springs and the turn-off to Ayers Rock some 200 kilometres south). At those locations, after the road work gangs left, the areas were void of all vegetation and when the winds blew (Predominately from the west), it was common place for sand drifts to reach across the road creating a "speed bump" which subsequently was a traffic hazard.

Other methods used to prevent soil erosion is to spread clumps of spinifex grass around but this is not so effective in high wind as the clumps would blow away.

At some former work camps, no effort was made to restore the damaged land. Around the airport, the need to prevent erosion is more critical because of danger to aircraft. There is a very wide exclusion zone around the airport where no cattle are permitted to be grazed and no earthworks permitted.
In the deserts here in Central Australia, we experience a weather phenomenon called "dust devils" or "willy winds". They are like a mini tornado where they only form a diameter of a few metres at best, but they suck the dust into the air forming a snake like spiraling tower sometimes several hundred metres into the air. Several tonnes of dust can be sucked up in these wind spirals.

www.ziplink.net...
www.youtube.com...
These are hazardous to jet engines.
The corner of Hatt Road and Stuart Highway is the flight path of planes coming and going from Alice Springs.

Sorry to burst your bubble. There is no mystery.

edit on 28-1-2011 by NTresident because: correcting spelling and typo errors

That's one hell of a first post. Here, let's try mine.
This is *my* first post.

I couldn't find a single one of the spirals that you mentioned, could you offer some coordinates? Also, your "mystery solved" first post, is hardly so. You say that these things are commonly known as anti-erosion steps, yet, I can find nothing on google, any wiki, anywhere, that described this "common" form of erosion barrier. Is there a company that makes these? Can we see one in the process of being made? Could you help with a link or two? Also, many of these spirals are out in the middle of nowhere, do you have any idea why somebody would care about a little erosion in the middle of a flood plain, or where there is no civilization whatsoever? Finally, many of these spirals clearly predate the roads and buildings that have been built over them, the anti-erosion-measure theory doesn't appear to pan out.

I think it's a bit early to say "mystery solved".

Respectfully yours.

Hi !

I noticed the image you posted of the circles and have to admit that they look a lot like some traditional aboriginal art I have seen from the west and north. As you can imagine there are many different types and styles of traditional artwork known to the aboriginal people and where I live it looks totally different to other parts of the country.

Pine Gap in short is Australia's Area 51 and I can assure you it is very secret and not one Australian I know (including me) wants it hear and none of us really know what it is all about.

I have just begun researching ancient structures and symbols in Australia (of the unofficial type) and if I come across anything that will help you I will let you know :-)

Shane

Interesting old thread. But it should be clarified that the Nazca Lines are the hundreds (or thousands) or wide, straight, geometric, and incredibly long LINES, some of which lopped off multiple mountain peaks.

The stuff in this discussion are instead geoglyphs.