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General Discussion & Feedback => Just Chat! => Topic started by: LeeE on 20/01/2010 20:57:26

Title: Does anyone know what this is or what's going on here?
Post by: LeeE on 20/01/2010 20:57:26
The Google Maps link below points to an area near Xtobob, to the West of Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico, but I can't find any references to what's going on there.  Interestingly, if you zoom out a couple of times it disappears and there just seems to be trees there, indicating that it's relatively new.

http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&ll=20.965126,-89.788942&spn=0.074298,0.075445&t=h&z=14 (http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&ll=20.965126,-89.788942&spn=0.074298,0.075445&t=h&z=14)
Title: Does anyone know what this is or what's going on here?
Post by: RD on 20/01/2010 23:02:37
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Looks like dirt roads to allow access for logging.

Zoom in a few months from now to see if there are any trees left. 
Title: Does anyone know what this is or what's going on here?
Post by: Geezer on 21/01/2010 02:18:56
Are you sure it's not a gigantic VHF TV aerial so they can receive Eastenders?
Title: Does anyone know what this is or what's going on here?
Post by: LeeE on 22/01/2010 00:29:55
I don't think it's logging (although at this point it's as good an explanation as any); if you zoom in on the third 'crossing' from the east you can see that there appears to be a road or track, either side of the main NE-SW diagonal, which diverts out and  around the crossing on the north side.  On the south side the road or track appears to join the southern crossing extension.  However, the clear implication of the roads or tracks either side of the main diagonal feature is that the main feature isn't a road or track itself.  If you also zoom in on the first and second 'crossings' from the east you can see that the crossing arms appear to stop short of the main diagonal feature.

The main NE-SW diagonal feature appears to be defined by two parallel darkened lines, but just between these two darkened lines there seems to be a perpendicular tiling or panelling effect, rather like railway sleepers, except that the two darkened lines are too far apart to be rails and the 'sleepers' are too irregular.

There is a new perimeter track around the entire 'facility' but the old track that zig-zagged across the area in the older zoomed out images is not now visible.  The new perimeter track links up with the old track though, at both the northern and southern extents.

Some tree clearance has occurred, most notably around the southern end of the third crossing arm, but there's also a small clearing just over half way up the northern arm of the third crossing track.  The trees at the northern end of the second crossing have also been cleared back to the perimeter track.

There appears to be similar building structures at the end of each crossing 'arm' and at intermediate points along the longer crossing arms, but no indication of heavy construction (or logging) machinery around them.

Just to the south-east is a small town (unnamed in Google maps), to which all the tracks from the facility lead.  In addition to the residential buildings there, you can also make out some ornamental gardens and a baseball pitch.

My first impression was that they're building a new radio telescope array facility, but to be honest, and by today's standards, it seems a bit too small.

Interestingly, I noticed this on GoogleEarth purely because this region had clearly been re-photographed when the surrounding area had not, and with hindsight, most probably because of this 'feature', so hopefully, more new photographs will turn up at some point.
Title: Does anyone know what this is or what's going on here?
Post by: LeeE on 22/01/2010 17:33:26
Well spotted DiscoverDave.  They do both look very similar.  The one to the south of Mérida seems to be linked (by two different tracks) to a facility of some sort too: at first I thought it might be a power station as the two large circular structures looked a bit like cooling towers, but the shadows are wrong and seem to actually be produced by moderately high circular walls.  A little to the NNE of this is a slightly bizarre looking 'arrow' too, and immediately to the NE of this 'arrow' are the faint outlines of a similar 'arrow', suggesting that it went out of use or was relocated.

In fact there are lots of these types of tracks all over the place, once you start looking around.  In some ways they look like zoning delimiters, but while in some places they look like agriculture, in others they look alternately commercial, educational or residential.

I'm sure there's some prosaic reason for these markings, but atm they're just puzzling.

That pier is impressive.