Google Maps show new ‘underwater’ structure in Arabian Sea near Kerala’s Kochi, experts to probe formation | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
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Google Maps show new ‘underwater’ structure in Arabian Sea near Kerala’s Kochi, experts to probe formation

By, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
Jun 17, 2021 06:35 PM IST

Officials from the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) are planning to investigate the matter after an organisation, Chellanam Karshika Tourism Development Society, wrote a letter to authorities.

A new bean-shaped ‘island’-like structure could be seen off the coast of Kerala’s Kochi in the Arabian Sea in satellite imagery from Google Maps. It has sparked the interest of many, including experts, who consider it to be an underwater structure as nothing similar to it has been observed in the sea, according to a report by The News Minute.

Image from Google Maps showing the likely underwater structure near the coast of Kochi in Kerala.(Screenshot from Google Maps)
Image from Google Maps showing the likely underwater structure near the coast of Kochi in Kerala.(Screenshot from Google Maps)

Officials from the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) are planning to investigate the matter after an organisation, Chellanam Karshika Tourism Development Society, wrote a letter to authorities, the report said. The representative from the organisation said that they observed the formation for the past four years and had not seen it expanding in size, the report also showed.

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KX Julappan, president of the organisation, in a Facebook post earlier on June 5, 2021, shared a screenshot of the Google Map imagery and highlighted that the structure is located at 7km west of the port gate and also further claimed that it could be about 8km in length and 3.5km in width, based on the image from Google Maps.

“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. The KUFOS technical committee which is working on finding a solution to the coastal erosion of Chellanam should study about this,” The News Minute cited a part of the letter which the organisation wrote to KUFOS officials.

Meanwhile, vice chancellor of KUFOS K Riji John, while speaking to The News Minute, said that more could be learned about the formation only after an investigation. “Looking at Google Maps, this looks like any other underwater island that we see across the globe. There have been similar observations, and there is a specific shape also for this. But we don’t know what it is made of — whether it is sand or clay and whether it's distributed regularly. We can only find that out through an investigation. Only after that, we can say anything concrete about this,” News Minute quoted K Riji John as saying. He also said that KUFOS will consult with experts regarding the possibilities of conducting a study.

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