Ae ial
view
of
El
Ojo
isla d.
Image
C edit:
A ge ti a
Gove me t
El
Ojo,
a
ema kably
ci cula
floati g
isla d
i
A ge ti a’s
Pa a á
Delta,
has
become
o e
of
the
egio ’s
st a gest
atu al
sights.
Measu i g
about
120
met es
ac oss,
the
isla d
sits
i side
a
almost
pe fectly
ci cula
body
of
wate
a d
appea s
to
move
i depe de tly
of
the
su ou di g
wetla ds.
F om
above,
the
fo matio
esembles
a
gia t
eye,
which
explai s
the
ame
‘El
Ojo,’
mea i g
‘The
Eye’
i
Spa ish.
Its
u usual
appea a ce
has
att acted
scie tists,
filmmake s
a d
ple ty
of
speculatio
about
what
could
be
happe i g
be eath
the
wate .
Resea che s
have
suggested
that
a
ci cula
wate
cu e t
may
be
espo sible
fo
pushi g
the
floati g
isla d
a ou d
its
lake.
Yet
impo ta t
questio s
about
its
fo matio ,
moveme t
a d
st uctu e
emai ,
maki g
El
Ojo
a
i t igui g
example
of
how
u usual
atu al
p ocesses
ca
c eate
la dscapes
that
look
almost
too
pe fect
to
be
eal.
Locatio
of
A ge ti a’s
myste ious
El
Ojo
isla d
El
Ojo
lies
i
the
Pa a á
Delta,
o th
of
Bue os
Ai es,
i
A ge ti a’s
Bue os
Ai es
p ovi ce.
Acco di g
to
BBC
Wildlife,
the
floati g
fo matio
is
app oximately
120
met es
wide
a d
sits
withi
a
ci cula
lake
su ou ded
by
wetla ds.
Its
locatio
is
emote,
a d
eachi g
it
has
ot
bee
easy.
‘El
Obse vado ’
epo ted
i
2016
that
filmmake
Se gio
Neuspille
a d
his
team
fi st
oticed
the
u usual
fo matio
while
usi g
Google
Ea th
to
co ect
seve al
myste ious
locatio s
i
the
Pa a á
Delta
as
pa t
of
esea ch
fo
a
film
p oject.
Satellite
image y
evealed
a
almost
pe fect
ci cula
isla d
su ou ded
by
a
equally
u usual
ci cula
st etch
of
wate .
The
team
late
t avelled
to
the
a ea,
fi st
flyi g
ove
El
Ojo
a d
the
maki g
thei
way
towa ds
it
o
foot.
Neuspille
desc ibed
the
jou ey
as
difficult,
with
the
team
walki g
fo
a ou d
fou
hou s
u de
st o g
su light
befo e
eachi g
the
site.
Why
does
the
isla d
look
so
pe fectly
ci cula
The
isla d
itself
fo ms
a
ea -pe fect
ci cle,
while
the
wate
a ou d
it
c eates
a othe
ci cula
outli e.
Acco di g
to
BBC
Wildlife,
the
isla d
is
la gely
made
up
of
matted
g ass,
ushes
a d
decomposed
pla t
mate ial.
These
laye s
of
o ga ic
mate ial
a e
buoya t,
allowi g
the
isla d
to
float
o
the
wate
athe
tha
emai i g
fixed
to
the
bottom.
The
expla atio
fo
its
shape
may
be
li ked
to
its
moveme t.
Scie tists
believe
that
a
cu e t
ci culates
a ou d
the
lake.
This
cu e t
is
thought
to
push
El
Ojo
i
a
clockwise
di ectio .
As
the
floati g
isla d
moves,
it
g adually
e odes
the
vegetated
edges
a ou d
the
lake.
Ove
time,
that
epeated
moveme t
could
help
mai tai
the
ema kably
ci cula
shape
of
both
the
isla d
a d
the
wate
su ou di g
it.
This
p ovides
a
atu al
expla atio
fo
somethi g
that
i itially
looks
almost
a tificial.
I stead
of
equi i g
a
ext ao di a y
fo ce,
the
shape
may
be
the
esult
of
wate
moveme t
acti g
o
floati g
vegetatio
ove
a
lo g
pe iod.
Ae ial
view
of
El
Ojo
floati g
otati g
isla d
i
Bue os
Ai es
P ovi ce,
A ge ti a.
Image
C edit:
A ge ti a
Gove me t
Does
El
Ojo
eally
move
a d
otate
Evide ce
that
the
isla d
moves
i depe de tly
has
bee
o e
of
the
mai
easo s
fo
its
eputatio
as
a
myste y.
El
Obse vado
epo ted
that
Gustavo
Sz aide ,
a
ag icultu al
e gi ee
i volved
i
the
i vestigatio ,
exami ed
satellite
image y
a d
fou d
that
the
isla d
had
cha ged
positio
i depe de tly
withi
the
ci cula
a ea
ove
oughly
30
yea s.
That
moveme t
is
pa ticula ly
u usual
because
El
Ojo
is
ot
simply
a
fixed
piece
of
la d
su ou ded
by
wate .
Its
floati g
st uctu e
allows
it
to
espo d
to
the
moveme t
of
the
wate
be eath
a d
a ou d
it.
BBC
Wildlife
explai s
that
the
cu e t
i
the
lake
is
believed
to
cause
the
isla d
to
otate
clockwise.
So,
although
the
isla d’s
behaviou
may
look
myste ious
f om
above,
the e
is
a
plausible
atu al
mecha ism
behi d
it.
What
did
esea che s
fi d
whe
they
eached
the
isla d
The
team’s
visit
p oduced
obse vatio s
that
added
fu the
i t igue
to
El
Ojo.
Acco di g
to
El
Obse vado ,
the
wate
su ou di g
the
isla d
appea ed
black
f om
above,
but
the
explo e s
fou d
that
it
was
actually
clea ,
with
a
da k
soil
bottom.
This
was
st iki g
because
the
wate ways
of
the
Pa a á
Delta
a e
ge e ally
b ow
because
of
thei
clay- ich
bottoms.
The
explo e s
also
oted
the
difficulty
of
i vestigati g
the
a ea.
The
locatio
was
desc ibed
as
la gely
u explo ed,
a d
eachi g
the
isla d
equi ed
a
dema di g
jou ey
th ough
the
wetla ds.
At
the
time,
the
team
wa ted
to
i vestigate
the
isla d
much
mo e
tho oughly.
El
Obse vado
epo ted
pla s
i volvi g
specialists
i cludi g
a
hyd aulic
e gi ee ,
ag o omist,
geologist
a d
scie tific
esea che .
O e
p oposed
i vestigatio
i volved
measu i g
how
f eque tly
the
isla d
moved
a d
divi g
be eath
it
to
exami e
how
its
compositio
cha ged
ve tically.
Could
El
Ojo
still
have
sec ets
El
Obse vado
epo ted
that
El
Ojo
became
associated
o li e
with
sto ies
about
UFOs
a d
pa a o mal
activity.
The
wide
Pa a á
Delta
al eady
had
a
collectio
of
st a ge
local
sto ies,
i cludi g
supposed
UFO
sighti gs,
aba do ed
boats,
a d
claims
i volvi g
the
emai s
of
a
a cie t
cemete y.
Despite
the
p oposed
expla atio
fo
its
moveme t,
El
Ojo
has
ot
bee
studied
exte sively.
BBC
Wildlife
otes
that
limited
esea ch
makes
it
difficult
to
dete mi e
exactly
what
wildlife
lives
o
the
isla d.
The
su ou di g
Pa a á
Delta
p ovides
habitat
fo
a imals
i cludi g
ive
otte s,
b oad-s outed
caima s,
capyba as
a d
ma sh
dee .
The
wate s
also
co tai
fish
a d
amphibia s,
while
i sects
such
as
d ago flies
a d
damselflies
i habit
the
ma sh
vegetatio .
I
the
middle
of
A ge ti a’s
vast
wetla ds,
a
floati g
ci cle
co ti ues
to
move
ac oss
its
ow
lake,
c eati g
a
la dscape
that
looks
almost
delibe ately
desig ed.