

Sandy Island: The Phantom Island That Fooled Maps and Google Earth for Centuries
For more than a century, Sandy Island was a mysterious fixture on maps, atlases, and even Google Earth. Charted as early as 1774 and reported by whalers and explorers throughout the 19th century, this supposed island in the Coral Sea, northwest of New Caledonia, was believed to be as large as Manhattan. Yet, in 2012, a team of scientists sailed to its coordinates and found nothing but deep blue ocean—a revelation that officially “undiscovered” one of the world’s most persistent cartographic myths.
A Cartographic Mystery Spanning Centuries
Sandy Island’s story began with early explorers and whalers, such as the crew of the ship Velocity, who reported its existence in the late 1800s. It was subsequently included in British Admiralty charts and major atlases, with some sources describing it as 15 miles long and 3 miles wide. The island’s presence persisted through the transition from paper maps to digital databases, even appearing as a black polygon on Google Earth well into the 21st century.
The 2012 “Undiscovery” Expedition
The legend of Sandy Island unraveled in November 2012, when a team of Australian geologists from the University of Sydney set sail aboard the research vessel Southern Surveyor. Their mission: to study plate tectonics, but curiosity led them to the coordinates of the infamous island. As they approached, the team expected to see land on the horizon. Instead, they found only open water. Depth-sounding equipment confirmed the ocean floor was over 4,600 feet (1,400 meters) deep—far too deep for any island to exist.
The scientists double-checked satellite images, GPS data, and historical records. Everything matched—except for the missing island. The team’s findings were quickly reported, and Sandy Island was removed from Google Maps and other databases within days.
How Did Sandy Island End Up on Maps?
The persistence of Sandy Island was likely due to a combination of human error and natural phenomena. In the 19th century, cartographers often relied on secondhand reports from sailors and explorers, making mistakes inevitable4. One leading theory suggests that the original sightings may have been of a massive pumice raft—a floating mass of volcanic rock that can stretch for miles and appear island-like from a distance. The Coral Sea sits along a “pumice raft superhighway,” making such a misidentification plausible.
As maps were digitized, the error became entrenched in widely used databases, including those maintained by the U.S. military and referenced by Google Earth. This digital propagation ensured Sandy Island’s phantom status persisted into the modern era.
Fun Facts and Trivia
- Sandy Island appeared on maps for over 200 years, despite never existing as land.
- It was believed to be larger than Manhattan, measuring up to 15 miles long.
- The island was officially “undiscovered” in 2012, when scientists found only deep ocean at its coordinates.
- A likely explanation for the original sightings is a giant pumice raft, not actual land.
- After its debunking, Sandy Island was swiftly removed from digital maps, but traces of its outline lingered in some satellite views.
- The story has inspired comparisons to TV mysteries like “Lost” and fueled conspiracy theories about mapmaking and secret islands.
Conclusion
Sandy Island’s tale is a fascinating reminder of how myths and mistakes can persist in our collective knowledge, even in the age of satellites and digital cartography. Its “undiscovery” is a testament to the importance of scientific verification and the enduring allure of the unknown. Today, Sandy Island stands as one of history’s most famous phantom islands—a cartographic ghost that fooled the world for centuries.

Recipient of suicide victim's heart kills himself 12 years later
In 1995, Sonny Graham received a transplanted heart from a suicide victim. He then committed suicide in the very same manner as the donor.

The mystery of India's 'lake of skeletons'
In 1942, a British forest guard in India made an alarming discovery. Some 16,000 feet above sea level, at the bottom of a small valley, was a frozen lake absolutely full of skeletons.

The Remarkable story of jazz bassists Henry Grimes, lost but found as janitor and reclaimed the spotlight
Henry Grimes, one of the most versatile jazz bassists, disappeared in the 1960s and was later presumed dead. However, a jazz-loving social worker found him in 2002 working as a janitor in a hotel. Grimes found his way back into the limelight when a fellow musician sent him a bass as a gift. In 2016, he received a lifetime achievement award.

El Ojo, The Mysterious Rotating Island
In the middle of South America, a strange and nearly perfectly circle island moves on its own. The central landmass, known as 'El Ojo' or 'The Eye,' floats on a pond of clear and chilly water, looking strange and out of place in comparing to its surroundings. The bottom appears to be solid in compared to the marsh around it.

The Mystery of the Dancing Forest: Reasons behind the unusual wonders of forest
The Dancing Forest in Russia is noted for its unusually twisted pine trees. The trunks of these trees are contorted into spirals, rings, and other squiggly loops, but the reason for this malformation is still a mystery.

Lucy and Maria The Biracial Twin Sisters with Rare Black and White Skin Colours
Lucy and Maria Aylmer are twins, but they have a hard time to convincing people. Even though they have mixed-raced parents, their mom was still shocked when the midwife handed her babies she’d expected to look alike, but were complete opposite.

The Mystical Money Tree of the Scottish Highlands: A 1,700-Year-Old Tradition
In the Peak District Forest of the Scottish Highlands in the UK, there is a unique tree which is laden with only money. This tree laden with money has been studded with British coins for 1700 years, there is no corner of its trunk where a British coin is not stuck.

What Caused The Mysterious Patomskiy Crater in Siberia?
Discovered in 1949, the Patomskiy Crater resembles a huge convex cone with a funnel-shaped recess and a rounded hill in the middle, which looks like an eagle’s nest with an egg nestled inside it. The crater’s origin is a mystery that has baffled scientists for decades.

Chocolate Rain in Switzerland: How a Factory Malfunction Turned Olten Into a Sweet Spectacle
In 2020, chocolate 'rained' from the sky in a town in Switzerland. This incident was caused by a ventilation system malfunction at a chocolate factory in Olten. Strong winds then carried the snow-like cocoa powder and spread it around in the immediate vicinity of the factory, covering cars and other things in chocolate.

Death Valley’s sailing stones mystery SOLVED
The mysterious "sailing stones" of Death Valley have confused experts for years. The massive stones appear to travel over the dried lake bed known as Racetrack Playa in California's Death Valley National Park, leaving a path in the cracked mud behind them.

The 1978 Lufthansa Heist: Unraveling the Mystery of America's Most Infamous Airport Robbery
During the 1978 Lufthansa heist, robbers infiltrated JFK Airport, restraining employees and holding a night guard hostage. They escaped with $5.9 million—worth over $27 million today. The crime, linked to the Lucchese crime family, remained unsolved for decades, with most suspects vanishing

The story of a boy who claims to be on Mars: Boriska Kipriyanovich
Boriska Kipriyanovich, who lives in Volgograd, Russia, claims he lived on Mars before being resurrected on Earth on a mission to redeem humanity. What we know about him is as follows:

What Is the Taos Hum? The Strange Low-Frequency Noise Heard in New Mexico
Since the early 1990s, residents of Taos, New Mexico, have reported hearing a mysterious low-frequency noise called the "Taos Hum." This strange, persistent buzzing or droning sound is only audible to a small fraction of the population and has baffled scientists and locals alike. Despite extensive investigations, the source of the Taos Hum remains unresolved, making it one of the most intriguing acoustic mysteries in the modern world.

Jimmy Carter Once Promised to Release UFO Files—Here’s Why He Didn’t
During his 1976 presidential campaign, Jimmy Carter declared a bold intention: if elected, he would make all government UFO information available to the public. A man who openly admitted to having seen a UFO himself, Carter embodied a promise of transparency on one of the most controversial subjects of the Cold War era. However, once in office, Carter found powerful obstacles and, citing "national security concerns," chose not to release the files. This article unpacks Carter’s famous guarantee, the political realities he faced, and the enduring mystery surrounding government UFO secrecy.

The mystery of the Sri Lankan national handball team's disappearance
In 2004, the whole Sri Lankan national handball team disappeared. Later, the Sri Lankan government denied the existence of such a team. The location of the team is still unknown.

What is secret behind the Australia’s mysterious pink lake?
Lake Hillier in Australia maintains a bright pink hue all year round. Although no one knows for sure what causes the unique coloring, experts speculate that it might be the result of high salinity, a pink bacteria called “halobacteria,” and a salt-loving algae species called Dunaliella salina.

The Unsolved mystery of Bobby Dunbar's Disappearance
In 1912, a four-year-old boy named Bobby Dunbar went missing on a family trip, 8 months later he was found and reunited with his family. Nearly a century later, DNA testing of his descendants revealed that the child reunited with the Dunbar family was not Bobby, but rather a boy named Charles (Bruce) Anderson who resembled Bobby.

The Mysterious Disappearance of Frederick Valentich: Australia’s Most Baffling Aviation Enigma
In 1978, Pilot Frederick Valentich and his plane disappeared in Australia. His last communication was “Melbourne that strange aircraft is hovering on top of me again… (two seconds open microphone)… it is hovering and it’s not an aircraft…”

The mysterious Pumpkin impaled on the top of Tower
Twenty Three years ago, somebody impaled a 60-pound pumpkin 170 off the ground on this spire at Cornell University. Nobody knows who did this or how they did it.

The Mystery of Canada's Magical Spotted Lake
Lake Khiluk, the world's most mineralized lake, and one of the most mysterious places on Earth. Each of these spots has a distinct chemical content and is said to cure various diseases.

When the Sky Rained Fish: An Unbelievable Encounter Above Alaska
A small Alaskan plane was hit by a fish falling from the sky. It had been dropped by an eagle that misjudged its grip. The plane was unharmed, but it made the news as possibly the weirdest bird strike ever.

Mysterious ghost ship found with mummified captain inside [SOLVED]
German captain had been sailing the world for 20 years. It was unknown when or how he died or how long the ghost ship had been adrift

The birth or sign language in Nicaragua
When 50 deaf Nicaraguan children who did not know sign language were placed in the same classroom, they created their own sign language. Scientists are still researching the unique spontaneous appearance of language, as well as its own evolution and training of grammar.

How Were the Two Parts of the Al Naslaa Rock Formation Created?
Scientists have been puzzled by the Al Naslaa rock formation in Saudi Arabia for a long time, and there is still no explanation for why this boulder appears to have a precise incision across the middle of it.

Mystery of 300-year-old mummified mermaid is being probed
There is a 300-year-old mummified mermaid with 30 centimetres tall and features a human-like head, two hands with what appear to be fingernails, and its lower body that look like a fish tail. The “mermaid mummy” is being probed by Japanese scientists in an attempt to unravel the mystery of its existence.