- [Narrator] Located
northwest of Buenos Aires, in Argentina, lies this
strange circular island which appears to be almost in a perfectly round body of water. What's particularly
mysterious about this island is that it lies directly in
the center of a mysterious lake that has been the location of numerous unrelated UFO sightings
and paranormal stories. Understandably, this has led to it being the subject of
numerous conspiracy theories. So, what is it, how did it
get there, and who made it? All of these questions and more have been asked for the
last couple of years since the island's notoriety took hold, and finally, I'm going
to reveal some answers. - Amazing! - [Narrator] The name of this place seems to project mysteriousness before you lay your eyes on it. El Ojo, which translated
from Spanish means The Eye, is an island that gets its name from the circular shape of the land that rotates around an axis in an equally circular pool of water. Located in the Parana Delta
marshes of Northeast Argentina, southeast of the cities
of Campana and Zarate, just outside of Buenos Aires, The Eye is an island approximately
118 meters in diameter that floats around on a
thin channel of water, not like one of those
regular, everyday islands that are attached to the
floor beneath a body of water. This one seems to be different. While it has been visible on Google Maps at these coordinates since at least 2003, The Eye existed as a
remote and unnoticed area until the winter of 2016. At that time, Argentinian
filmmaker Sergio Neuspiller stumbled across The Eye while searching for a location
to shoot a horror film about extra-terrestrials,
supernatural beings, and other local legends. Given the almost perfect
circular dimension of the island and of the body of water it floats on, Neuspiller deduced that
it couldn't possibly be a natural formation. According to him, this location had never been visited by humans. How and why was it made,
what purpose does it serve, how long has it been there, and how does it maintain its shape? These are all questions
that he asked himself. So, he set out on a quest to find the answers to these questions and unravel the mystery of The Eye. He put together a small team consisting of himself, Richard Petroni, a hydraulic and civil engineer, and Pablo Martinez, a tech expert. Together, they traversed swamps and vegetation-filled
terrain for many hours in order to visit the site and discover a rational explanation. However, because of the difficulty of reaching this location, they failed to get to their destination. Finally, on the second
attempt to reach The Eye, they were successful. What they found, however,
was so unbelievable they were left with more
questions than answers. They noticed that the water was uncharacteristically clear and cold, which is unusual for that area. They also found that the
bottom of the watery channel was uncharacteristically solid, compared to the swamplands
that surround it, while the island itself
miraculously tends to float without any evidence as to how or why. Local residents believe that the circle-within-a-circle shape represents the presence of God on Earth. Others believe it's a
paranormal phenomenon and is part of a large group of similar formations in the area that point to unnatural forces at work. And given that it lies in the center between strange numerous events, Scott C. Waring of UFO Sightings Daily suggests The Eye is a secret
entrance to an alien base hidden under the surface,
using the island as camouflage. The locals also report seeing
bright flashes of light near The Eye in the night sky. Some attribute it to a
luz mala or ghost light from an Indian burial
ground in the region. Witnesses have seen a perfectly round circle of light in the sky, and there have been
reports of cars stalling during these mysterious light flashes. It's clear this mystery has to be solved, so by September of 2016, Neuspiller began a Kickstarter project to raise $50,000 for another expedition to this possibly world-altering discovery. This time, it was going to
be a scientific endeavor with plans to bring a
diverse team of scientists that includes biologists, geologists, divers, and ufologists, as well as specialized
technical equipment, such as drones and other tools. Earth, plant, and water samples were to be collected and studied so that answers to this mysterious place could be documented. The plan was to film the entire process and produce a documentary to include a full analysis of
every detail they could find. Those who donated to the cause would have had exclusive
access to the process, along with merchandise in various forms, such as T-shirts and mugs. Donations for the project
were well underway but quickly stalled, and the project never got off the ground, having only collected
$12,670 of its $50,000 goal. So unfortunately, without
the proper funding to put a team of scientists
and professional divers for an on-site study, The Eye can only be viewed
by the world from afar, leaving everyone to wonder about the secrets this place holds. Yet, there are some things to consider that could help unlock these secrets and shed light on this
fascinating mystery. But sadly, the answer, as
always, lies in science, and not hearsay or conspiracies. As is the case anywhere in the world, local customs and traditions tend to provide legends
to feed the imagination, so let's get to the facts. Throughout the world,
there are several examples of round floating islands. Some of them are man-made, while others are more
common, natural formations. No, aliens haven't been
seen creating any of these. Known as tussocks, floatons, or suds, they're composed of vegetation floating on buoyant root
clusters or other organic debris. They typically develop when the growth of wetland-dwelling vegetation, like cattails, bulrushes,
sedge, and reeds, extend out from the
shoreline of a wetland area. As the water gets deeper, their roots no longer reach the bottom, so they use the oxygen in
their roots for buoyancy and the surrounding
vegetation for support. Over time, wind and rain tear
sections free from the shore, and the island formed
migrates around the lake with changing winds and currents. They eventually develop into circles as they bump against the shoreline, either reattaching to
a new area of the shore or breaking up. In the Brazilian Amazon, these floating islands,
known there as matupa, form in lakes and on the
floodplains of white-water rivers. They can range in size, from just a few square
meters to several hectares. These small islands are
also found in Europe, such as the island of La Rota on Posta Fibreno Lake in Italy. In some aquatic regions
of Northern Europe, several thousand acres of floating meadows have been preserved for agricultural land and nature reserves. All of these were
created by natural means. Yet, some of the formations
found around the globe are man-made. For instance, at Lotak Lake in India, they're referred to as phumdis and are primarily used for fishing. Likewise, people known as the Uros, on Lake Titicaca in Peru, built large floating rafts of reeds where they live and work on. These islands are bunches of reeds that need to be constantly topped up, and the gasses they
release when they decay aid in their flotation. In much the same way as the
Uros built their islands, some modern governments, such as the Gold Coast
City Council in Australia, use the same techniques to
establish a filtration system to improve the quality of water, reduce pollutants, and provide
a habitat of biodiversity. These floating habitats not
only create a thriving ecosystem beneath the water's surface, but they also provide a safe
nesting ground for birds. China is also known for
maintaining such an endeavor, as in 2004, they created the largest vegetated floating island in the world. Although aliens are welcome, they haven't been seen at
any of these locations yet. While the natural existence of
these round floating islands is rare enough to be misunderstood, they are also common enough
to have a logical explanation. On a global scale, the formation
can be difficult to find, but it is a common sight
on the Luapula River near the border of Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Yet, this phenomenon isn't only limited to land floating on water. A very common type of floating
island is actually ice. Ice discs are formed
when a large piece of ice breaks off in a river. The spinning motion is started by changing water
temperatures as the ice melts, creating a vortex when the
lower density of the warm water interacts with the colder ice surface. The current keeps the ice moving and slowly chips away at the mass until it's formed into a perfect circle spinning on top of the water. The effect is called rotational shear. So, did aliens come to our
planet to create round islands to keep their secret bases
hidden from humanity? Not in this case. Is this perfectly circular landmass a gateway to another dimension? Again, that's another unlikely scenario. The mysterious rotating
island known as The Eye is simply a natural phenomenon caused by the erosion
effects of currents and winds on a floating mass of roots and plants. It makes for a good
story, some conspiracies, and a little bit of scientific learning. But we must remember that just
because it's a perfect circle doesn't mean it's unnatural. Do you still believe in the conspiracies, or are you convinced by the science? Leave a comment below to let me know. Until next time, thanks for watching.
