Who made these circles in the Sahara?

Someone left these marks in the sand. We had to find out who.

Deep in the Sahara, far from any towns, roads, or other signs of life, is a row of markings in the sand. There are dozens of them stretching for miles in a straight line in central Algeria, each consisting of a central point surrounded by a circle of 12 nodes, like numbers on a clock. And when we started making this video, no one seemed to know what they were.

We first saw the circles back in September 2021, after finding a Reddit post on r/WhatIsThis with coordinates asking what the circles could be. With just two upvotes and two commenters, it wasn’t exactly a lively discussion. But seeing the circles themselves on Google Earth was fascinating: They were eerily perfect in their shape and regularity, but so deeply isolated in the desert. We were hooked on finding an answer.

So we decided to make a video out of trying to solve the mystery, no matter where it took us. We documented every step of the process — from Zoom calls and web browser screen recordings to vlogs and field shoots — to show the reporting process from the inside out. And when we maxed out what we could learn on the internet, we handed over this story to a team in Algeria to take it all the way.

Resources:

[Vox]

Hi everyone! We hope you enjoyed this adventure — this video was a huge experiment for us in format and storytelling, with months of work, dozens of contributors, and lots of moving parts.

We’d love to answer any questions you have about our process in this thread, so ask away! And if you have suggestions for the next one … leave them below, too!

-Christophe

[onceuponatimeonearth]

Of course there is a man, somewhere on Earth, collecting sardine cans that knows the entire history of sardine cans. Incredible.

[philippeanginot]

Thanks guys for your comments ! Never been so proud to be a sardinologist !

[hodwooker]

I was an employee of a company called Western Geophysical in 1968 to 1969. The company performed seismic surveys all over the region of Sweetwater County in Wyoming. A typical shot required a drill hole 100 to 150 feet deep. A 5lb stick of Dynamite would be placed at the bottom of the drill hole. We would back fill the hole and then the charge would be detonated with an electric cap. The sensors would pick up the vibrations and the data would be recorded for later analysis. Our crew was among the last of the drill and blast teams. If you research the subject you should find that an incredible number of these shot holes have been a real problem. A fair number of the shots would be wet, below the water table that is. Often these holes would”blow out”. That is the back fill would fire out of the shot hole like a shot gun. These holes were very difficult for the crews to fill back in. The standard practice was to stuff drilling mud bags and sage brush as far down as we could and scrape what ever dirt and rock that we could after the bags and brush. A very large number of these holes have opened up to the surface and have developed into rather large hazards. We had no idea that a 4 inch hole could collapse into its self and surface like they have. I really don’t know if The company knew about this collapse or not. But i am sure that most if not all of the field hands had no idea.
Our surveys were not circular the drill holes were laid out in a straight line and ran for many miles. The last of the surveys i worked on were in of the Jim Bridger Power plant and coal mine. The power plant was still under construction at that time.

[jonathanmartin]

This documentary is just epic because you guys actually found answers. Most docs I watched on tv usually end up with more questions but you guys made it all the way through. I felt extremely satisfied at the end, very refreshing. Many thanks to you and everyone involved. (This was randomly suggested by yt and the title got me) Very good work.

[puzzLEGO]

I think it's incredible that nowadays with the right searching online you can find experts on the most specific things from “Algerian Saharan oasis manager” to "french sardine can collector"

[DobraEspacial]

I'm speechless. This video is a gift to the world. Well done, guys.

[justincase]

"I found somebody who's been collecting sardine cans for..." I greatly admire your tenacity! If anyone else could have put the pieces of the puzzle together, they would have. Since they didn't... You're the man! Seriously -- excellent work!

[nomars]

How on Earth those surface scars are still visible after 70 years!? They haven't been covered with sand and dust. That's truly amazing.

[GhotiCan]

I would watch an entire series on Google Earth investigations! Mystery, adventure, speculation, expertise, this video has it all!

[nitrogen]

Honestly, it's incredible how you found these people and they helped you on the journey. Professors, officials, archeologists, technology workers, etc. It shows how valuable connections really are.

[SlinkyJosh]

This guy just took "going down an internet rabbit hole" to a whole nother level.

[cbrown]

The most incredible thing about this whole story was seeing a gmail box with only one unread email.

[zappababe]

It's amazing that there was someone who was an expert in sardine cans, and he even ran a museum of the exhibits he had found or collected! It takes a village, as they say. There are people who have these very specialised interests and you'd never know anything about them or how they had devoted their entire lives to this one, very specific, subject - until someone else comes along and requires their help. Then, suddenly, all the work they had put into this one subject is very helpful in ways that neither the expert nor the investigator could have ever envisaged.
Wow - thanks to everyone who liked my comment! You've made me very happy!

[TheGreatestJuJu]

*This should be a series. Mysteries of Google Earth explored*
So many fascinating things I’ve always wanted to know what it was

[sharonminsuk]

Around 17:00 – wow. Brings a whole new meaning to "the middle of nowhere".

[joao_]

Easily one of the best videos ever made on youtube. Congrats to all people involved. Thanks for the content and I hope to see more in the future

[iea]

This… This is the kind of content, the kind of journalism, the kind of research I’m subscribed for. Absolutely incredible.

[BeastJuanGaming]

The most interesting part was the old desert guide from the 50's he held so much more information than most researchers and professionals due to experience it's fascinating

[alexd]

You guys are amazing! I am so pleased to have found you.
What you do is what National Geographic used to do many, many years ago. Sadly, they don't anymore, and I have long ago lost interest in that publication. You just satisfy the enquiring mind. Keep up the great work you are doing. Thank you so much.