Hidden titan revealed. Easter Island unveils new statue immersed in volcanic crater
Easter Island, a territory of Chile, is one of the most intriguing places in the world. It is renowned for its enigmatic stone Moai statues, some of which can be as tall as 20 feet and weigh up to 20 tons! These statues were likely created by Polynesian settlers around AD 1000-1100.
Easter Island statues: an unusual discovery in a volcano crater
A new statue has been unveiled to the public. Until now, the sculpture remained hidden at the bottom of the Rano Raraku crater. As long as the lagoon was filled with water, the monolith remained invisible to the human eye.
The landmark discovery took place on February 21 this year. A team of volunteer scientists from three Chilean universities made the discovery and coordinated together on a project to examine the bed of the Rano Raraku crater.
"This moai has considerable potential for scientific and natural research. This is truly an exceptional discovery as it is the first time a statue has been found inside the lagoon in the Rano Raraku crater" - stated the spokesperson for the indigenous people, Ma'u Henua (Msn.com).
Ninoska Avareipua Huki Cuadros, the leader of the Ma'u Henua community, also commented on the discovery. He implied that the statue could not have been made later than about 350-400 years ago, because the lagoon was almost 10 feet deep in the past.
"What's intriguing is that for at least the last 200 or 300 years the lagoon had a depth of nearly ten feet, which implies that the moai could not have been placed there by anyone during that time" - observed Ninoska Avareipua Huki Cuadros (Msn.com).
