NASA imagery is shedding new light on a set of ancient earthworks that date back 8000 years. The geometric figures crossed into the steppe in northern Kazakhstan, called the Steppe Geoglyphs, include at least 260 raised mounds of dirt only visible from high above. Geoglyphs are designs or motifs etched into the landscape, like those previously discovered in the deserts of Peru.
Because the shapes drawn into the ground are so subtle, they were only discovered in 2007 by an archaeology enthusiast on Google Earth. Now, Earth observation images from NASA taken 430 miles above the ground by the contractor DigitalGlobe might spark further research into the mysterious mounds in Kazakhstan’s Turgai region.
source: The New York Times