Most people are sure that in the modern world there are no more mysteries and science knows almost all the secrets of the universe, and soon our civilization will be able to go beyond the solar system and begin to colonize other worlds. Unfortunately, one should not think so unambiguously about the achievements of modern scientists. It is impossible to disagree with the statement that humanity is at the peak of its development, but there are a huge number of questions in the world that remain unanswered.
Many people are mistaken that the era of geographical discoveries ended in the middle of the 18th century. Indeed, it was then, through the efforts of researchers, that the expanses of the Arctic Ocean were studied and maps of the Arctic were created. During this historical period, there was a strong opinion among geographers that an unexplored land must exist in the northern latitudes. Outstanding travelers such as Bering Vitus, Wrangel Ferdinand, Andreev Stepan made a huge effort to find "terra incognita".
For more than 350 years, people have been exploring the Arctic and the Arctic Ocean, thanks to scientific activities, it has been possible to find answers to many questions regarding the development of our planet and the Universe.
Despite all the efforts of scientists and annual expeditions, the Arctic lands still keep many mysteries. By the way, one of the most famous secrets of the Arctic is the phenomenon of the earth, which was discovered by Yakov Sannikov.
Discovery history
During his next trip, which took place in 1793, Yakov Sannikov discovered two medium-sized islands near the cape, which was called the Holy Nose. Due to bad weather conditions, Sannikov and the crew were unable to approach the islands and carry out further landing and reconnaissance. This did not prevent the discoverer from giving names to the new islands. The first was named - Mercury, and the second was named Diomede. 22 years later, Nikita Shalaurov, who conducted studies of the Arctic coastal massif near Cape Svyatoi Nos, did not confirm the existence of these islands.
In 1811, the famous cartographer M. M. Gedenshtrom did not indicate the presence of islands on his map, although he spent more than 2 years on an expedition to study the Arctic Ocean. It would seem that the islands have simply disappeared. In the turbulent waters of this coldest ocean, something else could have happened.
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The story with the Sannikov Islands would have ended, if not for the expedition of the naval admiralty of the Russian Empire, which was launched in 1825. Several ships of the naval forces of the empire were to explore the Arctic Ocean for a year.
One of the ships sent on a scientific voyage was the frigate "Emperor Peter I", which was led by the captain of the second rank P. N. Kuchkov. During the expedition, he made an entry in the logbook of May 24, 1826, that, passing by the Cape of the Holy Nose, two islands were visible on the horizon. Kuchkov made the assumption that this land, which was discovered in 1793 by Sannikov. However, the weather conditions did not allow us to get close to the ground.
A note in the logbook of the ship "Emperor Peter I" made in 1825 is the last written mention of the islands of Mercury and Diomede.
Haunted land
At the end of the last century, as evidenced by various records of discoverers and sailors, there were significantly more small islands in the Arctic Ocean that were encountered by sailors. Suffice it to recall the history of Semenovsky and Vasilievsky Islands.
As you know, Semenovsky Island completely disappeared in 1948, and the period of its destruction took about 8 years, at one time Vasilievsky Island ceased to exist back in 1936. A natural question arises, did not Sannikov Island suffer the same fate?
If we assume a similar scenario for the development of events, it remains to find out the rate of destruction of the islands. According to E. V. Toll's notes, in the 1860s he was passing approximately the place that Sannikov had indicated earlier. Toll discovered a group of small islands in the area. Based on the compared data of various travelers, it can be concluded that there is nothing strange about the disappearance of the islands. Some scientists believe that the Sannikov Islands consisted of fossil ice that broke away from the Arctic coast several hundred years ago and, after long wanderings across the ocean, "stuck" exactly in the place where Sannikov discovered it. During this entire long period, a thick layer of dust and earth was formed on the glacier, which could easily be mistaken for land, especially from a long distance. Such a theory is quite logical and fits into the laws of logic, but there is one point that immediately crosses out all logical conclusions. In 1826, the captain of the ship "Emperor Peter I" saw some islands that were located exactly in the place where Sannikov saw them.
A natural question arises: What happened to the islands? There is no definite answer to this question. In the scientific world, there are several theories that try to explain everything that happens in terms of logic.
Unpredictable Arctic
Friedrich von Hensel described an interesting incident that happened to the members of his ship. Passing the large islands located in the Pyasinskaya Bay, the sailors on duty on the deck, unexpectedly from the fog saw the tops of the mountains on the islands. As it should be, the tops of the mountains were white because of the snow covering them. However, very abruptly they (tops) changed their color to blue and continued to appear so for an hour, until the ship changed course.
Another traveler Nansen Fridtjof described the following situation: “While traveling on the Fram ship across the Arctic Ocean, the ship's crew almost began to hastily evacuate from it. The fact is that suddenly the Earth appeared in front of the stern of the ship. There were no more than a few hundred meters left to her. Everyone was already prepared to strike. However, the crew managed to brake the ship and back up. In the place where the island was, there was an overturned boat."
There are a lot of similar stories in the memoirs of polar explorers. It is quite possible that the Sannikov Islands were just a mirage, which tired travelers dreamed of. But the question arises, how can it be that other researchers have become "prisoners" of the mirage? And why does this optical illusion occur in this particular place?
There are no answers to these questions. The scientific value of this theory is greatly diminished. The criticism is that in severe climatic conditions, the human brain begins to work a little differently, which leads to hallucinations.
In addition to these two theories, there is another one that is rather extravagant and is not seriously considered in scientific circles. Almost all ufologists in the world are sure that Artika is a base for alien ships that arrive on Earth.
No wonder "Ahnenerbe" organized expeditionary missions to the Arctic in order to gain power. A city of aliens is located under the thickness of ice and water, where they conduct various experiments on living things, including humans, and follow the development of our civilization.
Moving islands and unexpected changes in the terrain, as well as the frequent disappearance of expeditions, are all the tricks of aliens who protect their bases in the Arctic.
Of course, the latter theory is so unrealistic that you shouldn't think about it seriously. Although in science there is one interesting method, which is that a group of researchers gathers, who, during the experiment, come to a single conclusion. Among them there is one person who must make the opposite conclusion, no matter how implausible and unrealistic it may seem to others, and it is this conclusion that should be considered as a completely valid concept.
The data on the islands of Mercury and Diomede are so contradictory and contradictory that it would seem that serious travelers and scientists saw more ghosts than real islands. However, only time and additional research can shed light on the mysterious history of the Laptev Islands. It is not worth discarding the last version, because it is Antarctica that is the place of the greatest UFO activity, which nevertheless prompts some speculation.