A New Discovery Has People Speculating About the Possibility That There Were Pyramids in Antarctica

By now, almost everyone has heard of the pyramids that dot the landscape of Egypt. There are more than 100 of these pointed structures in the desert, and experts say that there may even be some additional pyramids hiding beneath the surface of the desert that haven't yet been uncovered or fully identified by humans.

And while we know a lot about these pyramids, new discoveries are being made all of the time thanks to advances in technology and the addition of other scientific tools.

However, there are some people who are speculating that there are also pyramids to be found in another desert. However, this vast landscape isn't covered with sand. Instead, some people believe that hundreds of year's worth of snow and ice are covering the triangular buildings.

But, are there actually pyramids in Antarctica? Find out what the experts have to say, and why one viral photo may be behind the theory that an ancient civilization built these structures in the icy tundra.

According to the Live Science blog, theories about pyramids in Antarctica surfaced after a 2016 image went viral on social media, spawning lots of stories about how humans (or aliens) must've been behind the pronounced triangle shape peeking out from under the snow.

However, experts were quick to dismiss the theory, saying instead that the pyramidal mountain, which has not yet been given a formal name, looks like it was actually carved by Mother Nature herself over hundreds of millions of years.

They believe that the pyramid is actually a 4,150-foot-tall mountain, which would be approximately a fifth of the size of Denali, and that the sharp point on the top of it is a result of years of erosion.

Another natural process known as freeze-thaw erosion — which can cause cracks in rocks when water seeps into cracks and then freezes, causing expansion — could also be behind the sharp look of the peaks, since it can cause large chunks to break off over time as temperatures drop and climb.

If you're a history buff who is into learning about pyramids, you may be curious to know where you can find them (especially if you can't find them in Antarctica).

According to the encyclopedia Britannica, you can find pyramids in Giza, Egypt. There, visitors can see several of the structures, including the Great Pyramid of Giza. However, when it comes to the topic of who built the pyramids, Britannica says that the answer is still up for debate among scholars and experts.

According to them, the most likely scenario is that they were built by humans (most likely enslaved people) using a series of rudimentary tools, which could've taken as long as 20 years to construction and would've involved the work of 100,000 men.

However, there are some who believe that the pyramids were actually built by as few as 20,000 people, who may have had a team of support staff which would've allowed them to work with fewer breaks.