Top of the Line Trivia Quiz

Answer: Australia

The Marree Man or Stuart's Giant, as it is sometimes called, is a depiction of an aboriginal man hunting with a throwing stick. Located in South Australia, it is believed to have been made by the Pitjantjatjara tribe but this cannot be proved. It caused much controversy when it was discovered and there were questions as to its authenticity.

It is over 2.6 miles (4.2 km) long and is visible only from an airplane or helicopter.

Answer: On a hillside in England

This geoglyph can be found on the side of a hill near Wilmington, East Sussex, England. It is over 220 feet tall (69 meters), and dates to about the 16th century. It depicts a man with two staves. It is designed to be viewed from below to give the correct proportions as opposed to being viewed from above like many geoglyphs.

Answer: Wyoming

The Bighorn Medicine Wheel is a geoglyph that was made by using large rocks laid out in a pattern that resembles a wheel with spokes. It is located in the state of Wyoming, is a pre-Columbian creation made from stones the size of gallon jars. The spokes in the wheel align to certain stars and there is an inner and outer circle of stones.

It was used to predict the movement of the stars and to anticipate the summer and winter solstice. This geoglyph is recognizable from the ground but the view from an airplane is striking.

Answer: The Candelabra of the Andes

The Candelabra of the Andes is a striking geoglyph almost 600 feet long. It is approx. 2,000 years old and the outside edges of the geoglyph are lined with stones. It is thought to depict a trident, which was a lightning-bolt type weapon associated with the ancient god Viracocha.

There have also been suggestions that it is a depiction of the hallucinogenic plant, jimson weed, known to have been used for religious rites.

Answer: Horse

The White Horse of Uffington is a most unusual geoglyph. In the Bronze Age large trenches were dug and filled in with crushed chalk resulting in the depiction of a running horse over 370 feet long (110m). This exquisitely styled depiction is best viewed from above in an airplane. The figure needs frequent work to remain visible and is now under the care of a governmental trust.

Answer: Chile

The Atacama Desert can be found on the west coast of Chile. This geoglyph is believed to be an ancient astronomical calendar used for tracking the moon and enabled the indigenous people to plan for the rainy season and plant their crops accordingly. The Atacama Giant is over 280 feet (86m) long and depicts a human-like figure with directional lines coming from the head and is believed to depict a weather deity.

Answer: Colorado River

The Blythe Intaglios are found near the Colorado River, just east of the Big Maria Mountains in the Colorado Desert. Their age is estimated to be at least 1,000 years old but they could be as old as 10,000. Although they were known to Native American tribes, they were not known to the outside world until discovered by an airplane pilot in the 1930's.

There are multiple anthropomorphic figures, the longest being 171 feet (52m) long. This site is unusual in that it also contained the remains of a ceremonial labyrinth.

Answer: Peru

The Nazca Lines are a virtual menagerie of geoglyphs. Over a hundred different figures dot the arid plateau near Nazca, Peru. Monkeys, spiders, hummingbirds, and dogs are represented, just to name a few. There are also multiple straight lines that venture in a mysterious journey, only to end inexplicably.

These lines were made by removing the red desert top soil and exposing the lighter colored soil underneath. The windless, usually unchanging environment of the Nazca Desert, is in part responsible for the preservation of works of art which can only be ascertained and appreciated from an airplane.

Answer: The Channel Tunnel

Not all geoglyphs are old. The Folkestone White Horse comes into view when exiting the Channel Tunnel on the English side. In spite of its beauty, the geoglyph was met with much resentment and negative press by the Green Party and the "Friends of the Earth". It was made by digging trenches and filling them in with limestone slabs.

Answer: False

There are neither polar bears in Antarctica nor any Inuit peoples to have carved any glyphs there. These are all found near the North Pole and the Arctic circle. There are no geoglyphs in Antarctica.