Researchers Discover Hundreds of New Geoglyphs in a Peruvian Desert Using AI

15 of the 303 geoglyphs discovered by researchers with the help of AI and drone footage. (Image Credit: PNAS)

Yamagata University researchers have used drone footage and ResNet50, an AI tool, to identify 303 uncharted geoglyphs formed on the ground by the Peru-based Nazea civilization. These faint-lined figures resemble fish, domestic animals, birds, cats, and aliens. Ground-based experts then verified the discovery of these new sites. The team’s study, which took place over six months, generated results twenty times faster than other techniques.

The team used ResNet50, which recognizes patterns in high-res aerial images, to study 1,309 areas. An application detected extremely faint contours from aerial photographs. This tool listed 303 figures and provided over 47,000 possible and 1,300 high-potential sites. However, the team has only observed 26% of the locations suggested by the AI tool.

Starting in September 2022 and ending in February 2023, the team performed a ground-based field survey, studying the best potential areas on foot and using drones. During those visits, the researchers verified the existence of 303 geoglyphs after inspecting areas proposed by AI.

Some of the figurines the team discovered include plants, snakes, humans, cats, parrots, monkeys, llamas, and a 72-foot-long orca holding a knife while decapitating a human head. On average, the geoglyphs measure 9 to 10 meters and are found close to paths and roads. They were intended to be viewed from the ground. Nobody knows why these geoglyphs were formed in the first place other than they represent the Nazca civilization’s spiritual and cultural background.

Nazca people scraped off the rusty surface, exposing the yellow-gray subsoil before carving the geoglyph designs. This method made it possible to see a geoglyph from the air. The Nazca desert topsoil layer is made of small mantle stones that also have an additional layer when scraped off. The Nazca civilization used this soil to create the geoglyphs.

A Peruvian scientist first found these Nazca Lines in 1927 during a hike in the foothills. Ten years later, commercial pilots flew over the area, discovering a huge amount of geoglyphs.

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