Posts

Posted on

Contest #163 answer: ‘City’ landsculpture, Garden Valley, Nevada

This is probably the largest landsculpture in the world: Michael Heizer‘s ‘City’ sculpture, Lincoln County, Nevada

city1
It is under construction since 1972 and closed to the public. However when it will be finished, public access will be possible. It is said that Heizer is not amused by Google Earth revealing its exact location, as it triggers trespassers to visit the site before completion.
The New York Times ran an interesting article about Michael Heizer in 2005.
city2
Those who helped in the construction:
  • lardarz
  • hhgygy
  • Chris Nason
  • Andy McConnell
  • Max_Power

-Hint-

  • Andy M, USA
  • Exsanguinator
  • blacbronco
  • David Kozina
  • Javier Abadia
  • Steve Jaycocks
  • ACG
  • Willem
  • BroderUlf
  • Paul Franson
Posted on

Contest #162 answer: Mir Diamond Mine, Mirny, Russia

It is the largest Diamond Mine in the world: The open pit Mir Diamond Mine, located in the Eastern part of Siberia, in the town Mirny.

Because of its depth (525 m / 1722 ft deep) its airspace is closed for helicopters as they will get sucked in by the downward air flow.

mir

As most of the time the soil is frozen due to the permafrost, engineers used jet engines to defreeze the location they were working on. Those machines might have looked similar to this one.

jetcar
Those who found a Kimberlite pipe
  • hhgygy
  • Dan Watson
  • Ivar Bonsaksen
  • lardarz
  • Paul Franson
  • blacbronco
  • José Miguel Díaz
  • Rolando Marín Monge
  • ACG
  • Chris Nason
  • Chris M.
  • Javier Abadia
  • Thomas Egan
  • Milosh, Serbia
  • Andy McConnell
  • Carvas, Portugal
  • Josh Muehe
  • Steve Jaycocks
  • Camargo, California
  • D Hall
  • Dennis S.
  • Taliesin
  • ewen
  • Elrober
  • Graham Foxall
  • Sarah G
  • Stephen Hope
  • David Kozina

-Hint-

  • Andy M, USA
  • Michael T
  • Max_Power
Posted on

Contest #161 answer: Lago di Lei, Swiss/Italian border

In the Valle di Lei, an Italian uninhabited valley in the Alps, lies the Lago di Lei, where the Italians constructed a hydropower dam in the years 1957-1961.

valle-di-lei

In an Italian/Swiss exchange of territory in 1962-1963, just after the completion, the dam and power station was assigned to Switserland.

I could not find more information about the backgrounds of this border rearrangement, so if anyone here can shine more light on this matter, please feel free to do so in the comments.

Right answers from:

  • Michael T
  • Alin
  • Milosh, Serbia
  • Paul Franson
  • Chris Nason
  • hhgygy
  • Stephen Hope
  • Taliesin
  • David Kozina

-Hint-

  • Andy McConnell
  • José Miguel Díaz
  • blacbronco
  • Rolando Marín Monge
  • lardarz
  • Carvas, Portugal
  • Ashwini Agrawal
  • Javier Abadia