Moai statue discovered in a dried-up lake on Easter Island

Moai statues have been found at the bottom of a dried up crater lake on Easter Island. This statue is the first of the island’s famous colossi to be found in the lake.

More than 3,500 kilometers from the South American continent, Easter Island is dotted with over 900 iconic statues carved out of volcanic rock by the Rapa Nui people over 500 years ago.

Most of the statues were carved from rock quarried by the Rano Raraku volcano. Partly left behind by volcanoes, it is now a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hundreds of others were transported to other parts of the island.

“We think we know all the moai, but new moai are popping up,” Terry Hunt of the University of Arizona told the TV show. good morning america, First reported the discovery on February 25.

According to a statement from Mau Henua, the Rapa Nui organization that manages the park, the new statue is 1.6 meters tall and “has a solid body, though not clearly defined.” Found lying face down among tall reeds.

“In the current dry conditions, we might find more,” said Hunt.

The monolithic statues have long aroused awe and speculation about their role in the apparent collapse of the island’s population in the 17th century. For the indigenous Rapa Nui, Hunt said the statues represent deified ancestors.

“For the people of Rapa Nui, it is [a] It’s a very important discovery,” Mau Henua vice president Salvador Atan Hito said on the TV show.

Rano Raraku’s crater is usually filled with water, but the lake has shrunk since 2018, said Ma’u Henua director Ninoska Avareipua Huki Cuadros. French media agency.

Easter Island has suffered a decade of drought, partly due to climate change and a pattern of below-average tropical Pacific temperatures known as La Niña. The current La Niña is his third in a rare ‘triple plummet’ event that may be linked to human-induced climate change.