Geoglyph

A geoglyph is a drawing on the ground, or a large motif, (generally greater than 4 metres) or design produced on the ground, either by arranging clasts (stones, stone fragments, gravel or earth) to create a positive geoglyph (stone arrangement/alignment, petroform, earth mound) or by removing patinated clasts to expose unpatinated ground (negative geoglyph).

Some of the most famous negative geoglyphs are the Nazca Lines in Peru. Other areas with geoglyphs include Western Australia and parts of the Great Basin Desert in SW United States. Hill figures, turf mazes and the stone-lined labyrinths of Scandinavia, Iceland, Lappland and the former Soviet Union are types of geoglyph. The largest geoglyph is the Marree Man in South Australia [http://www.geocities.com/curiosities3] [http://www.geocities.com/curiosities3/evidence.htm] .

Modern examples

Not all geoglyphs are ancient. The Land Art movement created many new geoglyphs as well as other structures: perhaps the most famous example is "Spiral Jetty" by Robert Smithson. Many towns and cites in the Western United States use Mountain Monogram on the hills above their locations.

Turf mazes and labyrinths are still being made by gardeners and landscape architects.

Contemporary Australian sculptor Andrew Rogers has created geoglyphs around the world called "The Rhythms of Life". You Yangs National Park is the home of a geoglyph constructed by the Rogers in recognition of the indigenous people of the area. It depicts Bunjil, a mythical creature to the local Wautharong Aborigines. Fact|date=August 2007.

See also

*Petroglyph
*Petrosomatoglyph
*Intaglio (burial mound)
*Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin
*Battalion Park

External links

* [http://jqjacobs.net/southwest/blythe.html The Blythe Intaglios, A Photo Gallery by James Q. Jacobs]
* [http://www.sculpture.org/documents/scmag04/april04/rogers/rogers.shtml "Sculpture" article on Andrew Rogers' sculptures]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7pJeHY-fLI Video "Amazing Geoglyphs Around the World"] , a virtual satellite tour made with Google Earth [05:36]
* [http://www.photogrammetry.ethz.ch/research/peru/index.html Photogrammetric Reconstruction of the Geoglyphs of Nasca and Palpa]
* [http://www.pinktentacle.com/2007/06/giant-geoglyph-ad-visible-from-space Pioneer (Japan) has taken shears to grass to promote its latest Smart Loop car navigation system]