Oko is a mysterious rotating island in Argentina

El Ojo, also known as Eye Island or Circular Island, is a unique and mysterious floating island located in the Paraná River Delta in northeastern Argentina (34°15'07.8″ S 58°49'47.4″ W). It is a thin strip of land that is a perfect circle of 120 meters, a shape that rotates around itself. It floats between the clear and frozen water of the pool, which is completely unique to the area. This unusual phenomenon is simply perfect, so perfect that it almost looks fake.

The island constantly rotates on its axis, and scientists attribute the strange movement to the presence of large natural springs that create water currents that can move the island. The rotating eye appears to collide with the surrounding soil, giving it the necessary pressure, causing the mud section to separate and erode. However, some reject the science behind the rotation and claim that it is not a natural phenomenon, but a 'supernatural' one linked to extraterrestrial life.

Accidental discovery

The island was discovered in 2016 by Argentinian director Sergio Neuspiller, looking for a location for his film about paranormal phenomena. Only when he returned to that place did he realize that the island had changed position, and the movement was confirmed by Google satellite images taken at different times. The recordings also showed that the island has existed in the delta of the Paraná River for twenty years, since 2003.

Floating islands exist all over the Earth. They are formed when the root of a river plant separates from the bottom because the water has become too deep. It is common for such islands to move, i.e. the wind moves them to and fro. In Lake Titicaca, for example, a group of 120 such floating islands are inhabited by the Uru tribe, but they require constant maintenance due to their delicate and unstable structure. However, unlike them, El Ojo is surprisingly solid and compact.

Science has no answer

It is possible that this island is actually a broken piece of land whose rotation caused what is professionally called rotational shear, where the edges are ground and thus its circular shape is formed. Some attribute the phenomenon to a natural spring within the marshes, which would explain why the island moves so consistently. But the spring theory cannot explain why the island's soil is so firm compared to the soft, swampy environment.

Some find similarities in the shape and movement of El Ojo Island to ice discs, almost perfect circles of ice that form on the outer bends of rivers and spin on slow currents. They are caused by rotational shear.

The broken pieces of ice will be trapped by the river current in the bend of the river, and by rolling along the shore, with the simultaneous rotation, a circular shape is created. Ice discs can even spin in still waters due to changes in water temperature and density. However, ice discs do not rotate around their own axis.

Neuspiller tried to raise funds to explore the island, but failed, so the forces that rotate El Ojo and its unique features remain unknown. The land on the surface of El Ojo is very solid, which is not the case in its surroundings. In addition, the water surrounding this island is incredibly transparent and cold, something very strange in this area

That is why there is no lack of pseudo-theories about the island: from speculations that it is a secret Nazi base or a UFO hideout to those that it is of supernatural origin. In any case, El Ojo is certainly one of the most mysterious and fascinating places in the whole world.