Google Maps Shows Strange, Grid-Like Images in China: 'Nobody Really Knows

Google Maps has been known to capture some strange images. Some have been turned into art, while others are revealing, such as those showing North Korean concentration camps. The latest photos from Google Maps are taken from China and are just plain puzzling.

According to Gizmodo, this first image is taken from Dunhuang, Jiuquan, Gansu, north of the Shule River in the Kumtag Desert:

They seem to be wide lines drawn with some white material. Or maybe the dust have been dug by machinery.

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The tracks are perfectly executed, and they seem to be designed to be seen from orbit.

Perhaps it's some kind of targeting or calibrating grid for Chinese spy satellites? Maybe it's a QR code for aliens? Nobody really knows.

Here's the Google Map for the above image.

In a second image, Gizmodo describes seeing a grid similar to a radio or electrical station, and notes that if you zoom in you'll see what appear to be destroyed vehicles.

The third is an 18 mile grid with thousands of lines (see below).

The Washington Post also points out an image of what could be a roadway crossing the Gobi desert:

Speculation as to what the buildings are ran from water purification plants to weapons testing sites to training facilities. In one Google Earth closeup there is debris scattered in a systematic way, possibly suggesting a weapons training facility. In another closeup, there appear to be large manmade bodies of water.

Any thoughts on what these could be? Share your theories below. To see more strange images, check out the full Gizmodo post.

This article has been updated since its original posting.