Archive · 7 Jun 2025
Sudan's 'Landlocked Lips': Mysterious Hill Resembles Human Lips
Imagine you're looking at a picture of a hill in Sudan from space, and it looks like a giant pair of lips!
Scientists saw it in a satellite image from 2012.
This hill is about as long as ten football fields and is in the middle of fields, looking like a kiss on the ground.
They think it might be a dike, which is like a strong line of rock that was created by the earth long ago.
While scientists have ideas about what it is, they're still figuring out exactly how it got its shape.
It's a cool natural wonder!
A hill formation in Sudan's West Darfur state strikingly resembles human lips.
The 'Landlocked Lips' were captured in a 2012 Google Earth satellite image.
The hill is approximately 3,000 feet long and 1,200 feet across.
Geologists suggest the formation may be an ancient dike, a geological feature.
The surrounding landscape's appearance varies between images, possibly due to seasonal changes.
- Who
- No specific individuals are mentioned as discoverers, the image was taken by a satellite
- What
- A natural hill formation that resembles a pair of human lips.
- When
- Captured in a 2012 Google Earth satellite image.
- Where
- West Darfur state, Sudan, approximately 60 miles east of Chad border
- Why
- The exact formation is not definitively known, but may be from volcanic activity or tectonic plate movement.
- Location
- West Darfur, Sudan
- Length
- Approx. 3,000 feet
- Width
- Approx. 1,200 feet
- Discovery
- Google Earth satellite image, 2012
- Informal Name
- Landlocked Lips
- Possible Formation
- Likely an ancient dike