85 Gobi Desert unidentified structures

LOCATION Borders of Gansu Province and Xinjiang Autonomous Region, China

NEAREST POPULATION HUB Dunhuang, Gansu Province

SECRECY OVERVIEW Operations classified: mysterious features found in satellite images.

During the course of 2011, satellite imaging across a remote stretch of the Gobi desert lying near the center of a network of Chinese research facilities, revealed a curious array of objects and structures. Several theories as to their true nature and purpose have rapidly emerged, some of which are more plausible than others—but a conclusive explanation has yet to be found.

The Gobi desert stretches across northern China and southern Mongolia, covering more than 1.25 million square kilometers (500,000 sq miles). It is, in short, a perfect location if you require a lot of space and privacy, and as such, it has become something of a hub for several Chinese defense and space programs.

In 2011, the curiosity of the international community was piqued by a series of aerial photos showing several curious and vast structures that had sprung up in the desert. The images show:

• A series of reflective rectangles with sides up to a mile in length

• A network of intersecting white lines in a seemingly random pattern

• A set of concentric circles, at the center of which sat three jet planes

• A circle of bright orange blocks, each the size of a shipping container

• A grid system extending 29 kilometers (18 miles) in length

• Metallic squares covered in unidentified debris

• A large man-made body of water.

There are no major permanent settlements or obvious military facilities particularly close to the affected area, but some observers have noted that the Ding Xin military airbase (with a reputation for secret development programs) and the salt lakes of Lop Nur (site of many nuclear tests until the mid-1990s) both lie within 600 kilometers (370 miles) of the site. Meanwhile, the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, a major base for the burgeoning Chinese space program is less than 150 kilometers (90 miles) away.

Some have suggested that the structures are designed to simulate street grids, perhaps acting as targets for missile tests. Others have pondered the possibility of a huge water purification plant or solar energy facility. But the truth is that no one outside China really knows. What is left is a truly modern-day mystery, though it is appealing to speculate that the whole thing may turn out to be a mischievous practical joke dreamed up in Beijing to occupy the international intelligence community.