THE SPINNING ‘EYE’
Within Argentina’s Paraná Delta is a curious floating island called El Ojo, meaning ‘the eye’. Around 120 metres in diameter, the circular island seems to float on crystal-clear waters and move independently of its surroundings. The island, which is almost exclusively made of plant matter, appears to spin in a clockwise direction, which scientists have suggested is driven by a current that circles around the body of water it floats on. While it continually rotates, the island scrapes along the surrounding banks, eroding them into an almost-perfect circle. The water that encompasses the floating disc is uncharacteristically cold, the cause of which remains a mystery. Satellite imagery of the island shows it has existed for at least 20 years. However, it wasn’t discovered until 2016, when famed filmmaker Sergio Neuspiller travelled to the area while doing research for a documentary on the delta.