A long-noticed ground feature is capturing fresh attention on the web. It seems to be worrying some folks.

Giant Pentagram Seen in Kazakhstan | Google Maps | LiveScience.

On the wind-blown steppes of central Asia, in an isolated corner of Kazakhstan, there’s a large pentagram etched into the Earth’s surface. The five-pointed star surrounded by a circle shows up vividly on Google Maps. There are almost no other signs of human habitation in the area; the closest settlement is the city of Lisakovsk, about 12 miles (20 kilometers) to the east. What is this bizarre symbol, measuring roughly 1,200 feet (366 meters) in diameter, doing on the side of a desolate lake in northern Kazakhstan? Naturally, many online comments have already linked the site with devil worship, nefarious religious sects or denizens of the underworld.

This is not really “news” but it just appeared on LiveScience today sparking new interest. This object is noted on this site from 2009. When I googled to find out more, I get post after post calling it the “Huge Devil Pentagram”. Looks like a copy error since it does not necessarily have anything to do with the devil but can be a neopagan symbol. Religious folks awaiting the second coming of Christ are really freaked over it. It’s been there a while, I think the devil would have found it by now.

Type the coordinates 52°28’46.86″N 62°11’7.68″E into maps.google.com to see it.

Here is the closeup



and here is the surrounding area. “A” marks the spot.



I can’t seem to find out much more. Anyone?

UPDATE (4-Aug-13) Livescience has updated their information:

Emma Usmanova, an archaeologist with years of experience working in the Lisakovsk area, has an answer. “It is the outline of a park made in the form of a star,” Usmanova told LiveScience. The star was a popular symbol during the Soviet era (Kazakhstan was a part of the former Soviet Union until its dissolution in 1991). Stars were often used throughout the Soviet Union to decorate building facades, flags and monuments. (Several online comments had suggested the star shape was the abandoned site of a Soviet-era lakeside campground.)