A YouTube channel known for promoting conspiracy theories, SecureTeam10, has generated a video attempting to persuade viewers that images of an avalanche on an island near Antarctica capture the crash site of an alien spaceship. According to the narrator, a Google Earth photo of South Georgia Island displays the remnants of an extraterrestrial craft colliding with a mountain and skidding across the ice. The image reveals disturbed ice on the glacier’s side near Mount Paget, a prominent peak on the British-controlled island. A long trail extends from the main disturbed area to a white object seemingly embedded in the snow atop the glacier.
Richard Waller, a senior lecturer in physical geography at Keele University, refuted the alien crash theory, asserting that the photo actually depicts an avalanche where one large block of ice skidded farther than the collapsed snow. This interpretation is apparent even to casual observers. Despite the logical explanation, SecureTeam10’s video has garnered nearly half a million views. The channel, marked with a “verification” check from YouTube, has a history of producing conspiratorial content that routinely attracts hundreds of thousands of views.
SecureTeam10’s YouTube verification implies that the channel belongs to an established creator or is the official channel of a brand, business, or organization, according to Google’s criteria. The verification status adds credibility but raises questions about the process. Live Science reached out to Google for clarification on why SecureTeam10 received the verification check, but as of publication, no response has been received. The incident highlights the challenge of managing misinformation on popular platforms and the potential influence of conspiracy theories, even when debunked by experts.