The investigation of the Baltic Anomaly is ongoing and many questions remain. Now, we have another one to consider. What is that mysterious pillar?

Background on the Baltic Anomaly

On June 19, 2011, the Ocean X Team used side-scan sonar to “photograph” a massive object deep in the Baltic Sea, approximately 260 feet below surface. Peter Lindberg, co-founder of the Ocean X Team, jokingly declared “Hey guys, we have a UFO!” However, after a large publicity campaign and a new expedition, the Ocean X Team discovered the Anomaly primarily consisted of large rocks. The exact nature of those rocks remains a mystery.

Peter Lindberg’s Interview on the Baltic Anomaly

Recently, Peter Lindberg gave an interview to Fox News. In it, he revealed several interesting pieces of information. First, he described the Baltic Anomaly as a “natural, geological formation.” Second, the giant Circle stone is “the kind divers see in keys and harbors.” Third, there was no silt on the Circle. Fourth, the Circle has some straight lines and “appears to have construction lines and boxes drawn on it.” Fifth, the Circle, which is 200 feet in diameter, is supported by an 8 meter (26 foot) high pillar. And sixth, the Circle has “cracks” on its surface which contain “black material.”

The third point is interesting. According to the Ocean X Team’s June 15th press release, the Circle was covered by “something resembling soot.” We’ve got our suspicions about its composition (sulfide-based minerals) but at least we know it wasn’t silt. Anyway, we’ll get back to this lack of silt in a moment.

We need more details before we can get excited about the fourth point. How many total lines are there? How many of them are “straight?” And how straight are they? Many rocks, particularly those of a crystalline nature, contain relatively straight lines.

The Mysterious Pillar?

The fifth point is most intriguing to us. However, it’s also confusing. The Ocean X Team described the Circle as “a huge mushroom, rising 3-4 meters/10-13 feet from the seabed.” So, where does the 8 meter (26 foot) pillar fit? This could be a mistake in the article…perhaps the pillar is only 8 feet tall. Or perhaps the pillar extends underground in some fashion. Either way, we’d like to know more about its shape and measurements.

Guerrilla Explorer’s Analysis

The sixth point fits in with our overall thesis. We continue to believe one or more extinguished hydrothermal vents created the Baltic Anomaly. When hot water was expelled from black smokers, it caused dissolved minerals to be driven outward. These materials eventually cooled and hardened in the water, forming the strange Circle-shaped object. Eventually, the vents “died.”

“A vent can “die” at any time for several reasons. For example, seismic activity might cause a chimney to collapse. Fluid would then build up in the blocked vent, effectively choking it out. Or the hydrothermal fluid could simply run out, exhausting the vent.” ~ David Meyer, The Baltic Anomaly: The Lost Updates?

The “cracks” could be former fissures that once vented super-hot water and dissolved minerals into the Baltic Sea. The black material could be part of a volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposit. Also, the lack of silt might be due to a general lack of silt in the area. It’s possible the whole area is covered by sulfide-based minerals. The pillar is difficult to understand with the limited information, but we suppose it could be the original black smoker. Black smokers tend to at least start out as chimney shapes. Now, before we wrap this up, there’s one more thing to consider. Peter Lindberg gave a rather bizarre quote to Fox News. Check it out.

“If an intelligent life form has built a spaceship, there’s the question of ‘why not make it out of stone or coral.'” ~ Peter Lindberg, Fox News Interview

This appears to be a misunderstanding. As we noted in our first point, Lindberg has expressed his belief that the Circle is a “natural, geological formation.” Overall, the lack of solid information as well as the language barriers have constituted difficult obstacles to covering this story.The Ocean X Team has sent its samples away for analysis. We still don’t expect this mystery to be solved anytime soon. The Ocean X Team has strong incentives to keep it a mystery. The mystery is what will sell Titan Television’s documentary on the subject. It will also help the Team market its submarine tours back and forth to the Anomaly. And most importantly, a sulfide deposit is of little use to them.

“The find is not protected by any laws or anything. If the find would be fish, oil, gas or minerals it will belong to a Baltic country since our find is within an economical zone but off the nearest territorial border.” ~ Peter Lindberg, Comment on Another Anomaly 2, August 11, 2011

But despite all that, we’re eagerly awaiting further information. The Baltic Anomaly has been a fascinating story so far. We can only hope it gets better from here.