Snæfellsjökull, the Door to the Centre of the Earth
Jules Verne sent his explorers into the Earth through an Icelandic volcano. In 1993, hundreds of people gathered there waiting for a spaceship.
What was reported
Snæfellsjökull is a glacier-capped volcano at the tip of a peninsula in western Iceland, visible from Reykjavík on clear days. In Jules Verne's 1864 novel Journey to the Centre of the Earth, it's where the explorers climb down into the planet.
It has long been said to be one of the Earth's great energy centres. In 1993, word spread that aliens would land on the glacier on 5 November. Hundreds of people gathered, along with reporters from around the world. Nothing landed.
Explanations offered
Snæfellsjökull is a stratovolcano that last erupted about 1,800 years ago. Its 'energy' is a belief that can't be measured. Its glacier is shrinking quickly, and scientists expect it may vanish in the coming decades.
- When
- Since 1864, and 5 November 1993
- Where
- Snæfellsnes, Western Region, Iceland
- Witnesses
- Readers of Jules Verne, and a crowd waiting for visitors
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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