New 1.6-metre-tall Moai discovered in Chilean Island. See details

The Indigenous community responsible for managing the site on Easter Island has announced the discovery of a new moai, one of the island's iconic monolithic statues.

The statue was uncovered by a team of scientific volunteers from three Chilean universities, who were working on a project to restore the marshland in the crater inside the Rano Raraku volcano. It was found in the bed of a dry lake in the volcano crater and is a significant discovery as it is the first time a moai has been found inside a laguna. The Ma’u Henua Indigenous community has described the statue as having great potential for scientific and natural studies.

The moai was discovered in an area where several statues had been damaged in an October forest fire on the island. The discovery is particularly unique as the moai was found in the center of a laguna that began drying up in 2018. Binghamton University researchers had previously found that Easter Island's moai statues were built near sources of freshwater.


Moai are unique and recognizable monolithic stone figures that feature elongated faces and no legs. They were mostly carved from tuff, a type of volcanic ash, at the Rano Raraku volcano. The newly discovered moai is 1.60 meters tall and was found lying on its side with its face pointed towards the sky.



While the statue has recognizable features, there is no clear definition, and the Ma’u Henua Indigenous community is seeking funding for a more extensive study on the discovery. However, there are no plans to remove the moai from its current location.

The Rano Raraku volcano and its moai are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Easter Island was inhabited by Polynesian people before Chile annexed it in 1888.

FAQs:

1. What is the full form of UNESCO?
   United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
2. How many sites does UNESCO recognise?
   1,157, as of January 2023.