meant simply an 'arrow-straight' alignment of places and markers on the landscape. [14]. Image By KyleAndMelissa22 (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons What we have been to learn is ancient Greek temples were able to capture comic energy and send messages around the world. The name Etowah may also be a corruption of this word. [28] It is interesting to note that the Hopi word for the sun deity is Tawa. If we can open and close things such as a robotic hand with our minds, can the same be said of earth energies directed at a stargate? Dan Shaw, editor. Mysterious monument predicts 6 BILLION of us will be wiped out in bleak future, 10 Commandments of the Anti-Christ: Mysterious "Guidestones" Madden Conspiracy Theorists and Christian Fundamentalists, The Georgia Guidestones Conspiracy And The Mysterious 2014 Cube. X (Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., 1979), p. 223. (A laser beam aimed to hit what target?) [30] One anthropoid geoglyph in the area has been associated with the Hopi Fire Clan deity Masauu. The White Pyramid was built supposedly after the old emperors, known as the sons of heaven, descended to Earth in their fiery metallic dragons and began to rule China. 165-167; b. Franklin Folsom and Mary Elting Folsom, Ancient Treasures of the Southwest: A Guide to Archaeological Sites and Museums in Arizona, Southern Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1994), p. 16. Not all vortices are created equally, as different energy centers draw in various types of energy, and each of these vortices attracts and emanates a different type of energy. Click the section headings to expand or collapse reports. Byblos (Jbeil), Embassy of Lebanon, Washington, DC [web site online]; available from the World Wide Web, http://www.lebanonembassy.org/tourism/jbeil.html; accessed 8 February 2002. Copyright 2023 VortexHunters.com all pages all rights reserved. each one bisects the Earth (like the Equator), and these intersect, forming an exquisite geometric grid. In late July, Elberton Mayor Daniel Graves announced plans to rebuild the monument. In other words, try not to be too quick to block your chakras again and stay in bliss for as long as you can. The rules under Encountering Ley Lines (p.122 Tomorrow Legion Player's Guide) suggest a GM roll dice when needing . Joe Kiernan And Dave Stinnett discuss ancient Ley lines, Georgia Guide stones and many other topics and interests. The Great Lakes as a pentagon, phi proportions between masonic landmarks and cities, and much much more. More than fifteen leys, covering every state. The fact that they are in the Ringing Rocks. Each vortex is then further connected to other vortices through a series of leylines. Photo of woman relaxing with feed up by Artem Beliaikin from Pexels. Closer to the home of the Hohokam on the western side of the Colorado River are located a number of geoglyphs (also called intaglios). Each vortex is thought to have something to teach, even if the teaching is to remind us to slow, pause, and feel-good energy from time-to-time - that's still excellent teaching. "Ley" is an Anglo-Saxon word that refers to cleared strips of ground or meadows. We also know the pyramids were aligned under different star constellations. Please review here: Create Google Ley Line Map. The St Michael's line is an invisible line drawn across the south of England connecting many historical churches, prehistoric monuments and sites of interest which have an affinity with Saint Michael. Masonic Ley Lines [Archive] - David Icke's Official Forums. They can be found anywhere in the country, but are mainly concentrated near-natural phenomena. Boma Johnson, Earth Figures of the Lower Colorado and Gila River Deserts: A Functional Analysis (Phoenix, Arizona: Arizona Archaeological Society, 1986), p. 107. It is now unlawful for someone driving in the passing lane to stay in . The Georgia Guidestones is a granite monument erected in 1980 in Georgia, in the United States. One such pilgrimage called the keruk is performed even today by the Yuman speaking tribes (viz., the Yuma, Mohave, Cocopa, and Maricopa) in a four-day trek to Avikwaame, the sacred mountain to the north, in order to celebrate the cosmogony. North American Magnetic Anomaly Map: Airborne measurement of the earth's magnetic field over all of North America provides gridded data describing the magnetic anomaly caused by variations in earth materials and structure. Below you will find an example of ley lines and you can see Coral Castle on a ley line. Copyright 2013 - 2023 Amanda Linette Meder, How To Find Energy Vortex Locations In The USA, What To Expect In Your First Few Years As A Psychic Medium, The Oldest Spiritualist Group in The United States . On the evening of March 13th, 1997 an immense triangular UFO perhaps a mile wide flew over the American Southwest. On the eastern side of Babylon was an outer rampart of triple wall construction extending for 11 miles. In the popular imagination, a ley is a magical line of Earth Energy that connects All About Finding Energy Vortex Locations In The United States / A Guide To Finding Energy Vortices in the US. Now, it doesn't matter how fast or slow you are going in the left lane. The main canals leading from the Salt and Gila rivers measured up to 75 feet across at the top and 50 feet wide at the bottom. Philip Carr-Gomm and Richard Heygate describe the origin of ley lines in their "Book of English Magic": "Alfred Watkins, a landscape photographer in Herefordshire, noticed that ancient sites . The whereabouts of this artifact are currently unknown. 232-234; b. Dan Shaw has studied alchemy and researched vortexes and ley lines since 1986. The Greek root arsen means male, strong or virile, which suggests the active reach of this potent and potentially deadly number across the globe. Shortly before the end of World War II Franklin D. Roosevelt died suddenly of a cerebral hemorrhage at Warm Springs, Georgia, which is less than 10 miles south of 33 degrees latitude. The artifacts found include copper bells and macaw feathers from Mesoamerica as well as shells from the Gulf of Mexico and the California coast. a link on the web that shows a ley line that runs from Mexico up the east 21. Other theories posit that ley lines run along fault lines, claiming that the lines begin in the Peruvian Mountains and stretch through San Francisco and Alaska. Just because a location is on the vortex map, does not prove there is a vortex there. CIRCLE LEY LINE that goes directly thru TEOTIHUACAN, Sandy Hook, Washington We must consider the possibility the ley line plus pyramid system was specifically designed to open portals into our dimension. We do know now there is a pattern between some massacres, specific ancient gate star systems, ancient monuments, and the ley lines. Web site: http://www.disinfo.com/site/displayarticle13861.html. And finally, Besh-ba-gowah Archaeological Park located one-and-a-half miles south of downtown Globe, Arizona (33 degrees 25 minutes) was a granite cobble pueblo of 250-plus rooms inhabited between 1225 and 1450 A.D. We don't know how or why they chose the sites to build significant monuments and buildings. Outside of these hotspots, there are approximately 60 known vortices in and around the United States. On the morning of July 6, 2022, the guidestones were heavily damaged in a bombing, and were dismantled later that day. The law was passed this spring by the Georgia General Assembly as House Bill 459. [33] The route ran from Pilot Knob, or Avikwal [near Yuma, Arizona], the spirit house where the dead dwell at the southern end of the river, to Avikwaame, or Spirit Mountain, where the Earth was created, in the north. The album was produced by Joe Henry, recorded over ten days in Marin County[1] studio Panoramic House,[2] and released on May 3, 2019. It is now unlawful for someone driving in the passing lane to stay in that lane once "such person knows or should reasonably know that he or she is being overtaken from the rear by a motor vehicle traveling at a higher rate of speed," according to the language of the law. 18. Will C. Barnes, Arizona Place Names (Tucson: The University of Arizona Press, 1997, 1988), pp. The law doesn't apply when someone must drive in the left lane to exit or turn left, on toll highways, when compliance with other laws or traffic control devices make it necessary to drive in the passing lane, or when inclement weather, obstructions, or hazards make it necessary to drive in the passing lane. Vortex Hunters compiles vortex tips and catalogs those places that have received several in one area. Norman T. Oppelt, Guide to Prehistoric Ruins of the Southwest (Boulder, Colorado: Pruett Publishing Company, 1989, reprint, 1981), p. 47. Where are the ley lines in Georgia - The Q&A wiki, North American "Ley Lines" - Divine Cosmos. When you are selecting which vortex to visit next, remember that there are both marked and unmarked vortices in every state. Below you will find an example of ley lines and you can see Coral Castle on a ley line. The first ground zero: a visit to the Trinity test site, where the deer and the antelope play, Andy Walton, CNN Interactive [web site online]; available from the World Wide Web, http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/experience/the.bomb/route/03.trinity; accessed 9 February 2002. This charming antebellum port city and hub of southern culture is located less than 15 miles south of the 33rd parallel. If a line is drawn from the State Capitol to the Estrella ranges Monument Hill (the initial point for surveying of property in Arizona), the azimuth is also 242 degrees. The Guidestones were briefly shown and discussed in the 1986 documentary film Sherman's March, and were featured extensively in a 2012 episode of Mysteries at the Museum, a "Monumental Mysteries Special" featuring Don Wildman. Dante Alighieri, The Paradiso: a Verse Rendering For the Modern Reader, translated by John Ciardi (New York: New American Library, 1970,1961), p. 365. anyone call this all a coincidence?. [1] On the reverse of the Masonically inspired Great Seal of the United States is the pyramid with the all-seeing eye of divine Reason at its apex. Oppelt, Guide to Prehistoric Ruins, pp. We learn from the book of Bel and the Dragon, that in Babylon was kept a great, live serpent, which the people worshipped. [22] This reminds us of the Place of the Snakes, or the Hohokam site of Snaketown, as well as of the Hopi biennial Snake Dance ceremony still performed with live rattlesnakes on the high desert of Arizona. After visiting a vortex, try to keep yourself in the vortex state of being for as long as possible. In fact, the town of Globe was so named because of the 1875 discovery of a globe-shaped mass nine inches in diameter made of 99% pure silver and valued at $12,000. More than forty rare maps from more than a dozen contributors. What happens when the two energies meet at a point? Arsenic is a brittle, steel-gray substance that is actively poisonous. Identifying Genuine Chosen People vs. Coons and Immigrants, Bezos, Gates, & Harvard: The Hellfire Club Against the Sun, Cult 45 and the Golden Calf of the End Times, March 7 to 11: The Great California Earthquake, M6.6 south of the Fiji Islands 4 days ago, Super Bowl 52: Prediction, Protection Spell, and the god Silvanus, The Super Gay Agenda Targeting Your Children. Ley lines were first discussed by a guy from England in around 1925 in his book "The old straight track". [24]. Though when you think of vortices, you usually think of vortices being found in natural locations, humans can generate and create them, too. The passing lane is defined as the far left-hand lane that is not an HOV lane. 5632, 1928, 1906, 1871), p. 363. The latter structure was a seven-tiered ziggurat rising to a height of 300 feet with a base on each side measuring the same distance. Ley lines are geologic features that connect various points in space. In fact, no wheelbarrows or draft animals were ever used. [CDATA[ Hi, I'm Amanda! Georgia sacred Mysteries - Ley Lines, Power Points, Witchcraft and. Ley lines in the United States are rumored to connect points of spiritual significance to Native Americans. Next the UFO entered Sky Harbor Airports air space, where air controllers in the tower and the flight crew from at least one commercial airliner viewed it, although radar failed to detect it. When [clover] is located upon a mountain it comes to signify knowledge of the divine essence gained by hard endeavor [Natural steps], through sacrifice or study (equivalent to ascension) J.E. A capstone lies on top of the five slabs, which are astronomically aligned. Extracted and hauled from a quarry many miles away, these megaliths include one block measuring 80 feet long and weighing 1,100 tons. 55. Resembling some sort of fowl flying toward the sunset, this mound was constructed using 300,000 cubic yards of clay, or the equivalent to 10 million 50-pound baskets. So when you realize these LINES radiate energy and are about 1/2 a degree All rights reserved. But it is only one on the ley line patterns of many. Ley lines in the United States are often linked to dowsing and the belief that dowsers can sense these invisible power points. 39. We know, as a result, that the ancients were well aware of . 22 for the week ending May 18, 2019. [46] The site is also one of the few in the Southwest that shows evidence of three different cultures living together: the Hohokam, the Mogollon, and the Anasazi-- the last group named migrating from the Hopi country to the north. 10. P. David Seaman, Hopi Dictionary (Flagstaff, Arizona: Northern Arizona University Anthropological Paper No. The biblical interpretation of the name is fanciful. [32] Because these earth forms, like the Nazca lines in Peru or Bird Mound at Poverty Point, are best appreciated from the air, they were probably intended to be an homage to the sky gods. Thus, Babylons symbolic importance, which the co-authors believe extends back to at least Knights Templar times and probably before, is reemphasized inside every Masonic lodge to the present day. Yoko Ono and others have praised the inscribed messages as "a stirring call to rational thinking", while Wired stated that unspecified opponents have labeled them as the "Ten Commandments of the Antichrist". Honestly, it seems mostly wishful thinking and a way to claim cultural esotericism from indigenous people the British colonised and oppressed. They can only post vortices in public spots, so if you have one on your private land, it may not be listed. If you notice three or more of the above, you may have found a positive energy spot, known as a vortex or energy flow. Two years after the war ended, the modern flying saucer age began in earnest when something crashed near Roswell, New Mexico-- 33 degrees 26 minutes North latitude. LEY LINES AND VORTICES OF THE AMERICAN WEST. A vortex is any spot of spiraling inward energy. [49] Besh-ba-gowah is an Apache phrase meaning place of the metal, referring to the copious silver and copper deposits in the area. At approximately 9:50 p.m. an arc of amber orbs measuring one mile across appeared above the Estrella Mountains about 20 miles southwest of Phoenix. This pilgrimage was intended to honor the creation, and ritually retrace the path of Mastamho [the creator-deity, whose name echoes the Hopi god Masauu mentioned above] in his mythic adventures. [34] Here we find a north-south dichotomy similar to that found along the Nile, with the Mound of Creation (i.e., Heliopolis) located to the north. 28. Vortices can be formed from a concentration of energy created by human-made energy clusters, or through energy clusters created by other Earth beings and forces. 17. During the tenth century B.C. We always sense connections between far removed places, and our album is a reflection of that with the layering of Appalachia, Ireland, and West Africa. [52] (Was this monument Masonically inspired?) Most people use clairsentience, or their feeling abilities and how they respond to an area of land to identify vortices, so here's how you do it: Find an area in your backyard, neighborhood, or community that feels the most energetically fresh and even refreshing to you. Near Gila Bend, Arizona about 62 miles west of Snaketown (mentioned above) is Painted Rocks [sic] State Park, which has thousands of petroglyphs of similar designs-- not painted but pecked into the boulders. Perhaps ley line energy is captured by ancient monuments and creates a circuit with star energy? Ley lines are straight tracks or lines, essentially energy grids, that stretch across the earth in every direction. There is obviously a science behind this and also an occult driven strategy using them. What it means, is that someone suggested the location and provided evidence or a personal account, and/or we found corroborating evidence from other sources. Would you please forward this information to Mr. Erevna? Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas, The Hiram Key: Pharaohs, Freemasons and the Discovery of the Secret Scrolls of Jesus (Shaftesbury, Dorset, England: 1998, 1997, 1996), pp. There are two exceptions: one site in Lebanon is 68 nautical miles from the 33rd parallel and another site in Georgia is 71 nautical miles (nearly 82 English miles) from this latitude line. [3] Leylines was ranked on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart, peaking at No. 15. Three Rivers Site is also unique because it is one of only a few places in the Southwest that were used primarily for rock art rather than it being merely an adjunct to the village. Documenting your experience at a vortex will help normalize our human experience with energy and classify the location for others, so if you visit one, share. In fact, no wheelbarrows or draft animals were ever used. Just one minute after the Paulden sighting, it was reported over Prescott Valley, which is 23 miles south-southeast of the former. Singer-songwriters Ani DiFranco and Trevor Hall, as well as jazz . 25-27. According to the narrative told in the ritual, these children of the Babylonian captivity desire to assist in the rebuilding of the Temple of Solomon. (One international nautical mile = one arc minute of latitude or longitude = 6080.2 ft.). Graham Hancock, Fingerprints of the Gods: The Evidence of Earths Lost Civilization (New York: Crown Trade Paperbacks, 1995), p. 262. world-famous (Becker & Hagens) EarthStar Globe. The Mysterious Phoenix Lights, Jim Dilettoso, Exotic Research [web site online]; available from the World Wide Web, http://www.exoticresearch.com/store/conftape/1998jul/600117.htm; accessed 10 February 2002; b. Ciriot, translated from the Spanish by Jack Sage, A Dictionary of Symbols (New York: Philosophical Library, 1962), p. 48. 23. Constructed of unshaped quartzite and adobe mortar, these ruins inhabited in the mid-fourteenth century contained 70 rooms within three caves. A "grid" of twelve Great Circles surrounds the Earth, we call the "Earth Grid." [43] Although American Indians may instead have constructed this site for an astronomical observatory similar to the one at Casa Malpais near Springerville, Arizona (34 degrees 10 minutes), Doutrs theory is nonetheless an intriguing one. The Greeks called Bel Beliar; and Hesychius interprets that word to mean dragon or great serpent. Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument (33 degrees 22 minutes) is located in a rugged and isolated region about 60 miles west of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. Fort Mountain; Georgia Guidestones; Ocmulgee Mounds; Sorrel-Weed House; Stone Mountain; Resources . We will post your comments here. The description of this leyline is as follows: NEW ORLEANS & The SuperDome are about 43.14 Miles from the 188 GREAT 40. 54. This article is about the 2019 Rising Appalachia album. 34. You can work with the energy at vortices to balance your energy, your body, and your spirit. Just added: Bermuda Triangle to Cubabi Mexico major leyline. The Hohokam inhabited the Valley of the Sun perhaps as early as 300 B.C. Two interpenetrating triangles whose apexes point in opposite directions form the hexagram of the Star of David (3 + 3 = 6). The law was passed this spring by the Georgia General Assembly as House Bill 459. 1, the Masonic meeting place was known as the Mother Lodge of the world. For instance, at a latitude of 33 degrees 19 minutes was located the primary Phoenician seaport of Tyre (now called Sr), almost 50 miles south of Beirut. This pair is thought to be the prototype of Jachin and Boaz, the two pillars found on the eastern wall of every Masonic temple in the world. Deborah King also believes that some of the more prominent vortices on earth are chakra centers for the planet. High in the Superstition Mountains about 54 miles east of the metropolis lies an elliptical medicine wheel constructed of a stone wall three feet thick with a circumference of 427 feet. The 26 earthen platform mounds arranged in a circular pattern are similar in structure to those in Arizonas Valley of the Sun, with temples and residences for the elite priesthood likewise built on top. stadia. These ancient American Indians created an estimated total of 500 miles of canals to irrigate over 25,000 acres in the Phoenix Basin-- all constructed with mere digging sticks, stone implements, and woven carrying baskets. [10], The song "Harmonize" was released early as a music video which was featured by Rolling Stone. The guild met to discuss working hours, wages, and rules for daily labor. // < ! Georgia Guidestones Mystery Solved: Poplar Forest Jefferson's Axis. 49. a. Noble, Ancient Ruins, pp. In addition to these earth vortexes, I believe there are also paranormal vortices, which are commonly known as portals, and they come from the sky element above. Lets use Google Maps to create a library of ley lines and monuments. We must remember ley lines are subtle and quite natural energies of the earth. Ley lines are lines that crisscross around the globe, like latitudinal and longitudinal lines, that are dotted with monuments and natural landforms, and carry along with them rivers of supernatural energy. There is now a link between the Silver Gate and the ritual performed by Beyonce. These languages are: English, Spanish, Swahili, Hindi, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese, and Russian. Ley Lines & Vortexes. The monument is 19 feet 3 inches (5.87 m) tall, made from six granite slabs weighing 237,746 pounds (107,840 kg) in all. . Poverty Point Earthworks: Evolutionary Milestones of the Americas, Louisiana Office of State Parks [web site online]; available from the World Wide Web, http://www.lpb.org/programs/povertypoint/pp_transcript.html; accessed 4 July 2002; c. A Rich Culture Flourished 12 Centuries Before Christ, Poverty Point State Historic Site, Louisiana State Parks [web site online]; available from the World Wide Web, http://www.crt.state.la.us/crt/parks/poverty/pvertypt.htm; accessed 4 July 2002. Note: There is currently no scientific method to prove that vortexes exist. Polly Schaafsma, Indian Rock Art of the Southwest (Albuquerque: University of new Mexico Press, 1995, 1980), p. 235. B.R. Martin Doutr, Circlestone: an ancient Medicine Wheel in the Superstition Mountains, Ancient Celtic New Zealand [web site online]; available from the World Wide Web, http://www.celticnz.co.nz/Circlestone/Circlestone1.htm; accessed 4 August 2002. Regardless of what each vortex is meant to do, they are all connected and respond to each other. Bill Weir, Arizona Travelers Handbook (Chico, California: Moon Publications, Inc., 1992, 1986), p. 295. . It was next seen 22 minutes later over the village of Paulden, Arizona (nearly 25 miles north of the town of Prescott). Looking for a specific topic? In more recent times Babylon played a significant role in the rituals of Freemasonry and continues to do so. Photo of red abstract spiral with gold in the center by beate bachmann from Pixabay. 1. All things need energy to move all things. Its interior is rumored to be a model of this empire with a jeweled roof depicting the constellations and rivers of flowing mercury. In addition, the terraced Hanging Gardens were one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It is noteworthy (no pun intended) that in the mid-30s FDR, a 32nd degree Mason and 32nd President of the U.S., initiated the printing of the reverse side of the Great Seal (the pyramidal eye mentioned at the beginning of this essay) on the legal tender. Most of the major ancient sacred sites on the new and old continents are built on the confluences of these lines. We shall continue eastward to encounter other significant ancient sites along the same parallel. Leys between Gold Hill, Oregon; Yucatan Peninsula, & Cairo, Genuine Vortexes Open as Tourist Attractions, DC & US Capitol Cities on Volcano Latitudes, EarthStar North America, the Wheel with 19 Spokes diagram, EarthStar North America map detail: Crater Lake, Sisters, Columbia River, Rainier, Rica, Individualization of the Three Americas, Chaco Canyon Meridian to Casas Grandes, Mexico, Iceland - Hawaii - South Orkney Islands Triangle, Alaska as the Center of a Great Circle of Ancient Sites, Alaska & the Great Pyramid, Corners of a Square, Nova Scotia Energy Axis and 5-pointed Stars, Costa Rica 8-sided Medicine Wheel Unites North & South, Complete Set of Grid Lines over South America. To order his book, go to: http://www.theorionzone.com, Article from http://www.world-mysteries.com/mpl_gd1.htm#Along, http://www.world-mysteries.com/mpl_gd1.htm#Along, The 33rd Parallel - Masonic Line of Death for Psychic Energy, Phoenix: Masonic Metropolis in the Valley of the Sun, Freemasonic Order of the Golden Centurium. Since I live in Atlanta metro, I checked the Georgia Dome and found Dozens of Earth Energy researchers have identified other energetic geometric ley patterns. David S. Whitley, A Guide to Rock Art Sites: Southern California and Southern Nevada (Missoula, Montana: Mountain Press Publishing Company, 1996), p. 127. The Primary Ley-lines of America. Atlanta, Baltimore Ravens stadium, FALCONS Dome and Stonehenge, as well as Why are so many significant ancient and historic sites located along the 33rd parallel? In my area, the two most popular vortices are in Gettysburg and Ringing Rocks, both locations with lots of exposed geology. [29]. This is in part due to sacred places, and perhaps circles the Earth. Balancing Vortices - these carry a mix of energy and can be harmonizing, often tourist spots or cities. [54] This series of sightings that occurred within a 400-mile stretch took just 50 minutes. This city and a tower (Genesis 11:4) was known as Ba-bel, the legendary site of the linguistic confounding. 26. a. Franklin Folsom and Mary Elting Folsom, Americas Ancient Treasures: A Guide to Archaeological Sites and Museums in the United States and Canada (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1983, 1974, 1971), pp. The next day after the interview I received the following email forwarded to me by Steve Quayle. Leylines is the sixth studio album by American Appalachian band Rising Appalachia.The album was produced by Joe Henry, recorded over ten days in Marin County studio Panoramic House, and released on May 3, 2019. But the theory is that big, important monuments (think Stonehenge and the Pyramids of Giza) are all running on a kind of energy highway that "connects" them. The craft continued southeast above Interstate 10 and was sighted in the Tucson area about 8:45. Below you will find an example of ley lines and you can see Coral Castle on a ley line. Georgia's new law regarding slow drivers in the "passing lanes" went into effect on July 1, and the law applies to all roads with at least two lanes in each direction - not just interstates. (The S. supposedly stood for Solomon.) Keep in mind that different energies bring out something new in everyone; you learn more about those you travel with when you have spiritual experiences with them. D.B. Here is a plan to aid us all in our research. They were discovered by American explorer Charles Darwin in 1845 and have been used by scientists to study the movements of the Earth's tectonic plates.