Google Earth and Maps have a unique ability to make the planet feel both bigger and stranger at the same time.

What starts as a quick look at a famous landmark can easily turn into an hour-long journey across deserts, mountains, forests and remote islands. Somewhere along the way, you'll probably stumble onto something that leaves you wondering whether you're looking at a real place or the opening scene of a science-fiction movie.

That's part of the reason Google Earth has become a favorite tool for internet explorers.

Unlike traditional maps, Google Earth gives people a bird's-eye view of the planet, revealing patterns, structures and landscapes that are impossible to appreciate from the ground. Sometimes those discoveries are beautiful. Other times, they're downright bizarre.

Over the years, people have uncovered giant symbols carved into the earth, abandoned facilities sitting in complete isolation, unusual formations that resemble giant eyes staring back from space, and landscapes so surreal they barely look real.

Some discoveries have simple explanations once you know the history behind them. Others remain strange no matter how much context you add.

Every zoom into a remote corner of the world carries the possibility of finding something unexpected. Maybe it's a forgotten landmark. Maybe it's a strange natural formation. Maybe it's something that still doesn't have a satisfying explanation years after it was discovered.

One thing is certain: The farther you zoom out, the weirder Earth starts to become.

Here are 20 bizarre discoveries that prove Google Earth might be one of the most fascinating rabbit holes on the internet.