Researchers baffled by discovery of 150,000 year old pipes in China
Scientists have discovered several ancient iron pipes in the vicinity of Mount Baigong, in China’s western province of Qinghai which is an almost completely uninhabitable region. Researchers also claim that in addition to the pipes, they appear to have found a pyramidal structure just off the shores of a salt lake.
The discovered tubes seem to have different shapes and sizes and are positioned in a specific manner. Inside the mysterious pyramid there appear to be several caves, two of which have entirely collapsed and are inaccessible. A third cave entrance, however, allowed researchers to enter the structure where they came across several times on the ceiling and floor, and some of these mysterious pipes actually go into the mountains. On the outside, several of these strange pipes are scattered across the floor and many of these pipes of different diameters lead to a nearby saltwater lake. Curiously these pipes are also found at the bottom of the lake and other surrounding areas in the vicinity. Scientists are baffled by this mysterious discovery.
The surrounding landscape of the region adds to the mystery of these strange pipes as the terrain is filled with strangely shaped rocks that protrude from the ground like broken pillars. The intriguing iron pipes vary in size, with some tubes smaller than a toothpick in its circumference, but the strangest detail about them is their age. According to scientists these strange pipes are at least 150,000 years old.
The age of the pipes was determined by the Beijing Institute of Geology using a technique called thermoluminescence dating. The thermoluminescence is a technique that determines how long a crystalline mineral is exposed to sunlight or heat.
附近的景觀讓這些奇怪的管線更顯神秘，許多像斷柱的奇形怪狀的石頭佈滿整個地區。這些吸引人的鐵管大小不一，有些比牙籤的圓周還小，但是其中最奇怪的細節還是它們的年齡。科學家說這些奇怪的鐵管至少有十五萬年的歷史。這些鐵管的年齡是由北京地質研究院（Beijing Institute of Geology）使用熱發光測年法（thermoluminescence dating）測定的。熱發光是一個能測定結晶礦物在陽光或熱能下的暴露時間的技術。
So what are these tubes? What was their purpose? And who built them 150,000 years ago? According to researchers, humans have only inhabited this specific region over the past 30,000 years and within the known history of the area, the only humans who inhabited the region were nomads whose lifestyle isn’t characteristic of leaving any structures or buildings nor did they posses any knowledge about metallurgy. If the nomads and ancient did built those pipes, who did it?
Several theories have been proposed, and among those theories, the extraterrestrial theories is certainly one that seems to have a lot of room for development. Conventional archaeologists and scholars have tried explaining these structures suggesting that they are a natural phenomenon, but Yang Ji, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, believes that the pyramid and its strange pipes may have been built by intelligent beings.
許多理論被提出，在這些理論中，外星理論看來是最有發展空間的。傳統的考古學家和學者試著解釋這些建築物，他們說這些建築物是自然現象，但是中國社會科學院（Chinese Academy of Social Sciences）的研究人員楊記（Yang Ji）相信這個金字塔結構和管線是由智慧種族建造的。
Since science cannot accurately explain their origin, the ancient astronaut theory seems to be a real possibility. This type of discovery isn’t new, as dozens of similar findings have been discovered across the globe, from the Americas to Russia, and the possibility that extraterrestrial beings have visited earth in the remote past is certainly an option according to ufologists and ancient astronaut theorists.
“The large content of silicon dioxide and calcium oxide is a result of long interaction between iron and sandstone, which means the pipes must be very old,” said Liu Shaolin researcher who performed the tests.
Researchers also analyzedthe pipes at a smelter and the results are actually fascinating. According to the tests, 8 percent of the material in the pipes could not be identified. The rest of the composition of the pipes include, iron oxide, silicon dioxide and calcium oxide. Silicon dioxide and calcium oxide are products obtained after a long interaction between iron and the surrounding sandstone which has provided researchers with the age of the pipes. To add to the mystery, Zheng Jiandong, member of the China Earthquake Administration (CEA) told a local newspaper that the tubes show evidence of radioactivity. Jiandong believes that the iron-rich magma may have risen from the depths of the earth, solidifying the iron fissures in the tubes.
The mystery regarding the Pyramid and the 150,000 year old pipes continues to baffle those who venture out and research the phenomena. Numerous theories have been proposed explaining the pyramidal structure and the pipes, but a definite conclusion has not been reached yet.
研究人員也在一個冶煉廠對這些管線進行分析，結果非常的迷人。測試的結果是，管線中有百分之八的物質是無法辨認的。管線的其他組程成是：氧化鐵、二氧化矽、氧化鈣。二氧化矽和氧化鈣是鐵和周圍的砂石長期交互作用的結果，這也讓研究人員找出了這些管線的年齡。中國地震局的（China Earthquake Administration ，CEA）張景東（Zheng Jiandong）做了補充，他告訴一家本地報紙，這些管線有放射性，他相信富有鐵質的岩漿可能可能從地底湧上，並在管線的縫隙間凝固。