Great Pyramid thermal scans reveal 'major anomalies'

Following a couple weeks of thermal scanning, researchers have announced that the Great Pyramid of Giza shows "major anomalies". The source of the anomalies has been narrowed down to three blocks that are "different in formation" from the rest, among other things, and could indicate a previously undiscovered blocked off passage, fissure, or a room of some sort. The blocks are located on the eastern side of the pyramid; the middle of the eastern side likewise has a "similar formation".

This thermal scanning effort was carried out in collaboration with several university, including Japan's Nagoya University, the French Heritage Innovation and Preservation Institute, and more. The scans were performed at sunrise, which is when the sun warms the pyramid's structures from outside, and then again at sunset, when the heat dissipates.

The rate of heating and cooling is monitored to pin-point anomalies, which could be anything from an undiscovered room to, in this case, blocks that don't watch the rest. The aforementioned three blocks were discovered due to surrounding blocks having the same temperature, while three odd blocks stayed warmer longer.

In addition, in a statement yesterday, Minister of Antiquities Mamdouh Eldamaty stated "that there is something like a small passage leading up to the pyramid ground, reaching an area with a different temperature." Scientists discovered this on the pyramid's eastern side. "I don't know yet what could lay behind such block or what these anomalies could be, but it will surely lead to major discoveries."

Not everyone feels so optimistic, however. Speaking to Ahram, an anonymous Egyptian Egyptologist said that researchers won't find anything behind these blocks, save for fractures, due to this being the so-called "mother rock" of the plateau.

SOURCE: Ahrem