An archaeological expedition is investigating a mysterious object in the Pacific that could be Amelia Earhart’s missing airplane

A team from the Archaeological Legacy Institute and Purdue University has arrived on Nikumaroro Island, in Kiribati, to examine the “Taraia Object,” observed in satellite imagery from 2020. Researchers hope to find out whether it is Amelia Earhart’s airplane, which disappeared in 1937 during a flight around the world.

The expedition will last five days and will include searching for metal fragments, removing sediment, and checking the object located in the water, near the shore. The mission is made more difficult by the El Niño phenomenon, marine conditions, and coconut crabs, which can weigh over four kilograms and carry large prey. According to the official explanation, the airplane carrying Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan ran out of fuel after failing to find Howland Island.