A floating island in Canada has disappeared only weeks after locals noticed it in British Columbia’s Williston Reservoir. The tree-covered mass was difficult to overlook, measuring about 9,800 square metres, but by August 5 it was no longer visible. Geography, apparently, has become optional.
People fishing in the reservoir began photographing the unfamiliar feature in late July. Because any unusual image now receives the same predictable response, some observers questioned whether the pictures had been generated by artificial intelligence. Satellite imagery showed the object too, which made that explanation rather less convincing.
When did the island appear in Williston Reservoir?
CBC reported that the mass began attracting attention near the end of July after several residents encountered it while boating and fishing. They knew the reservoir well enough to notice that a sizeable wooded object had joined the scenery without notice.
Its estimated area of 9,800 square metres made it considerably larger than an ordinary patch of drifting debris. Photographs appeared to show trees and vegetation across its surface, giving it the appearance of a newly formed island rather than a few branches floating together.
No definitive explanation has been given for how it broke free or where it originally came from. The leading practical possibility is that it was a large section of shoreline or vegetation that detached and drifted into open water. Less practical theories soon arrived online, because they usually travel faster.
