The east side of Khufu pyramid showing variations in temperature between blocks.
A group of scientists and archaeologists have discovered “thermal anomalies” in Egypt’s Giza pyramids. The readings are prompting curiosities that there may be secret chambers within the pyramids, although it is too soon to tell.
ABC News reports that teams from Cairo University and Heritage Innovation Preservation Institute, started a project called #scanpyramids, aiming to scan the largest of the pyramids with infrared technology. The project was designed to be a year-long, including scans of Khufu, Khafre, Bent, and Red pyramids.
A statement released by Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities, Sunday says that a team “concluded the existence of several thermal anomalies.” The statement also said that the anomalies suggest a “presence of voids behind the surface, internal air currents, different materials.”
The most notable anomaly was on the East side of the Khufu pyramid. Typically, the temperature between two adjacent stones is 0.1 to 0.5 degrees Celsius. The area in question had as much as a 6-degree temperature difference between its surrounding blocks, according to the team.
Khufu has a base larger than 12 acres, and has an overall mass of approximately 5 million tons. Experts say that the anomalies could have more to do with the construction of the pyramid, rather than secret chambers. A difference as small as cracks in the stone, allowing greater air flow, could cause a temperature difference, according to Richard Enmarch, a lecturer in Egyptology at the University of Liverpool.
All data collected and anomalies found will be further analyzed. The mission will continue, as expected through 2016. Other experts on Egyptian archaeologists suggest that sun exposure or a material’s ability to conduct heat may contribute to the temperature difference between blocks.