First-of-its-kind 3D model lets you explore Easter Island statues up close

[erronis]

https://phys.org/news/2025-11-kind-3d-explore-easter-island.html

Located in the middle of the South Pacific, thousands of miles from the nearest continent, Easter Island (Rapa Nui) is one of the most remote inhabited places on Earth. To visit it and marvel at the quarries where its iconic moai statues were created is a luxury few get to experience—until now.

You can now explore Rano Raraku, one of the major quarries on Easter Island, from the comfort of your home. A research team including faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York has created the first-ever high-resolution 3D model of the quarry, providing people worldwide with a glimpse of the island, including almost 1,000 of its iconic moai statues.

"As an archaeologist, the quarry is like the archaeological Disneyland," said Binghamton University Professor of Anthropology Carl Lipo and lead author of a new paper published in PLOS One. "It has everything you can possibly imagine about moai construction, because that's where they did most of the construction. It's always been this treasure of information and cultural heritage, but it's remarkably underdocumented."

The new model allows visitors to zoom in and pan across various features of the quarry, both high and low, offering views that you wouldn't be able to see even if you did make your way to Rapa Nui. The quarry itself is located in a volcanic crater that is too steep and rugged to safely traverse.

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Interactive map at: https://gis-core.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/3dviewer/index.html?appid=233cada52d434e9fa4d1741c92e308da