‘A Tear In Time Itself’: Is Antarctica Hiding Secret Realms Full Of Creatures We Long Thought Extinct?

The internet has long been home to conspiracy theories, some with more evidence behind them than others.

But while internet conspiracies of old took the form of text posts spread across multiple different forums, the rise of social media—and the accessibility of A.I. image and text generation software—has allowed some wild ideas to spread like never before.

In some cases, these are old conspiracies that have been given a new life. For example, right now, TikTok’s current conspiracy obsession appears to be with Antarctica. According to some on the platform, things down there are not as they seem.

What’s Going On in Antarctica?

If one takes TikTok conspiracy theorists at their A.I.-generated word, Antarctica contains a host of mysteries.

One video on the topic, which currently has more than 60,000 views, insists that Antarctica contains a “rift — a tear in time itself” that allows people to time travel.

“It pulls people in, then spits them out somewhere else in history,” the voiceover of this video says.

“The Nazis found it first in the 1930s, buried deep under the ice. They sent a team in, and for weeks, nothing. Then some of them came back, but they weren’t the same,” the voiceover continues. “One soldier was decades older, another was missing an eye, but reports say he never lost it in the first place. They spoke of seeing cities that don’t exist yet. And ruins of civilizations that never should have been.”

According to the voiceover, this journey was the true reason the “Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1959” — not, as most people believe, “peaceful research.”

Of course, you can’t see this rift though services like Google Earth because it’s redacted, and every person who has traveled there has “disappeared without a trace.”

“Some return before they even leave,” the voiceover states. “The worst part? Sometimes people return twice.”

The video ends by saying it is for “for entertainment purposes only.”

But that’s not the only Antarctica theory gaining traction on the platform.

A.I. Joe Rogan Joins the Chat

In another video, which has more than 2.2 million views, creator @jumpers_theories uses an A.I. Joe Rogan voice to explain why “every map you’ve ever seen is wrong.”

According to this video, “Antarctica isn’t a continent; it’s a barrier—a massive ice wall that wraps around our world like the edge of a plate.”

The video continues by claiming that there was a “classified mission” in 1956 to breach the ice wall. The scientists involved succeeded, and once they did, they were met by an incredible surprise.

“It was green valleys, ancient structures, and skies with two suns. They called it Terra Infinita: the infinite land, a realm untouched by time, where creatures long extinct roam free, where the laws of physics begin to crack and the stars above are not the ones we know,” the voiceover says.

While everyone else on the journey disappeared, one survivor managed to return.

“He claimed the land was not uninhabited,” the voiceover says. “He spoke of tall beings glowing with a faint blue light: neither human nor alien, but something in between. They communicated through thought, and they warned you were never meant to cross.”

“Weeks later, that survivor vanished,” the voiceover continues. “His notes were burned, his team never found.”

The video concludes by, too, questioning the Antarctic Treaty, claiming that other missions attempting to see what this explorer saw have disappeared without a trace.

Is Any of This True?

In short, no.

Given its vast land area and inaccessibility, it’s no surprise that Antarctica holds a particular interest for conspiracy theorists.

However, while Antarctica itself is a fascinating place, its interest is not due to any alleged “time rift” or secret civilization.

To start, the Nazis did make missions to Antarctica, but they were mostly to thwart Norwegian territorial claims and protect German whaling interests. While these missions were largely secret, there is zero evidence, or even a documented claim, of these missions finding a time rift, and repeated searches to find a lingering Nazi presence on the continent have not produced results.

Regarding the “ice wall” theory, this would require the Earth to be flat, which has been repeatedly disproven as far back as Ancient Greece. Still, it should be noted that there is, again, zero evidence of such a mission like the one described above ever taking place, let alone the discovery of “Terra Infinita.”

Finally, while conspiracy theorists like to spin the Antarctic Treaty as a means of hiding secrets from the world, the true reason behind its signing had significantly more to do with the desire to continue research while not exacerbating tensions during the Cold War.

Plus, if one really wants to see Antarctica, the treaty won’t stop you—there are numerous companies that offer tourism packages to Antarctica, and one can even apply to work at one of the continent’s research stations.

While most of this tourism occurs on the continent’s outer areas, one can visit numerous locations within the continent as well, including the South Pole. You might not see “green valleys, ancient structures, and skies with two suns”—but it will definitely be an experience you’ll never forget.