that's really amazing :O I hope they unearth them all--it's astounding they managed to balance those massive huge structures :O Or maybe that was one of the reasons they made them so tall--TO stick into the ground. Either way, awesome pics thanks a bunch.

Is the statue depicting a guy taking a leak? Those crazy ancient cultures!

I'd happily replace them with some corrupted people whom I'd like to berry up to their neck…

I think that the reason they are buried is due to time. The ground soil his risen that much over their long tenure on that island.

Actually, they sank in the soil because of their weight...some toppled over.

So that's where politicians come from. I must be wrong; to be a politician you just need your head buried in the sand.

I've seen these guys around Detroit.

Im embarrassed for some of the people that made some of the comments. Try doing some research on the subject. You also may want to check out the series "Ancient Aliens" on the History Channel, now in its 3rd season, that addresses this subject, and similar ones in many other places on our planet. Open your minds to our new technology, new archaeological discoveries, and interpretations of ancient languages to the answers to the mystery of Easter Island and many, many others. Ignorance is not bliss...

Lol, you used Ancient Aliens as a source when trying to educate your so called inferiors?

I guess none of you young'uns have ever heard of Thor Heyerdahl who wrote the book Aku Aku. He must be spinning in his grave with a very embarrassed look on his face. Re the Ancient Aliens program.... Erick Von Daniken's first book Chariot of the Gods was actually believable. But his next two books and his current theories are just a bit over the edge. The butter has slipped off his noodles etc.

I think they were most probably buried in silt and rubble to that depth at the great earthwide flood some 4300years ago and some toppled over.

@Thomas: there's no geological evidence of any such worldwide flood. Do you have any peer-reviewed sources on that? If you'd like to cite fairy tales, then I'll cite Jack and the Beanstalk and say that the giant in the clouds buried the statues. But I'd rather stick to modern explanations with empirical truth behind them instead of bronze-age myths.

There were, of course, numerous disastrous floods worldwide most of which coincided with the retreat of the glaciers.No evidence of a worldwide flood however certainly not 4300 years ago.

The veracity of some of Thor Heyerdahl's postulations in his book Aku Aku have been found wanting.