Archaeologists using Google Earth found a huge complex of geoglyphs -- man-made patterns formed out of mounds or ditches -- sprawling across the northern steppe of the Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan.

Clearly seen from the air but barely noticeable on the ground, the glyphs come in an array of patterns ranging from simple squares, rings, and crosses to more complicated swastikas and triskeles (a three-armed spiral).

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Experts are already comparing the find to the famous Nazca Lines in Peru, which like their Kazakh counterparts can only be seen from above. Also, like the Nazca Lines, some of the Kazakh glyphs are huge: One measures 1,312 feet in diameter, longer than modern-day aircraft carriers.

"As of today, we can say only one thing - the geoglyphs were built by ancient people. By whom and for what purpose, remains a mystery," said archaeologists Irina Shevnina and Andrew Logvin of Kostanay University, who discovered the patterns.

The purpose of the Kazakh geoglyphs, with over 50 confirmed, are not immediately clear, but their size suggests a culture with a well-established hierarchy and large labor pool.

The swastika is an ancient symbol often attributed to the Sun, and is still used in Buddhist sects today. Triskeles were favored by the Celts in their art and coinage. Shevnina and Logvin also suggest the earthworks may have indicated ownership of the land.

Central Asia is dotted by several mysterious earthen constructions whose age stretches deep into prehistory. Burial mounds called kurgans are found across the Asian steppe into Europe, and are at least as old as the 4th century BC.

The village of Arkhaim found just beyond the Kazakh border in the southern foothills of the Urals in Russia is dated to the 20 BC.

The surveying and exploration of the Kazakh geoglyphs is ongoing. Shevnina and Logvin recently presented their initial finds at the European Association of Archaeologists' annual meeting in Istanbul this year.

TagsNazca Lines, Kazakhstan, geoglyph, kurgan, Arkaim, Archaeology, swastika, triskele