Drone footage shows 'doorway' in Kazakhstan mountains; scientists point to natural weathering
Viral clip from the Dzungarian Alatau spurred 'ancient aliens' claims, but geologists say pareidolia and differential rock weathering are more plausible explanations
A short drone clip that has circulated on social media showing a giant, doorway-like opening in Kazakhstan’s Dzungarian Alatau mountains prompted claims that explorers had found an "ancient" entrance or an extraterrestrial base. The footage, posted to Reddit and X, shows two men standing before a semi-circular rock formation that appears, from the camera angle, to be roughly 40 feet (about 12 metres) high and as wide.
Geologists and commentators cautioned against reading the formation as evidence of human construction or alien activity, saying the shape is consistent with natural weathering and pareidolia — the human tendency to perceive meaningful patterns in random shapes. Mark Allen, a professor in the department of earth sciences at the University of Durham, told the Daily Mail the feature may be "to do with different weathering patterns of different rock layers." Allen added that he had worked in the area decades ago and found "nothing odd to report."
The filmed scene begins with a close-up of the two men stepping carefully in snow before the rocky mass. As the camera — likely drone-mounted — pulls back, the curved outline of the opening becomes evident. The Dzungarian Alatau range is situated near Kazakhstan’s border with China and reaches roughly 6,500 feet (2,000 metres) above sea level in places. Observers pointed out that the rock behind the apparent "door" slopes downward, and the drone perspective shows the opposite ridge in view, suggesting any recess beyond would have a low ceiling rather than a large internal chamber.
Social media users compared the formation to doors and portals from popular culture, including video games and films, and speculated about secret caves or hidden structures. Others quickly invoked the "ancient aliens" hypothesis. Several commenters urged caution: similar arch-like or doorway shapes occur in many landscapes where layers of rock erode at different rates, producing symmetrical features that can look deliberate at certain angles.
The site in the footage is thought to lie within the broader Dzungarian Gate or Altai Gap, a historically significant mountain pass that links Central Asia and has served as an invasion route across the region for centuries. The Dzungarian Gate also features in local and classical mythologies; some accounts have linked the wider region to legends such as Hyperborea, a remote northern land described in ancient sources.
Geological processes that create arch-like openings include mechanical and chemical weathering that exploit variations in rock hardness, fractures, bedding planes and jointing. Over long periods, softer layers erode faster than harder strata, which can leave recesses framed by more resistant rock. That process, combined with the angle of observation and snow cover, can produce striking, door-shaped silhouettes.
The episode joins a series of recent viral images and clips in which natural features sparked speculation because they resembled familiar objects or figures. For example, an unusually shaped rock photographed by NASA’s Perseverance rover in Jezero Crater prompted online comparisons to a hat and other everyday items; scientists and journalists noted pareidolia as a common driver of such reactions.
No scientific team has announced a formal investigation of the specific formation shown in the viral clip, and there is no evidence from the footage itself of carved stone, structural reinforcement or human-made openings. Field inspection, mapping and geological sampling would be required to determine the formation's origin conclusively. Until then, geologists say the most parsimonious explanation remains natural weathering producing a door-like shape that the human eye and camera angles readily interpret as an entrance.