Spotted Lake, Osoyoos, British Columbia
Spotted Lake is a saline endorheic alkali lake located northwest of Osoyoos in British Columbia. In the summer, most of the water in the lake evaporates leaving behind all the minerals. Large “spots” on the lake appear and depending on the mineral composition at the time, the spots will be different colors. The spots are made mainly of magnesium sulfate, which crystallizes in the summer. Since in the summer, only the minerals in the lake remain, they harden to form natural “walkways” around and between the spots. The ameoba-shaped Spotted Lake, or Klikuk in the indigenous language, changes colors throughout the year and during the summer time divides itself into white, green or yellow pools.
The Bermuda Triangle
The Bermuda Triangle, aka the Devil’s Triangle, is a region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean. It gained it’s notoriety when a number of aircraft and surface vessels mysteriously disappeared in a manner that cannot be explained by human error, piracy, equipment failure, or natural disasters.
The disappearances have been attributed to the paranormal, a suspension of the laws of physics, or activity by extraterrestrial beings. It is really scary!
Socotra
This enchanting and little known island is located off the coast of Yemen in the Middle East. Isolated from the rest of the world its plants have evolved into many bizarre shapes and forms that are unknown in other parts of the world. This place is probably the most alien-looking on Earth. One third of the flora and fauna on this island, administered by Yemen government, can be found only here. The umbrella-shaped “blood tree,” the cucumber tree, giant succulent tree, different kinds of birds, spiders, bats and cats have the only habitat on Socotra.
McMurdo Dry Valleys
McMurdo Dry Valleys are located on Antarctica but, believe it or not, they lack snow. That makes the area to be a desert, of course the coldest one in the world. However, that’s not the only strange things here. The valleys are “bleeding” from the many geysers, because of the high concentration of iron, making picture of world different than Earth.
Racetrack Playa
In Death Valley, California, there is a dry lakebed called Racetrack Playa, which is famous for its “sliding rocks.” These are chunks of dolomite that fell from the surrounding hills during the occasional rainstorms, and then somehow took trips across the lakebed while it was still muddy. Some of the tracks are over 3,000 feet long, and the rocks can weigh as much as 700 pounds. How these rocks move is still a mystery!
Mount Roraima
Since long before the arrival of European explorers, the mountain has held a special significance for the indigenous people of the region, and it is central to many of their myths and legends It is a pretty remarkable place. It is a tabletop mountain with sheer 400-metre high cliffs on all sides. There is only one ‘easy’ way up, on a natural staircase-like ramp on the Venezuelan side – to get up any other way takes and experienced rock climber. On the top of the mountain it rains almost every day, washing away most of the nutrients for plants to grow and creating a unique landscape on the bare sandstone surface.
Fly Geyser, Reno
Fly Geyser, also known as Fly Ranch Geyser is a small geothermal geyser that is located approximately 20 miles (32 km) north of Gerlach, in Washoe County, Nevada. The Geyser is not an entirely natural phenomenon, and was accidentally created in 1916 during the drilling of a well. The well functioned normally for several decades, but then in the 1960s geothermally heated water found a weak spot in the wall and began escaping to the surface. Dissolved minerals started rising and piling up, creating the mount on which the geyser sits, which is still growing to date. Today, water is constantly squirting out reaching 5 feet (1.5 m) in the air. The geyser contains several terraces discharging water into 30 to 40 pools over an area of 30 hectares (74 acres). The geyser is made up of a series of different minerals, which gives it its magnificent coloration.
Split Apple Rock
Split Apple Rock, rising from the water of Tasman Bay. The giant boulder has been broken in two pieces so cleanly that it’s almost as if a giant hit it with an axe!
Moeraki Boulders
Unusually large and spherical boulders lying along a stretch of Koekohe Beach on the wave cut Otago coast of New Zealand between Moeraki and Hampden. They occur scattered either as isolated or clusters of boulders within a stretch of beach where they have been protected in a scientific reserve. These huge, gray,spherical stones were formed in sediment on the sea floor sixty million years ago and were revealed by shoreline erosion. If we take the local Maori perspective, these are the remainings of calabashes (gourds), kumaras (sweet potatoes) and eel baskets washed ashore when the legendary canoe Araiteuru was wrecked. The boulders can weigh several tons and measure three meters.
Great Blue Hole
If you ever come by near the coast of Belize, you shouldn’t miss an opportunity to visit the Great Blue Hole, one of the world’s most recognizable natural wonders. The Great Blue Hole is located in Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, about 60 miles away from Belize City. It is believed that this hole is the world’s largest sea-hole. It is about 125 meters deep and its diameter is about 300 meters wide. It has been created as a cause of sea level increase about 65,000 years ago. Its almost perfect circular shape made it very popular amongst tourists who often visit this place. This place is most attractive for scuba divers who are exploring the depths of this hole. It is known that there are a plenty of cave networks in this place. Divers are also attracted with plenty of rare animal species and forms of life which can be found only in this place.
No comments:
Post a Comment