Nov 17, 2009

Earth Likes to Impress

Pamukalle, Turkey
Meaning "cotton castle".Thousands of years ago earthquakes created fractures that allowed powerful hot springs to bring water rich in calcium carbonate to the surface. As the water evaporated the chalky material condensed and formed layer-upon-layer of Travertine and thus slowly built up the walls in the same way that a stalactite forms in a cave.






                                                            

Moeraki, New Zealand
A little fishing village that has become famous for a geological wonder on its sands. The Moeraki Boulders are huge spherical stones that are scattered over the sandy beaches.These boulders were formed in ancient sea floor sediments by a process similar to the formation of oyster pearls, where layers of material cover a central nucleus or core.



                                                       



Derweze, Turkmenistan
The Derweze area is rich in natural gas. While drilling in 1971 geologists accidentally found an underground cavern filled with natural gas. The ground beneath the drilling rig collapsed, leaving a large hole with a diameter of about 50-100 meters. Locals have named the cavern The Door to Hell.



                                                             

Giant’s Causeway, Ireland
The Giant's Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. The tops of the columns form stepping stones that lead from the cliff foot and disappear under the sea. Most of the columns are hexagonal, although there are also some with four, five, seven and eight sides. The tallest are about 12 metres (36 ft) high, and the solidified lava in the cliffs is 28 metres thick in places.




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Eisriesenwelt Ice Caves, Austria
The Eisriesenwelt is a natural limestone ice cave inside the Hochkogel mountain in the Tennengebirge section of the Alps. Although the cave has a length of 42 km, only the first kilometer, the area that tourists are allowed to visit, is covered in ice. The rest of the cave is formed of limestone.



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White Desert, Egypt
The desert has a white, cream color and  massive chalk rock formations that have been created as a result of occasional sandstorms in the area.




                                                         

Black Rock Desert, Nevada, US
A unique place with its colored geysers, dry rock bed and mountain ranges bordering the  region. Also the site of the annual Burning Man festival.



                                                               

Spotted Lake, Canada
It is highly concentrated with numerous different minerals.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.


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Socotra Island, Yemen
It is very isolated, and through the process of speciation, a third of its plant life is found nowhere else on the planet. One of the most striking of Socotra's plants is the dragon's blood tree , which is a strange-looking, umbrella-shaped tree. It has been described as the most alien-looking place on Earth.


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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love the images posted here… Very Inspiring. The colors are beautifully vivid.

Anonymous said...

I take poops aaaallllll the time