Chocolate Hills (Philippines)
Composed
of around 1,268 perfectly cone-shaped hills of about the same size
spread over an area of more than 50 square kilometres (20 sq mi), this
highly unusual geological formation, called Chocolate Hills, is located
in Bohol, Philippines. There are a number of hypotheses regarding the
formation of the hills. These include simple limestone weathering,
sub-oceanic volcanism, the uplift of the seafloor and a more recent
theory which maintains that as an ancient active volcano
self-destructed, it spewed huge blocks of stone which were then covered
with limestone and later thrust forth from the ocean bed.
Wave Rock (Australia)
The
Wave Rock is a natural rock formation located in western Australia. It
derives its name from the fact that it is shaped like a tall breaking
ocean wave. The total outcrop covers several hectares; the "wave" part
of the rock is about 15 meters high and approximately 110 meters long.
One aspect of Wave Rock rarely shown on photographs is the retaining
wall about halfway up the rock. This follows the contours and allows
rainwater to be collected in a dam. It was constructed in 1951 by the
Public Works Department, and such walls are common on many similar rocks
in the wheatbelt.
Hell Gate (Uzbekistan)
Called
by locals The Door to Hell, this place in Uzbekistan is situated near
the small town of Darvaz. When geologists were drilling for gas, 35
years ago, they suddenly found an underground cavern that was so big,
all the drilling site with all the equipment and camps got deep deep
under the ground. None dared to go down there because the cavern was
filled with gas, so they ignited it so that no poisonous gas could come
out of the hole, and since then, it has been burning. Nobody knows how
many tons of excellent gas has been burned for all those years but it
just seems to be infinite.
Giants Causeway (Ireland)
An
area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the Giants Causeway
is a result of an ancient volcanic eruption. Located on the north-east
coast of Northern Ireland, most of its columns are hexagonal, although
there are also some with four, five, seven and eight sides. The tallest
are about 12 meters (36 ft) high, and the solidified lava in the cliffs
is 28 meters thick in places. In a 2005 poll of Radio Times readers, the
causeway was named as the fourth greatest natural wonder in the United
Kingdom.
Blue Lake Cave (Brazil)
Mato
Grosso do Sul region in Brazil (and especially the quiet town of
Bonito) boasts many marvelous underground lakes: Gruta do Lago Azul,
Gruta do Mimoso, Aquário Natural. The world famous "Gruta do Lago Azul”
(Blue Lake Cave) is a natural monument whose interior is formed by
stalactites, stalagmites and a huge and wonderful blue lake. The beauty
of the lake is something impressive. The Blue Lake Cave has a big
variety of geological formation but impresses mainly for the deep blue
colored water of its inside lake.
Eye of the Sahara (Mauritania)
This
spectacular landform in Mauritania in the southwestern part of the
Sahara desert is so huge with a diameter of 30 miles that it is visible
from space. Called Richat Structure --or the Eye of the Sahara-- the The
formation was originally thought to be caused by a meteorite impact but
now geologists believe it is a product of uplift and erosion. The cause
of its circular shape is still a mystery.
Crystal Cave of the Giants (Mexico)
Found
deep inside a mine in southern Chihuahua Mexico, these crystals were
formed in a natural cave totally enclosed in bedrock. A geode full of
spectacular crystals as tall as pine trees, and in some cases greater in
circumference, they are a translucent gold and silver in color and come
in many incredible forms and shapes. The Crystal Cave of the Giants was
discovered within the same limestone body that hosts the silver-zinc-
lead ore bodies exploited by the mine and it was probably dissolved by
the same hydrothermal fluids that deposited the metals with the gypsum
being crystallized during the waning stages of mineralization.
Great Blue Hole (Belize)
Part
of the Lighthouse Reef System, The Great Blue Hole lies approximately
60 miles off the mainland out of Belize City. A large, almost perfectly
circular hole approximately one quarter of a mile (0.4 km) across, it’s
one of the most astounding dive sites to be found anywhere on earth.
Inside this hole, the water is 480 feet (145 m) deep and it is the depth
of water which gives the deep blue color that causes such structures
throughout the world to be known as "blue holes."
Antelope Canyon (Arizona - USA)
The
most visited and photographed slot canyon in the American Southwest,
the Antelope Canyon is located on Navajo land near Page, Arizona. It
includes two separate, photogenic slot canyon sections, referred to
individually as Upper Antelope Canyon --or “The Crack”-- and Lower
Antelope Canyon --or “The Corkscrew.”The Navajo name for Upper Antelope Canyon is Tse' bighanilini, which means "the place where water runs through rocks." Lower Antelope Canyon is Hasdestwazi, or "spiral rock arches." Both are located within the LeChee Chapter of the Navajo Nation.
The Wave (between Arizona and Utah - USA)
A
red-rock stunner on the border of Arizona and Utah, The Wave is made of
190-million- year-old sand dunes that have turned to rock. This
little-known formation is accessible only on foot via a three-mile hike
and highly regulated.