Most Fascinating Natural Wonders

Tessellated pavement

A tessellated pavement is a rare erosional feature formed in flat-lying sedimentary rock formations that occurs on some ocean shores. It is so named because the rock has fractured into regular rectangular blocks that appear like tiles, or tessellations. The cracks (or joints) were formed when the rock fractured through the action of stress on the Earth’s crust and were subsequently modified by sand and wave action
A well-known example of this formation can be found at Eaglehawk Neck on the Tasman Peninsula of Tasmania.


 Colorful Lake 

Aerial view of Grand Prismatic Spring in Midway Geyser Basin. This vividly colored hot spring exemplifies Yellowstone’s world-renowned geothermal features. Mineral deposits next to the spring are colored by microbes that thrive in hot water.
The Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park is the largest hot spring in the US and third largest in the world next to those in New Zealand, about 250 by 300 feet (75 by 91 meters) in size and 160 feet (49 meters) deep, discharging an estimated 560 gallons (2000 liters) of 160°F (71°C) water/minute.
The vivid colors in the spring ranging from green to brilliant red and orange are the result of algae and pigmented bacteria in the microbial mats that grow around the edges of the mineral-rich water, the amount of color dependant on the ratio of chlorophyll to carotenoids produced by the organisms. The center of the pool is sterile due to extreme heat.
During summer the chlorophyll content of the organisms is low and thus the mats appear orange, red, or yellow. But in winter, the mats are usually dark green because sunlight is more scarce and the microbes produce more chlorophyll to compensate, thereby masking the carotenoid colors.
The deep azure blue color of the water in the center of the pool results from a light-absorbing overtone of the hydroxy stretch of water. While this effect is responsible for making all large bodies of water blue, it’s particularly intense in Grand Prismatic Spring due to the high purity and depth of the water in its center.


Columnar Basalt


Though it certainly looks chiseled and hewn, this incredible rock bridge is completely natural.
40,000 interlocking basalt columns which are mostly hexagonal..When a thick lava flow cools it contracts vertically but cracks perpendicular to its directional flow with remarkable geometric regularity - in most cases forming a regular grid of remarkable hexagonal extrusions that almost appear to be made by man. One of the most famous such examples is the Giant’s Causeway on the coast of Ireland (shown above) though the largest and most widely recognized would be Devil’s Tower in Wyoming. Basalt also forms different but equally fascinating ways when eruptions are exposed to air or water.


Walking In The Sky

Salar de Uyuni. Some 40,000 years ago, the area was part of Lake Minchin, a giant prehistoric lake.
When the lake dried, it left behind two modern lakes, Poopó Lake and Uru Uru Lake, and two major salt deserts, Salar de Coipasa and the larger Uyuni. Uyuni is roughly 25 times the size of the Bonneville Salt Flats in the United States.
During the Bolivian rainy season the flats are covered in several inches of water—reflecting the sky like a giant mirror. The rest of the year the flat looks like a massive field of snow. The way the salt dries in a consistent hexagonal pattern is most interesting.



Strange Rock Formations

Rock outcrops and unusual formations that seem difficult to explain away through natural phenomena are popularly held up as proof of aliens, unknown civilizations, government conspiracies and more. Usually, these rock structures can in fact be explained by geological history and even weather, intentional in design as they may appear to be.



Red lakes

Southwest Bolivia is dotted with breath-taking lakes and lagoons colored from ice green to deep reds, but one of the most amazing ones is the Red Lake, also known as the Laguna Colorada. Like the name suggests it has a reddish color given by an astronomical number of micro-organisms that live in its waters and by the salt crust. Laguna Colorada is an unforgetable sight especially if you’re lucky enough to spot the rare flamingos that like to spend their time here.



Underground Lakes

Reed Flute Cave in Guilin, China was discovered during the Tang Dynasty almost 1,300 years ago.It’s a huge underground cave system with stunning rock formations, stalagmites and stalactites, illuminated with coloured lights. The cave can hold comfortably 1000 people. 


 Animal Migration 

Animal Migration, seasonal or periodic movement of animals in response to changes in climate or food availability, or to ensure reproduction. Migration most commonly involves movement from one area to another and then back again. This round-trip, or return migration, may be of a seasonal nature, as in the spring and autumn migrations of many birds. Or it may require a lifetime to complete, as in various species of Pacific salmon that are born in freshwater streams, travel to ocean waters, and then return to the stream where they were born to breed before dying.