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| 10 Most Amazing World's Natural Wonders |
On Earth there are a lot of things that have the ability to strike us with pure wonderment, many of which you've probably already heard of, like the Great Wall of China, the Pyramids of Egypt, and the Coliseum in Rome, but as impressive as those things are, there exists things on Earth that nature has created naturally that are so beautiful and complex that they rival even the greatest of mankind's architectural accomplishments.
So, this week I gathered some of the most fascinating creations of nature to share with you all. So, here they are: The ten most amazing wonders of nature that you've never seen.
Number one : the Cano Cristals River in Columbia
Located in central Columbia, Serrania de la Macarena National Park, this river has inspired such nicknames as "The River of Five Colors" and "The River that Ran Away to Paradise". Known as one of the most beautiful rivers in the world, the water here runs crystal clear year round. That is until the water level dips during the brief window between the wet and dry season and then something really cool happens.
When the water level dips, the sun's rays provide just enough light to make the moss in the lake explode into a kaleidoscope of colors, including pink, blue, yellow, and green, making the lake look like a liquid rainbow.
This lake is really cool to look at, but not to swim in, because you'd probably emerge from it looking like a furry rainbow Cookie Monster. Unless, you want to be a furry rainbow, in which case, you go girl.
Number two : The Stone Forest in China
Located in the Yunnan Province of China are giant stalagmite-looking rocks that jut straight out of the ground. These mountainous rocks cover an area of 350 km, giving the illusion of a forest made of stone.
Approximately, 270 million years ago, the entire area was underwater and the sea floor was covered in limestone. Over time the seabed rose, the water dried up, and as the rain and wind eroded the weaker rock, the stronger limestone spires began to form, leaving what we see today. Of course, that explanation isn't quite as curious as the legend of the forest, which is that the forest was a birthplace of a girl named Ashima, who after falling in love, was forbidden to marry her chosen suitor and instead turned into a stone in the forest that still bears her name.
Number three : the Marble Caves in Chile
Located in Patagonia, Chile, these caves are considered the most beautiful cave network in the world.
6,000 years of erosion have carved out these intricate caves out of giant pieces of marble, giving them a unique look not found anywhere else in the world. The walls of the cave shimmer with vibrant colors of green, deep blue, and turquoise from the reflection of the Carrera Lake below it. What's really interesting about this place is that the colors observed and the overall experience for the tourists who kayak through the caves are always different depending on the light, the water level, and the time of year, which are always changing.
Number four are the Sarisarinama Sinkholes in Venezuala
Located in the Bolivar state of Venezuala near the border of Brazil is a flat-topped mountain with some very distinct features. At the top of the mountain are four massive and perfectly circular sinkholes up to 352 meters wide and 314 meters deep. The sinkholes are surrounded by an isolated, lush green rainforest filled with several native species of animals. In fact, the entire area is so isolated that the sinkholes weren't discovered until 1961 when I pilot flying overhead accidentally spotted them below.
Today, the entire area is completely restricted so that not even scientific researchers can perform studies on the site. Personally I think that's a good thing. I mean, I'm all in for scientific research,
but not at the expense of disturbing "Fern Gully". Leave those little creatures alone. They're just having adventures.
Number five : the Cave of the Crystals in Mexico
Located in Naica, Mexico is a cave 300 meters below the surface that's filled with beautifully clear selenite crystals of massive proportions. Also known as "Giant Crystal Cave", the gypsum crystals found here are so huge that the largest found was 12 meters in length, four meters in diameter, and weighed 55 tons. Surprisingly, this cave was only discovered in the year 2000 and the majority of it remains unexplored due to the extreme heat within it that can reach as high as 58 degrees Celsius. This place is truly amazing, not just because of it's beauty, but because it's the closest thing that we've ever seen in real life to Superman's Fortress of Solitude.
Number six : the Ice Towers of Mount Erebus in Antarctica
Located on Ross Island is the second highest active volcano in Antarctica called Mount Erebus. On the frozen slopes of the volcano are 18 meter tall ice towers that continuously spit out steam from the caves below them. In a place where temperatures reach -93 degrees Celsius, these huge steam spitting ice towers look almost magical.What's fascinating is that these majestic glittering towers don't melt because the ice that makes them is so thick that it acts as an insulator, preventing them from melting from the super heated volcanic gases that pass through them.
Number seven: The Eye of the Sahara in Mauritania
Located in west central Mauritania in Africa, this enormous circular depression stretches nearly 50 kilometers across, making it look like a giant bulls-eye. Also known as the "Richat Structure" this landmark formed over time as wind continuously eroded its different layers of sediment, quartzite, and volcanic rock. Visually what's incredible about it is not only did it form in an otherwise featureless desert, but the salt sediment present makes it a beautiful blue color. What makes this structure so incredible is despite extensive field and laboratory studies, geologists still lack an explanation as to its origin.
It was originally interpreted as an asteroid impact. Then, it was thought to be a structure created from a volcanic eruption and now it's argued to be a deeply eroded geologic dome, that's collapsed, but that's still just a theory. Well, until we get solid evidence as to the origins of this structure, I think there's a much simpler explanation. "
Number eight: the Waitomo Glowworm Caves in New Zealand
Located on the northern island of New Zealand is a cave that glows brilliantly, like nothing you've ever seen. Hundreds of thousands of mosquito-sized bio-luminescent glowworms radiate a tiny blue light as they have from the ceiling of the Waitomo Cave creating what looks like a sky of living lights. The specie of glowworm that's found in this cave is actually exclusive to New Zealand and can't be found anywhere else in the world, making it a very popular tourist attraction.
I was curious, so I looked up a little more on glowworms themselves and as it turns out, they're pretty hideous and on top of that they spin these sticky silky threads to capture and eat their prey, which is not at all what I expected based on the glowworm that I had as a child. I was pretty devastated.
Number nine: the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River in the Philippines
Located in a protected area on the island of Palawan is the 8 kilometer long St. Paul's underground river. Not only is the river itself the world's largest navigable underground river, but the cave that contains it is the world's largest cave chamber stretching for more than 24 kilometers. Only a short time ago in 2010, geologists discovered a second floor to the underground river, where they found beautiful waterfalls, underground river channels, marine creatures, and even another deep cave. These newly discovered deep areas of the cave have yet to be explored due to extreme oxygen deprivation.
Number ten: The Giant's Causeway in the United Kingdom
Located in Northern Ireland are 40,000 interlocking basalt columns forming what looks like a walkway for a colossus. Named the fourth greatest natural wonder in the UK, these stones formed approximately 55 million years ago as a result of an ancient volcanic eruption. The columns are mostly hexagonal, some of which are 12 meters tall and 28 meters thick. What's interesting is that the tops of the columns form stepping stones that lead directly into the sea almost as if it was the entrance of a giant's pool. This place is of course not without legend, which is that the structure was built by a giant named Finn MacCool as a meeting ground for a fight with another Scottish giant named Benandonner. Of course an Irish legend has to involve a fight. The only thing more stereotypical would be if the giants went out for a Guinness after the fight.
Anyways, that's all for this article, If you're wondering why Niagara Falls or other big landmarks like that weren't on this list. It's because I wanted to focus on the wonders of nature that you haven't heard of as opposed to the ones that you have.
If you liked this top 10 liste use the links bellow to share the article with your friends. I hope I gave you guys some interesting ideas for possibly a vacation destination and, you know, 'cause I know I'm probably going to be going to that liquid rainbow river thing.
If you didn't found a destination yet even with this top list of top 10 Most AMAZING WONDERS of NATURE, you should definitely check out our video about Norway. It explores and discover more hilarious facts about this beautiful country. I'm sure you guys are really going to love.
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