1. Antelope Canyon, USA
Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon in the American Southwest. Antelope Canyon includes two separate, photogenic slot canyon sections, referred as Upper Antelope Canyon or The Crack; and Antelope Canyon or the Corkscrew. It was formed by erosion of Navajo Sandstone, primarily due to flash flooding and secondarily due to other sub-aerial processes. During monsoon season, rainwater run with high speed into the extensive basin above the slot canyon and formed the flowing shapes in the rock.Antelope is a popular location for tourism. Photography within the canyons is difficult due to wide exposure range made by light reflecting off the canyon walls. The Upper Antelope Canyon is most frequently visited for two reasons. First, its entrance and entire length require no climbing. Second beams are much more. The Lower Antelope Canyon is narrower in spots and footing is not available in all areas. The canyon is in the shape of “V”.
2. Ice Cave, Iceland
An ice cave is any type of natural cave that contains significant amounts of perennial ice. The ice cave in Iceland is the result of rain and melts water on the glacier surface that is channeled into streams. The blue fraction can be seen in winter after long periods of rain when the surface layer of the glacier has washed away. Due to the fast movement of the glacier of about 1m per day over uneven terrain, this ice cave cracked up at its end into a deep vertical crevice. This causes the indirect daylight to enter from both ends resulting in homogeneous lightning.
The ice caves can collapse any time; therefore it is safe to enter only in winters when the low temperature hardens the ice.
3. Glass Beach, California
Glass beach is near Fort Bragg, California that is abundant in sea glass created from years of dumping garbage like glass, appliances, and even vehicles. The pounding waves broke down the glass and pottery and tumbled those pieces into the small, smooth, colored pieces that often become jewelry quality and that Cover Glass Beach.About 1,000 to 2,000 tourists visit Fort Bragg’s glass beach but the tourists are strictly not allowed to collect the glass stones out of the park. The glasses are also present out of the park in other places of a coast. The glass decomposes from 500 to 1000 years. So in about a thousand years the beautiful glass beach will turn into an ordinary sand beach. To avoid losing the sight and stop the damage from water, periodically beach is replenished with glass.
4. Zhangye Danxia landform geological park, China
The Zhangye Danxia landform geological park covers an area of 322 square kilometers. The site became a quasi-national geopark on April 23, 2012. The park is known for unusual colors of the rocks, which are smooth, sharp and several hundred meters tall. They are the result of the deposits of sandstones over 24 million years. Around 100 million years ago, there was a huge basin. Water was carrying here from the surrounding the silt. The basin went dry and due to global high temperatures, sediments started to oxidize and became the color of rust.The red layer is 3,700 meters thick and was formed in the basin 70 million years ago. This layer gradually formed Danxia mountain peak. The mountain continues changing and will be 87 centimeters higher in 10,000 years. The mountains were included in UNESCO World Heritage List making them more popular in the world. Now wooden walkways and organized safe viewing platforms are made to feel the nature beauty.
5. Tunnel of Love, Ukraine
The tunnel of love is located in the deep forests near the town Kleven in Ukraine. This long leafy green tunnel provides passage for a private train provides wood to the local factory. The tunnel is 1.8 miles long. The tunnel was made over many years as the passing of train molded the trees’ lines. The train traveled back and forth 3 times a day which made trees and bushes intertwined with each other tight and created this finely arched tunnel of love.The tunnel of love is highly popular among lovers; it is believed that if two people are sincere in their love and cross the tunnel while holding each other’s hands, their wishes will come true. In the warm season, the green valley is good for making photos of newlyweds.
6. Giant’s Causeway, Northern 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 disappear under the sea. Most of the columns are hexagonal, although there are also some with four, five, seven or eight sides. The tallest are around 12 meters.According to legend, the columns are the remains of a causeway built by a giant. Some of the structures in the area, having been subject to several million years of weathering, resemble objects, such as the organ, giant’s boot, Giants eyes and giant’s gate and all. The site is a popular tourist attraction.
7. Naica Mine, Mexico
The Naica Mine of the Mexican state of Chihuahua is a working mine that is best known for its extraordinary selenite crystals. Caverns discovered during mining operation contain crystals of selenite(gypsum) as large as 1.2 m in diameter and 15 m long. The Cave of Crystals is a cave approximately 300m below the surface in the limestone host rock of the mine.The Cave of Swords is another chamber in the Naica mine containing gypsum crystals about the meter long because they are younger and had been growing for much less time.
The mine has a high temperature of 58oC with 99% humidity which interferes with the breathing and increases the risk of asphyxiation. Oxygen masks are worn by the workers.
8. Red beach, China
Red Beach located in Dawa County, Panjin, China, is famous for its landscape featuring the red plant of Suaeda salsa. The Suaeda is one of the few species of grass that can live in highly alkaline soil. Its growth cycle starts in April when it is colored light red and deep red when matured. It is based in the biggest wetland and reed marsh in the world. The landscape is composed of shallow seas and tide-lands.The entire wetland is considered a protected area, as it’s also home to more than 260 varieties of birds and around 400 species of wildlife. A jetty is been built over the red marshland to allow tourists to walk to the red beach. Autumn is particularly popular for visitors.
9. Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
Salar de Uyuni is the world’s largest salt flat at 10,582 square kilometers. The Salvador was formed as a result of transformation between several prehistoric lakes. It is covered by a few meters of salt crust; which has an extraordinary flatness with the average altitude variations within one meter over the entire area of the Salar. The large area, clear skies, and the exceptional flatness makes the Salar an ideal object for calibrating the altimeters of Earth observation.The area has a relatively stable average temperature with a peak at 21oC in November to January and a low of 13oC in June. There is limited wildlife or vegetation in the area. Salar de Uyuni attracts tourist from around the world.
10. “Gates of Hell”, Turkmenistan
The Gates of Hell is a natural gas field in Derweze, Turkmenistan, that collapsed into an underground cavern in 1971, becoming a natural gas crater. Geologist set it on fire to prevent the spread of methane gas, and it has been burning continuously since then. The diameter of the crater is 69 meters and its depth is 30 meters, the size of an American football field. The surrounding area is also popular for wild desert camping.
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