The most striking geological wonders in the world (13 photos) Bashny.Net

Just yesterday, I showed you the most unusual places in Russia in terms of geology, well, and now look at it on a global scale

Moeraki Boulders - New Zealand




These unusually large stone balls the diameter of one to two meters are along the east coast of New Zealand in a place called Moeraki. About where they came from, from the Maori people, there are many legends, but scientists argue that these boulders - the result of coastal erosion. White Desert - Egypt


White Desert - a small section in the east of the Sahara desert about 10 km x 30 km, is located 45 kilometers from the town of Farafra. This place is famous creamy white color and bizarre limestone formations. Once it was the bottom of the ocean, and white breed - the remains of marine microorganisms. For many centuries sandstorms turned these limestone mountains in such a alien landscape.

Giants - Northern Ireland


Giants is 40 thousand interconnected basalt columns, formed as a result of an ancient volcanic eruption. The tops of the columns form a sort of stone road, dating back to the sea. In 1986 the site was declared a World Heritage Site.

Reed flute cave - Province Guilin, China


Reed flute cave is more reminiscent of the fantastic scenery of the film. Once upon a time this place was the ocean, but then the water gradually went away, revealing these amazing mountains with strange gorges, caves and caverns. This magical spectacle attracts people for more than 12 centuries. The name of the cave gave a special cane, growing at its entrance, from which the wizard makes a particularly melodious flute.

Mono Lake - California


Mono - and a vast shallow lake, which has no outlet to the ocean. This isolation has led to a high concentration of salt in the water. Although because of the abundance of alkali fish are not found, the lake has a surprisingly productive ecosystem - through brine shrimp that lives in the water and provides food to about two million migratory birds. One of the wonders of the lake are considered calc-tuff towers that were exposed after the decline of the water level in the lake.

Devils Tower - Wyoming


This monolith of volcanic origin, is considered the oldest "national monument" United States. Devils Tower was formed about 200 million years ago from molten magma that rose from the depths of the earth, and stood in the form of elegant columns.

Indian legend says that once seven little girls climbed on a flat rock, trying to escape from the grizzly bear. They prayed desperately to save their rock, and suddenly he began to rise, reached the sky and girls become the Pleiades. A deep vertical furrow-string - a huge bear claw marks.

The Twelve Apostles - Great Ocean Road, Australia


Twelve Apostles - a group of limestone rocks in the ocean off the coast of the National Park of Port Campbell, located in the so-called Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia. The rocks formed by erosion - strong ocean winds gradually wore away the soft rock, turning the cave into the arch. Then the arches collapsed and were these amazing structures up to 45 meters high.

Crystal Cave - Nike, Mexico


Crystal Cave is located at a depth of 300 meters under the Mexican city of Nike. The cave is famous for giant selenite crystals, the largest of which reaches 11 meters in length and 4 wide and weighs 55 tons. The cave is constantly heat up to 58 ° C at a humidity of about 100 percent. Because of this, it is very difficult to explore the cave. Even with special equipment a person can be in the Crystal Cave is not more than 20 minutes.

The gates of hell - Turkmenistan


The gates of hell called the gas crater in Turkmenistan. The history of this place is: v1971 year near the village Darwaza Soviet geologists have discovered an underground accumulation of gas. The land in this place failed and formed a large, gas-filled hole. To harmful to humans and livestock gases did not go out, they decided to set fire to. Geologists think that the fire was soon extinguished, but wrong. Since 1971, natural gas and continues to burn.

Chocolate Hills - Philippines


Chocolate Hills - a geological formation in the Philippine province of Bohol. Covering an area of ​​50 square kilometers, is located at least 1,260 of these hills. During the dry season green grass covering the hills, changes to chocolate brown - hence the name.

Salar de Uyuni - Bolivia


Salar de Uyuni is the largest salt marsh in the world - an area of ​​10,582 square kilometers. It is a dried salt lake is located near the town of Uyuni in southwestern Bolivia. The rainy season is covered with a thin layer of saline water and is transformed into the world's largest mirror surface. Salar de Uyuni, according to experts, contains a reserve of 10 billion tons of salt each year here produces about 25 thousand tons.

Stone Forest - China


Stone Forest "growing" in China's Yunnan Province and covers an area of ​​350 square kilometers. Numerous limestone structure formed by centuries of erosion and leaching of sea waters. High cliffs resemble stalagmites growing up from the ground, many of them look like petrified trees, and this creates the illusion of the forest of stones.

Socotra Island -Yemen


Socotra - one of the world's most isolated archipelagos continental (or non-volcanic) origin. It is located 240 kilometers from the Horn of Africa and 380 kilometers from the Arabian Peninsula. Thanks to this geological and biological insulation and the climate on the archipelago was formed its own unique flora and fauna. For this reason, Socotra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.