Miracles of our planet

Our planet - an amazing natural cradle. Plains, deserts, volcanoes, tropical forests and other natural wonders ...



Uluru, also called Ayers Rock. One of the oldest rocks in the world. It was formed over 500 million years ago, and there, when the sand was going on the ocean floor, which once covered the middle part of Australia. For years, the wind and the rain fell upon the rock. Now flat top rises 348 meters above the plains, and the base of the cliff stretches for 8 kilometers. This rock is known that during the day changes color. Above: At dawn and dusk rock painted in dark red color. On the color affects the angle of incidence of sunlight. Rays of light coming through the dense layers of the atmosphere, the blue light is distorted, leaving a red, which makes Uluru shine red. Another factor affecting the color change: the area around Ayers Rock is flat, and as soon as the sun dives into the horizon, the area is in the shade, but the sunlight still reaches the rock. This contrast of dark and light stone base make Ayers Rock turns red. Bottom: rock, which is usually red in color, is shown in this photo after the rain, which is a rarity here. During the rainy season the rock acquires a silvery-gray color, with stripes of dark algae formed in the way of draining rainwater streams. The difference in color at these two pictures is striking. (Steve Strike, AP)



Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Grand Prismatic Spring - the largest hot spring in the United States and the third largest in the world - after those who are in New Zealand. It is located in the Middle Geyser Basin. Dimensions of the source of about 75 to 91 m, and depth - 48 meters. Source produces about 2120 liters of water per minute, the water temperature - 71 degrees Celsius. Bright colors source - is the result of life pigmented bacteria present on the edges of the source of rich mineral water. In the photo: Tourists go on deck at the Grand Prismatic Spring. (Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Harry N. Abrams, Inc. / AP)



Lava from Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii flows into the Pacific Ocean at dawn on July 1 in Vulcano. Thousands of visitors to the park come here every day to look at the Kilauea eruption, which lasted for a quarter century. But some people living close to the boiling lava every day. (David Jordan, AP)



Pamukkale, Turkey. Pamukkale - unusual natural and historical place with brilliant cascades of water. This is one of the main attractions of Turkey. On the Turkish word "Pamukkale" means "cotton castle". Dazzling white terraces (travertine formation) appeared on the mountainside as a result of salt deposits from saturated calcium sources. The waters of Pamukkale is famous for its healing effects on the eyes and skin. Air Pamukkale useful to patients with asthma, rheumatism. (Michele Burgess, Corbis)



Antarctica. Gentoo Penguins (left) standing with chinstrap penguins on a drifting ice floe in the Antarctic Ocean Antarctic Peninsula. (Scott Canon, Kansas City Star / MCT)



Great Barrier Reef. Great Barrier Reef - the largest coral reef system in the world, consisting of 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching over a distance of 2574 km. The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland in northeast Australia. The large coral reef can be seen from outer space. It is the largest single structure created from living organisms. In 1981, this place became a place of World Heritage. It is considered one of the seven modern wonders of the world. (Queensland Tourism, HO / AP)



Ngorongoro Crater. Ngorongoro Crater - the largest whole, undrowned volcanic caldera. The crater was formed by the collapse of a large volcano about 2, 5 million years ago, is on the depth of 600 meters, and its bottom covers an area of ​​26400 hectares. The bottom of the crater is located at an altitude of 2380 meters above sea level. Its edges are approximately 600 m above and to rise to 3,000 meters above sea level. In the picture: a herd of zebras walking from the salt lake Magadi in the Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania. (Tim Graham, Getty Images)



Victoria Falls. Victoria Falls over 1800 meters wide, making it the largest in the world. Water drops from a height of 89 - 106 meters. The waterfall is located approximately in the middle of the river Zambezi.



Himalayas. Himalaya, or "snow stronghold" - mountain range in Asia, consisting of a continuous line of a length of about 2574 km along the northern edge of the Indian subcontinent, from the bend of the river Indus in the north-west to the Brahmaputra River in the east. The system of the Himalayas (the average width of 350 km) rises in the Gangetic plain. Himalayas - the highest mountain system of the Earth, consisting of the 10 highest peaks in the world. The highest among them - Everest (8848 meters), which is on the Nepal-Tibet border. The second highest peak - Chogori (8611 m) - is located on the border of China, Jammu and Kashmir, and the third - Kanchenjunga (8586 m) - is located on the border of Nepal and India. Photo: Tsho Rolpa Lake in the Himalayas. (Macduff Everton, Corbis)



Polar Lights. North (or South, depending on the hemisphere) lights - this is due to the bombing of the upper atmosphere by charged particles moving to the land along the geomagnetic field lines of the field of near-Earth space, called plasma layer. Usually it occurs in the ionosphere. In the collision of energetic particles from the plasma layer upper atmosphere is excited atoms and molecules of gases included in its composition. The emission of excited atoms in the visible range and is observed as the aurora. Northern Lights often appear from September to October and from March to April. This glow came over the river Talkeetna, near Palmer, Alaska. (Bob Martinson, AP)



Vulcan. In this photo taken from the satellite on April 17 visible plume of ash and smoke from the volcano Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland. (HO, AFP / Getty Images)



Iguazu Falls. Complex Iguazu Falls has a width of 2, 7 km and includes approximately 270 separate waterfalls, arranged in a horseshoe. Many islands (including quite large) are separated from each other by waterfalls. One of the most famous - "Devil's Throat", part of which is visible in this photograph. (Juan Mabromata, AFP / Getty Images)



Migration of wildebeest in the Serengeti. A herd of wildebeest gathered on a hilltop at sunset after successfully crossing the river Mara during the annual migration through Masai Mara National Park in Kenya, 15 August 2008. In the Serengeti - the largest migration of wildebeest. Gnu - herbivores, they are constantly moving from place to place in search of water and grass. During cycle migration of wildebeest pass 800 - 1600 km every year immediately after calving period in January - February. They move from the south-east of the Serengeti plains to the west, to Lake Victoria, and then turn north to the Masai Mara. Many get damaged, and the weaker or simply die young. By the end of the dry season of wildebeest grazing almost completely emptied and returned to the south to the rainy season. (Roberto Schmidt, AFP / Getty Images)



Galapagos. A flock of pelicans flying over the frigates on the islands of San Cristobal in the Galapagos archipelago. (Ricardo Mazalan, File / AP)



The stalactites and stalagmites. Stalactites and stalagmites - conical formation in caves. These calcium deposits formed by water dripping through the ceiling of the cave floor. They look like large icicles. Water evaporates in caves, leaving calcium. These calcium deposits are formed in two ways: stalactite - from top to bottom, a stalagmite - from the bottom up. (Corbis)



Rainbow. Rainbow - is atmospheric optical and meteorological phenomenon that is observed usually after rain or in front of him. Rainbow arises from the fact that sunlight is experiencing refraction in water droplets of rain or mist hovering in the atmosphere. Rainbow has the form of a multicolored arc with red on the outside and purple inside. The most magnificent rainbow appears when half of the sky is still dark with clouds, and the one who looks at a rainbow, is under a clear sky.



The Amazon rainforest. Amazon rainforest - one of the largest natural resource. The vegetation of the forest constantly recycles carbon monoxide into oxygen. This forest - the lungs of our planet. Amazon rainforest produces 20% of oxygen. This photo shows the thick jungle, as well as the process of deforestation in June 2008, in Manaus, Brazil. The forests of the Amazon - the largest tropical forest in the world. They take up half of the total area of ​​remaining rainforest on the planet. (Per-Anders Pettersson, Getty Images)