1. Catatumbo River, Venezuela
Famous for the Catatumbo lightning, this places attracts lightning far more than any other place in the world (28 bolts per minutes). This land of eternal storm is also the single largest contributor to the tropospheric ozone.
2. Tree of 40 Fruits, New York, USA
The tree is as incredible as its name. It is the brainchild of artist Sam Van Aken, who grafted and hybridized fruit trees to create a masterpiece that yielded 40 different varieties of stone fruits like plums, peaches, nectarines, apricots and cherries.
3. Star Sands, Okinawa, Japan
These miniature wonders of nature are found on the Okinawa Beaches in Japan. Technically, these are not sand grains, but discarded shells of microscopic marine organisms.
4. Living Root Bridges, Cherrapunji, India
One of the most amazing wonders of nature, these suspension bridges are made of pliable tree roots of living banyan fig trees which are trained to grow in the desired direction. Read more about the living root bridges here.
5. Waitomo Glowworm Caves, Otorohanga, New Zealand
One has to boat
through the ancient caverns adorned with beautiful delicately shaped
stalactites, in order to reach the Glowworm Grotto lit by thousands of
tiny glow worms. It is truly a magical experience!
6. The Pamukkale Travertines, Pamukkale, Turkey
One of Turkey’s
top attraction and an outstanding work of nature, these are terraces and
travertines are formed by hot springs depositing calcium carbonate. It
has been used as a spa since the 2nd century BCE.
7. Blood Falls, Antarctica
This is a weird looking sight
visible on the Taylor Glacier in Antarctica. Scientists have attributed
this natural phenomenon to an outflow of saltwater tainted with iron
oxides.
8. Marble Caves, Patagonia, Chile
These stunning caves were formed
by 6,000 years of waves crashing against calcium carbonate formations.
The hue of these caves change according to the water levels and seasonal
changes.
9. Socotra, Indian Ocean, Yemen
Aptly called the “Most Alien-like
Landscape in the World”, Socotra has many unnatural looking life-forms, a
third of which are found nowhere else on earth. The image below is of a
group of Dragon’s Blood trees, called so because of the deep red sap
that pours out when the bark is punctured.
10. Slithering Stones, Death Valley, USA
An eerie sight on the Racetrack Playa in the Death Valley National Park are the long track marks seen behind huge rocks and boulders. This refers to a geological phenomenon where rocks move along the valley without any animal or human intervention. Nobody has actually seen the rocks move, but the groove marks indicate that they may travel as much as 800 m from their starting point.
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