In the middle of the Tasman Sea, somewhere between Australia and New Zealand shores, dominates million years Lord Howe Island. Near them, on an impressive crag of rock that pierces the sky, towering from the sea, a huge insect, long thought to be extinct, has proven to be safe from any continued existence of humanity. Epic of its species is supported by an interesting adventure of science and knowledge in one of the most wild and remote places of the world.
Peak, ocean and insect that resembles a lobster
Much of the recent adventure rarest insects in the world to run on a rocky headland called Ball’s Pyramid, in memory of Lieutenant Henry Ball Ling bird, a navigator who discovered the spectacular peak of stone in 1788. Rock is nothing but time eroded remnant of a volcanic cone 7 million years ago. High of 562 meters with a length of only 1,200 meters and a width of only 300, Ball’s Pyramid is the highest geological formation of this kind worldwide. To protect its habitat and that it includes the island was included in Howe Islands Marine Park and enjoy a special protection.
Foran articleonplaceswhere you canadmirethefabulousviews ofthe worldcame to mymindthe first time inpopulardestinationssuch asMountEverest,Niagara Falls,Grand Canyon, the Alpsandthe famousisland ofBora Bora...but thesedestinationsare notsurprise toanyonetalkabout themallandtravel guidesaretop choicesfor a long timetravelersworldwide.But ifwe think ofhow bigis thisbeautifulplanet, you mustthere are otherplaces thatare waitingto discovermusteriieager,to admireandphotographthem.The articleis areview ofonlya fewsuchplaceslessknownand the subjectof the mostspectacular viewsin the world isfar from beingexhausted.
ErtaAle-Ethiopia
Thirstfor knowledgepeople,passionforexploration anddiscovery,seems tonever ends, sothe Age ofdiscoveryhas turned intoanincredibly longtime, stillnotfinal.At this point, the Earthseems tobedisclosedsecrets, sopeople do nothave leftbut togo further, toconquerspace.Buttoreachthis point, manyadventurersandexplorershavefaceddangerfor the sake ofknowledge.Oneof themisBritishexplorer,LudovicoM.Nesbitt, whenin 1928, alongwithtwo Italians, becamethe first Europeans to"visit"all theErta Alevolcano, in adaringexcursionswhich provideda distance ofapproximately640kmDanakilDepressioncrossing. ErtaAleisthelanguageoutside the "mountainthatsmokes"and isactuallya setof fivevolcanoesthat forman arclengthof80 kilometers.Despite thebreathtakinglandscapesstrangeandcolorfulgamesthatappear before theeyes,Nesbittremainedinsensitive, callingtheplace"a landscapeof terror".His reactioncan be explainedthrough theharsh conditionsthatexplorershad tofaceit:very high temperatures(about75 degreesCelsiusduring the day), asandso hotthatitburnedthrough thesoles ofbootsand,most likelyinthinningdue towater reserves. DepressionDankilErta Alevolcanicchainthathostsis an areathat meetsone ofthe toughestplaces onearth:a plainscorched,witha high content ofsaltsinsoilcomposition,which isbelow sea level.Inthe past, thiswas part ofthe Red Sea, toraiseDanakilplateau.Nearbyis LakeKarum,whichisamong other things,asubstantialsourceof income forfamiliesoutsidethe area,especiallypeoplelivinginthe exploitationand sellinglivestockandsaltfrom the lake.Not verydeep, butwitha high contentof minerals, the lakeis120 metersbelow sea level.Onlyfor a short periodof the year, itswells, andaroundhot springscoming out.
Tsingyformations- Madagascar
Drawnfrom analienlikelandscape,limestoneformationson the island ofMadagascarare notnearly asharmlessas they seeminpictures.Sharp asdaggers,they reachheightsof upto 180meters.Anywrong movecanmeancertain deathfordaring.Although they seemto draw up alonelylandscape,things are notsofar.Crocodilesthat are hiddenundergroundcaves,hollowedcuriouspairs of eyeshidden in thefoliageof treeswhichoversees...and make sureyour step!It is enough tocrusha singlebeeto beattacked bya swarmwhole,eagerfor revenge.
Ifyouall these thingsmean thatyou areAnkaranplateauin northernMadagascar, the islandlocated 600kilometersoff theEast Africancoast.Calledthe "GreatRedIsland" because ofpredominanceinsoilcolor,Madagascaris aunique ecosystem.Because thecontinentwasisolated fromapproximately120 millionyears ago, the threadof evolutionfolloweda different course,and herehave developedunique speciesinthe world.Evenafter40 millionyears, the link betweenthe mainlandandthe islandcould be donebymeans ofnarrowstripsof land,thereforethere are stillsomemigration.But afterland connectionscould notbemaintained, lines ofcommunicationwere closed.Currently,thisecosystem isthreatenedwith extinctiondue toacceleratederosionof the islandphenomenon, apredictableresultofhuman activitiesharmful.
However, the mostfrighteningand at the sametime, the most dangerouslandscapeis atthe surface,in the heart ofthe islandandconsists ofTsingyformations.They werenamed afterthe soundit outwhen they are hit,soundreminiscent ofbells.Nativesdo not recommendthis adventureto anyonebecausetheseformationsthere is no roomto putevenone foot onflat ground.Of coursethere werenaturalistsandscientistswho haveventuredthrough thesecotloane, buteitherget lostandabandonedorwithdrawnimmediatelyrealizedthe dangerthey are exposed.Later,some of theircolleaguesadviseTsingyformationsto seethe plane,because it'ssafer.
The springsofPamukkale- Turkey
AnytravelerarrivingintheAsianunawareof Turkey,and, more specifically,inthePamukkale,willbesurprisedto seejustinthis areaalargeexpanseof ice.Of coursenotwrongroadtowardTurkey, throughAntarctica.Probablyreachedthespringsof Pamukkale.Theyare in the formofwhiteterraces,bigwaves,interspersed withpools of waterreflectingthe same time, the skyandwhite walls.Healingpropertiesofwaterin the areago throughhistory,untilit wasbeyondus.In190BC,EumenesII,king ofthe Greek city ofPergamon,founded the city ofHierapolisevenon this plateau.KnownasRomanpassionforhotwaterand bathrooms, the city wasincludedin129BCin the Roman Empireanddescribed asaresort.Among thefamousvisitorswerecountedandRoman emperorsAdrianandNero.
Beyondthe therapeutic properties ofthermal waters,were discoveredtwoshrinesbuiltinantithesis.Onebelongs tothe godof darknessand death,Hadesand the other, who wasnearby,she isdedicatedto Apollo, god ofsun, musicandmedicine.The locationischosenrandomly,butmarks theideaof balance andcompensationthat apply tohuman life.
Pamukkalemeans "cotton castle", whichperfectlyexplains, at leastvisually.However,somelocalssay that nostrangeshapeinspiredthe name ofthe place,but thatin the pasttheyused todrycottonnativeshere.Allthisfantasticlandscapemade up ofwalls, heights,terraces andstalactitescovers adistanceof 2.5kilometers long, witha width ofhalf akilometer.Whitecolorthatispaintedonthe entire areaishighlimecontentanddissolvedmineralsthatarefound involcanichotspringswater.Almost everythingistouchedwith limewater,coverandturn intostonesubmergedobjectswithin a fewdays.Furthermore,has the task ofrunning waterand whitecoverthe surroundinghills.Overlappedlayersovertimeto formbizarreforms ofreliefthat weadmiretoday.
Band-eAmirLakes-Afghanistan
Who would havethoughtjustAfghanistan'saridlandscanaccommodateoneof the most beautifulnaturaldams?Band-eAmirRaulstoppedtorestat the foot ofthe Hindukushmountains, the place wherehemadethe bed.Andnot only ...the contrastsof colorandheightled tothe formation of afabulouslandscapeat 3,000meters altitude.Even thougha lot ofphotographerswouldbemotivatedenoughto get tothese places, access isdifficult,asis done onlyon amountain road,whichhas a length of80 kilometers.It'shardenough,but not impossible.Upon arrival, you will bespoiledwithalandscapeclosetoparadise:lakesstretchedawideportionfor 11miles,bordered bycliffsof limestone andclay, which arecombined intoa game ofcrazycolor,white tored andthefrom blue togreenshades oftheunexpected.Inlakes,the water flowsovernaturalstonedams, followingdifferentroutes,whichform atruenetwork ofstreams, whichin turnshelteraquatic vegetation.
Even if thetemperature risesin summerto 36degreesC, the lakesare alwayscoldbecause they arerefreshedeach yearwithwaterfrommeltingglaciersresulting from.Greatbrillianceand variety ofcolorsof the lakesis duetravertine, a solutionof calcium carbonateonwaterbroughtseepsthroughlimestonedeposited on thebanks oflakesanddeeplayersform.
YellowMountain-China
Eachof ushas heardat least once inlifea remarklike "is afairytaleland"to refer tovariousbeautifulcornerof our planet.Butfew of ushave the opportunity tosee for themselvesa place thatis nota land ofstory,but astoryinitself...aChineseperfumebyphilosophy,inthis case.Abreathtakingview,consists ofruggedpeaksthatpiercethe clouds,with nothingscary,but rather,an image thatleads you toreverie.This is theYellowMountain.Withheightsof upto 1800meters,somepeakshave namesthat standto confirmthe origins ofthestoryof the place:LotusFlowerPeak,HeavenlyCapitalPeakPeakbrightnessorareonly three ofthe 72peaksthat make up theYellowMountain.Composed ofgranitecrystallizedfrommolten rock, theserockshave been shapedovertimebynature, the samewhich heendowedwithastrangebeauty.
Thatwas theunique beauty of thelandscapeforgenerations ofartistsmusesupremeChinese,whodid notget enoughplayandcapture thewildnessandinnocenceof this place.AllwereChineseartistswho haveestablished"the supremebeautyof the mountainfour"rocksandmountainpeaks,pine treesadorn themountains, somewith more than1,000years old,hotspringswithconstant temperatureof42 degreesCall year roundand finally,the sea ofcloudsthat form thecrown ofthe mountainpeakswhere theyhide.YellowMountainisopen to thosewho want tofeel thebeauty andgrandeur.Marked pathsleadingtotemplestrips, castles, lakes,bizarrerocks, but someroutesare recommendedonlyfor professionals.
InChina, it is saidthat everyChinesemustgetat least once aYellowMountain,butnot partof theFiveSacredMountains.However,a travelerfromthe medievalperiod,XuXiake, succeededadmirablyinwordsto describethe situation:"Turningaway fromFiveSacredMountains, do notlonger wantto seemountainsusualturningaway fromYellowMountainnolonger wantto seeyourFiveSacredMountains. "
MonoLake- USA
"A landof contrastswonderful,thehotdesertsbordered bysnowymountains,"aredescribedintheAmericannaturalistJohn Muir,MonoLakeand its surroundings.LakenamewasonnativeIndiansand wasinspired bythesaltyfly,an insectthatis foundin alarge numberinthis area.Although somemight thinkthat theyare dealingwith aratheraridarea, the beauty ofMonoLake,withwaterandcreamyconsistencytowersthatpierce thesurfaceonlytufftoreflectquietlyin it,is ratherstrangebeauty.Abeauty thatcausesshivers downyourspineandleads you tomeditationand serenity.
Things do notseem to haveundergonemajor changesover the last700 000years ago, whenthe lakebasinwas formedfromgeologicalmovementshadto give birth toSierra Nevadamountains.With an areaof 155square kilometers, the lakeis hometothe islandin the heartPaohathatwas born200 yearsagodue tovolcanic activity.Evenifthe lake isfed byfreshwaterspringsin the area andtheicemelted, the water issaltyenoughto keepa manon the surface,due toaccumulationof mineralsand salts.
Inrecent decades, waterhas become moresalty,due to lowerfreshwaterflow.Since1941,four of thesevenrivuletsthat feed thelakehavebeen redirectedto servethewater supplyofLosAngeles.As a result,the lakedepthhas decreasedby 12meters, makingitextremelysaltywater.Thiscaught the attention ofnaturalists,who fearthatexcesssaltsnot onlyirreversiblyaffectlifearound the lake,but alsothemigratorybirds.In aclosedecosystemchangehas anegativedomino effect:if waterbecomestoo salty, itwill beharmful tofliesandshrimpsaltywater.The disappearance ofthesepopulationswill lead todecimationof 80species of migratory birdswhosefood sourceis thespeciesaround the lake.
Shilinpetrifiedforest-China
Maybeit seemsstrangetoyouto know thata forestisfamousforitstreesorstretching,butthevastlimestonepilasters,subject totheoddwhimsof natureover time.Locatedat a distance of120 kilometersfrom the city ofKunming, China,thepetrifiedforestLunanclaimtheirareaof fivesquare milesthatexposesstonesthat reachheightsofup to30 meters.The Chinesewereleftcharmedstrangeand variedformsofrocksto give themnamesinspired:"Phoenixcuratanduhisfeathers," "Waterfalllayered" or"LotusFlowerPeak".
Even if thematerialfrom which theymoveseemsbornaridrocks, dead,forestlakesandcaveshousescovered byrich vegetation.Butletmannotimpressed bythegrandeurandalluremenacingformations andhas builtbridgesthat create bondscrookedpassage,reminiscent ofa maze.
Longago,strangeforestwas notonlya compact mass oflimestone, but thecrustmovestogetherwiththe forces of natureare"carved"tirelesslyfor millions ofyears.Erosion oflimestone, averyweakmaterialfact,madein the heartofForeststone,limestonelayerinitiallybealmost completelydissolved.But,as always,localfolk legendsanother explanationof thegenesis ofthe forest.It is said thata wiseChineseZhangGuolao, passedbyand sawthelovecoupleslooking for amore intimateplace.The factthat they werein aplaindid not seemto helpat all.Thereforedecided thatpairsGuolaoZhangdeserves someprivacy, so hemadethe mountainsto fallmore pieces ofstonewereplacedinthis format tocreate"booths".
Have your say!You sawfor yourselfany of theseven"wonders"?