Of course, precious readers, there are thousands of times more geological sights on our planet than in this article! Our planet is unspeakably beautiful and this is a small fraction of all its beauty, beauty and wonders that geologists study.
Let's go with you on a little journey around the world in pursuit of something amazing and unknown - we will climb the tops of mountains and dive into the secret caves of distant continents!
1. Salt mountains and caves of Iran
In front of you are the Salt Domes and Salt Glaciers of the Zagros Mountains, Iran.
The dome of the Jashak salt mountain in Iran was formed during the Eocene epoch.
A million years ago, the Persian Gulf was much larger than today, under its waters was most of the Arabian Peninsula in the south and part of Iran in the west. When the water evaporated and the sea receded, it left behind a huge amount of salt. The salt layer was covered with precipitation washed away by rain from the mountains, and over time, the layer of sediments thickened, compacted and pressed on the salt layer below.
2. Marble Cathedral on Lake General Carrera in Patagonia, Chile
Amid the lofty snow-capped peaks of Patagonia, a hard marble peninsula juts out into a vast glacial lake that spans both Chile and Argentina.
For millennia, the Patagonian winds have raised waves that crash against marble walls, carving caves and bizarre rock formations.
As a result, the exposed veins of the marble ceiling are a dazzling mixture of blues, turquoises, yellows and whites as the low morning and early evening light reflects off the lake's crystal clear glacial water.
Capilla de Marmol (or "Marble Chapel" literally) is a perfect natural wonder that can only be appreciated by boat or kayak. And it's a nightmare if you're not already on a long trip to Patagonia.
3 Bentonite Hills, Utah: Rainbow Mountains And Mars
The Bentonite Hills in Utah are famous for their rainbow rings around the mountains, which some say resemble Mars.
In fact, the environment is said to be the closest to Mars that can be found on Earth, which is why the government is leasing land here to conduct experiments to study what life on Mars might be like.
There are several places in Southern Utah called the Bentonite Hills, which are mound-shaped deposits of clay and ash surrounded by flowers.
4 Naica Giant Crystal Mine, Mexico
For millennia, conditions in the Cave of Crystals have been ideal for growing huge gypsum crystals. Attached to the walls and floor of the cave, the crystals grew continuously for at least a million years. Many of them are long and wide enough to walk on. The length of the crystal reached 12 meters, which is the largest crystals found on Earth. This place is closed to the public.
5. Basalt pillars
They are found in many places on the Earth, spectacular - in Iceland.
When the thick and hot lava flow cools quickly, contractions occur that lead to the formation of pillars. Depending on the cooling rate, pillars of various sizes are formed, which have a polygonal shape. They are often hexagonal in shape, but other shapes with different sides are also formed.
The symmetrical formations give the impression that the polygonal giant articulated columns were built artificially, but in fact it is a natural disaster.
6. Eye of the Sahara
The geological dome, the Richat structure, has concentric bands of stable quartzite rocks that form ridges. Sedimentary rocks lie between the ridges.
The Richat structure in Mauritania attracted the attention of astronauts. This circular geological feature is thought to be caused by an uplifted dome - geologists would classify it as a domed anticline - which has been eroded, exposing originally flat rock layers.
Looks amazing from space...
7. Monument Valley in Arizona
The state of Arizona, whose terrain has an alien look, looks more like some kind of computer installation. But it all exists in reality!
8. Glowing limestone caves in Waitomo, New Zealand
The Waitomo Firefly Caves in New Zealand is a truly magical and otherworldly place that attracts visitors from all over the world. These caves, located on New Zealand's North Island, are home to thousands of fireflies that create a mesmerizing spectacle of light, illuminating the caves like a starry sky.
9. Stone Columns, Crawley Lake, California, USA
Of course, the geologists of the University of California found out that this is all an exclusively natural formation ...
10. Egypt's White Desert National Park
Filled with amazing formations - the result of erosion and weathering.
Yes, the giant formations are amazing! But geologists find a lot of interesting things in grains of sand!
Sand grains under the microscope:
These are the treasures that people walk on.
