PLAIN OF JARS - Archaeological

 The Plain of Jars is dated to the Iron Age (500 BCE to 500 CE) and is one of the most fascinating and important sites for studying Southeast Asian prehistory. 

The Plain of Jars has the potential to shed light on the relationship between increasingly complex societies and megalithic structures and provide insight into social organisation…

DOOR TO HELL ON EARTH

 

About

• Derweze, Ahal Province, Turkmenistan

The "Door to Hell" (also known as the Gate to Hell, the Crater of Fire, Darvaza Crater) is a natural gas field in Derweze, Turkmenistan, that collapsed into an underground cavern in 1971, becoming a natural gas crater. Geologists set it on fire to prevent the spread of methane gas, and it has been burning continuously since then. The diameter of the crater is 69 metres (226 ft), and its depth is 30 metres (98 ft).

The crater is a popular tourist attraction. In the past five years 50,000 tourists have visited the site. The gas crater has a total area of 5,350 m2, the size of an American football field. The surrounding area is also popular for wild desert camping.

Geography:
The gas crater is located near the Derweze village. It is in the middle of the Karakum Desert, about 260 kilometres (160 mi) north of Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan. The gas reserve found here is one of the largest in the World. The name "Door to Hell" was given to the field by the locals, referring to the fire, boiling mud, and orange flames in the large crater, which has a diameter of 70 metres (230 ft). The hot spots range over an area with a width of 60 metres (200 ft) and to a depth of about 20 metres (66 ft).

Effects on Future Development of Gas:
Fearing the further release of poisonous gases from the cavern, the engineers decided to burn it off. They thought that it would be safer to burn it than to extract it from underground through expensive methods. At that time, expectations were that the gas would burn out within a few weeks, but has continued to burn more than four decades after it was set on fire.

Strawberry Lake of Senegal

A Boat Floats On What Looks Like A Huge Strawberry Milk-Lake.

The Wooden Vessels Were Photographed From The Air Bobbing On Lake Retba, In Senegal.

From Above The Mass Of Water, Which Spans One Square Mile, Looks Staggeringly Similar To A Giant Milkshake.

Salt Lake Retba in Senegal is highlighted in an unusual color. Microbiologist Bernard Oliver found out the reason for such an unusual color.

The lake contains a microorganism Dunaliella salina, which absorbs the solar colors, highlights the pigment of strawberry-milky color. The bizarre colour is caused by high levels of salt – with some areas containing up to 40% of the condiment.

This organism does not prevent the local population to produce salt.

All salt is extracted by hand and transported to shore in the ordinary wooden boats.

They produce a red pigment that absorbs and uses the energy of sunlight to create more energy, turning the water pink.

“Lakes like Retba and the Dead Sea, which have high salt concentrations, were once thought to be incompatible with life – hence the names. But they are very much alive.”

Salt collectors can often be seen scouring the expanse to remove the valuable mineral – but first have to coat their skin with sheer butter.

This helps protect their skin from exposure to the intense salt levels in the three metre deep lake.

Salt crystals cling to the bodies of miners who work the lake everyday to extract its contents.

And towering piles of collected salt litter the shoreline. Villagers then process it before selling and using the valuable mineral.

5 Strangest Beaches of the World

5 Strangest Beaches of the World

Punalu'u Beach

Punalu'u Beach is the most visited of the few black sand beaches on Hawaii's Big Island and the stunningly black sand is actually volcanic rock, deposited as lava and subsequently cooled when met by the ocean. Apparently to take any of the sand home would result in you being cursed by a volcano goddess by the name of Pele.

 

Papakolea Beach

One of only 2 green sand beaches in the world, the truly magnificent sight of Papakolea Beach can be experienced by travelling to Hawaii's Ka'u district. Again, the unique colour of its sand can be attributed to volcanic activity - specifically, the green hue belongs to the abundance of olivine crystals which have been produced as a result of a nearby cinder cone erupting and eroding.

 

 

 

Hyams Beach

You may need to wear your shades when visiting Hyams Beach in New South Wales, Australia, but not just due to the sun. It's not surprising after looking at photos but this sublime stretch of beach is home to the whitest sand in the world, an honour awarded by the Guinness Book of Records

 

 

Pfeiffer Beach

The hills surrounding Pfeiffer Beach in Big Sur, California, are rich in Manganese Garnet. A result of this being washed down onto the beach is the colour scheme you can see above - the entire stretch of sand has become a shifting, pink and purple canvas. Although it's probably inedible, I can't help picturing a bowl of Raspberry Ripple ice-cream every time I see it.

 

 

 

Kaihalulu

You won't find many beaches elsewhere in the world with sand as red as this one. Kaihalulu, or Red Sand Beach, is situated on the island of Maui and can thank the neighbouring cindercone hill for its intensely deep red appearance.

 

 

Mysterious Sailing Stones of Death Valley

Mysterious Sailing Stones of Death Valley

Sailing Stones also known as Sliding Rocks or Moving Rocks are a Geological Phenomenon where Rocks move in Long Tracks along a Smooth Valley Floor without Human or Animal Intervention.

 
They have been recorded and studied in a number of Places around Racetrack Plaza, Death Valley, where the Number and Length of Travel Grooves are Notable. 

 
The Force behind their Movement is not Understood and is subject to Research.

These are some 

Mysterious Sailing Stones 

of Death Valley

Sailing Stones

also known as

Sliding Rocks

or Moving Rocks

are a Geological Phenomenon

where Rocks

move in Long Tracks

along a Smooth Valley Floor

without Human

or Animal Intervention

They have been recorded

and studied in a number of Place

around Racetrack Plaza, Death Valley, where

the Number and Length of

Travel Grooves are Notable

The Force behind their Movement

is not Understood

and is subject to Research