Amazing Geological Oddities
Update! I’ve taken some of your suggestions and feedback and written part 2 of Amazing Geological Oddities! See it here: Amazing Geological Oddities Part II
Moving Rocks at the Racetrack Playa, Death Valley California.
Death Valley in California is home to rocks that seem to move on their own. Pebbles to Boulders are found scattered around the “racetrack” with trails that turn, loop, and zigzag behind them. Some of the Rocks move, others don’t. It was thought for some time that magnetic forces were the cause of the phenomena. Scientists now believe that the cause is wind. When there has been enough water to soak the flat clay, and temperatures lower below freezing, it causes tiny ice crystals to form. When the surface of a rock is slick enough in these conditions wind will actually have enough power to move them around, leaving a trail. 
The Richat Structure, or “Eye of the Sahara.”
This spectacular landform in Mauritania in the southwestern part of the Sahara desert is so huge with a diameter of 30 miles that it is visible from space. The formation was originally thought to be caused by a meteorite impact but now geologists believe it is a product of uplift and erosion. The cause of its circular shape is still a mystery.
The driest place on Earth, Atacama Desert.
The Atacama Desert receives less than 1mm of rain per year, and at one point not a single drop of precipitation landed on its dry surface for 400 years. It’s caused by the Andes rainshadow; meaning that the trade winds moving east along South America lose all moisture when they slam against the steep slopes of the Andes Mountains. The Atacama Desert is found nestled up against the western slopes of the mountain range. Interestingly, several thousand miles south the winds change direction, and the deserts are then found on the eastern side of the Andes, such as the Monte Desert in Argentina.
The Naica Mine, Cave of Crystals, Mexico.
These caverns found in a mine in Chihuahua Mexico
are home to some of the largest crystals ever discovered and are an impressive sight. The crystals are made mainly of Gypsum, and under these extremely rare conditions were allowed to grow unimpeded.
The Curtain of Fire, Hawaii.
These amazing lava fountains erupted during the first stage of the Puu Oo eruption in January, 1983. The lava created a wall of magma 100-160 feet high along a fissure along the Eastern Rift of Mount Kilauea.
Sinkholes
What could be more terrifying than the earth opening itself and swallowing your entire home? Among other places, this can become a reality in the Southeastern United States. Sinkholes are found in regions of Karst Topography, where pockets of loose sedimentary rock found under the surface can be eroded by groundwater, leaving behind caverns and caves, some of which collapse.
Stone Forest, Southwest China.
The Shilin (Chinese for stone forest) is an impressive example of karst topography. The rocks are made of limestone and are formed by water percolating the ground’s surface and eroding away everything but the pillars.
This entry was posted on Sunday, April 13th, 2008 at 1:07 pm and is filed under Science. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
God you guys get over yourselves! Somebody decided to put together a nice site on geological wonders and you waste time arguaing about your freaking countries. I’m 14, I’m an American; there are definitely some major things wrong with my country but I thinks it’s safe to say there are problems in every country. And in the future can we keep the curse words to a minimum? There are younger people who are interested in geology as well. Thanks.
Canada is one of the most beautiful countries in the world geographically, and surely has an abundance of amazing geological formations. This is from an American who loves and appreciates her northern neighbors and their land. Whistler Canada, the canadian rockies in Alberta, the eastern coastline. All incredible.
Thank you Canada, for your beauty and your warm and wonderful people.
[...] Amazing geological oddities, including moving rocks in Death Valley, and the largest crystals on Earth. [...]
CANADA SUCKS
All other countries suck, and so do their socialist policies. USA is the best! Also can someone please explain to me how most everyone on the interweb can go from supporting the limited government policies of Libertarians like Ron Paul to supporting Obama whose ideals are completely antithetical to everything Ron Paul stood for.
Re: Daddy Dave
I live in Chihuahua Mx. and i have seen the Naica Mines, The place’s like 70 miles away from my home. They’re pretty incredible. You can visit them since they’re like 4 hours from El Paso Tx.
I think someone should keep an eye on those moving rocks. That is very interesting. Maybe we should get that really smart Canadian guy to tell us what we should think about it.
amazing stuff would love to see more!
stupid americans,btw i am one too i have never been out of the country except niagra falls,which i thought was pretty awesome,but i used to believe we were the greatest country in the world,that’s just how i was raised and taught but i can’t really justify that never ever leaving the country so i hear you the rest of the world i really don’t blame you if you hate us! back to the story that really is fascinating!hell and consequences!
RE: Ekugene
Antartica IS the driest place on earth, because precipitation is a measurement of falling WATER. It is too cold in antartica for atmoshperic water to exist in a purely liquid state and therefore it has not “rained” in antartica in millions of years…
[...] منبع: http://www.fingel.com/2008/04/amazin…gical-oddities [...]
Shwa: Anyone who saw “Signs” knows aliens don’t like water, and that the script writers have never been in a dewy wet cornfield. Ha!
To Ror, you’re wrong. Adiabatic winds are dry, but the definition they are using is total precipitation. Snow falls into the category. Pun intended.
To Amazing. Not all Americans know every thing. Only some of us do.
Canada does have the most cold resistant Hookers I have ever seen. Calgary at -30 and they are still out there working away.
Tom Makau: What you are seeing is noted in various places around the world. Even Nova Scotia has one. It is an optical illusion. It is simply a hill within a hill. Or better said a hill on the side of a hill. The absolute slope is in one direction even though the apparent slope appears to the observer to run the opposite way. So even though the car appears to be on a slope running in one direction the absolute slope or gradient is still going the opposite direction. So the car appears to go up hill when in fact it is still going down hill.
I am a 53 year old geologist who can only shake his head at the liberal ignorance I see in these posts.
Excuse me if I am not awed by the worldliness of some of the observations made with regard to politics here. Bush may not be popular with the world or some Americans, I could care less about the rest of the world. The dissatisfied Americans I chalk up to ignorance.
We don’t do a popular vote election for the same reason we have a Senate and a House of Representatives; to keep the states with cities overrun with low income rabble whose votes are bought and paid or with my tax dollars from dictating who our next president will be. I guess most Americans slept through US Government classes in HS. We tend to forget that 9/11 fell into Bush’s lap unsolicited by him. Has he made mistakes? Absolutely. Would Mr. I Invented the Internet aka Chicken Little have done better? Absolutely not. Gore is an opportunist who knows nothing about science. Absolutely nothing. If he did he would not be a politician.
THE CRYSTALS IN MEXICO ARE TIT I WHAT TO GO VIST OVER THERE FOR VACATION.MY FAMILY LIVES OVER THERE SO I JUST NEED TO GO IN VACA TION THERE OVER THERER BECAUSE THEY ARE IN VACATION.
Thanks for posting these pick. I really enjoyed them. I live in the southeast. maybe I won’t get swallowed.
Tommy
the sinkhole is something!
I love all of this stuff and all of the things that people have suggested in comments.
I would like to put a stop to all of this retarded Canada vs America fight and say that it doesn’t matter ON A GEOLOGICAL POST what our country or beliefs about said countries are. I would state my preferences but I believe that is not needed and only would result in a citation of me (which some angry canada\america hater is probably going to do anyway) and then an angry rebuttal.
Please consider adding the Bungle Bungle, a unique geological feature located within Purnululu National Park, Australia. Try 17° 27′ 47″ S, 128° 33′ 51″ E in Google Earth and scan west.
http://l.yimg.com/g/images/spaceball.gif
http://www.ccentre.wa.gov.au/uhtml/175thAnniversary/images/bungle_bungle_ranges_lg.jpg
http://www.aysemart.com/pa/australia/wa/Broome/bungle_bungle_2.jpg
http://lh4.ggpht.com/windweit03/RwvrhIsk3qI/AAAAAAAAA_U/MiC0x2koMzY/s576/imm036.jpg
The orange and black stripes across the beehive-like mounds, encased in a skin of silica and algae, are pretty amazing.
As a avid recreational gold miner for 30 years, I’ve come to appreciate all things related to geology. Very impressive photos and unusual geological stories to tell. Good work and thanks.
WHat about Tierra Del Fuego in Argentina?
[...] since Amazing Geological Oddities was published, it has attracted quite a few comments. Most of them are useless Internet flame that [...]
Part II of Amazing Geological Oddities is here! http://www.fingel.com/2008/09/amazing-geological-oddities-part-ii/
Great work. Keep it up. Loved all the sites. What a wonderful world!!
These are some amazing pictures, nice post!
There’s a follow up article (part 2): http://www.fingel.com/2008/09/amazing-geological-o …
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