Natural Wonders

Fire Mountain Yanar Dağ

Hillside with a continuously burning natural fire

In the 13th century, when Marco Polo visited the then-Persian city of Baku, he mentioned numerous mysterious flames that could be found all over the region at various places of the Abşeron... »

Natural Wonders, Fiery Wonders, Intriguing Environs | Edited by Tawsam

Qobustan, Azerbaijan

Musical Stone of Gobustan

Resonant stone, that has been played since prehistoric times

The Gobustan National Park is an extremely otherworldly place. More than 400 mud volcanoes are found within the area – the half of all mud volcanoes in the world. Additionally, there are bizarre... »

Natural Wonders, Geological Oddities, Musical Wonders, Cultures and Civilizations , Wondrous Performances | Edited by Tawsam

Baherden, Turkmenistan

Köw Ata Underground Lake

The city of Bakharden has a most unusual swimming spot that doubles as a home to the largest known colony of bats in Central Asia

In landlocked countries, finding a place to swim can often be a challenge. This is especially true for places like Turkmenistan, a sun scorched Central Asian country, of which over 80% of the land... »

Natural Wonders, Watery Wonders, Curious Caves | Edited by Tawsam and Rachel

Providence, Rhode Island, US

Roger Williams Root

The vaguely man-shaped root that ate the body of the founder of Rhode Island

Roger Williams is the founder of Providence. He died in 1683, and was buried three times. Once at his death, again in 1860, and then a third time in the late 1930s to mark the 300th anniversary of... »

Natural Wonders, Extraordinary Flora | Edited by JWOcker and Rachel

Moodus, Connecticut, US

Moodus Noises

The Connecticut village named for its subterranean thunder

The small village of Moodus, CT, was name after the Native American term for the area, Machimoodus, which means “Place of Bad Noises” or “Place of Noises.” It’s located within the town of East... »

Natural Wonders, Geological Oddities | Edited by JWOcker and Rachel

Crawford Notch State Reservation, New Hampshire, US

Frankenstein Cliff

Rock face that shares a name with Mary Shelley's famous doctor

Frankenstein Cliff is not named after who you might think. Not an uncommon name in Germany, the cliff itself was named after a German immigrant landscape painter named Godfrey Frankenstein... »

Natural Wonders, Geological Oddities | Edited by JWOcker, Rachel and others

Christmas Island Aerodrome, Christmas Island

Crabs of Christmas Island

The red crab exhibits one of the most spectacular migrations on earth, despite man made obstacles

It wasn't until a few years after the 1903 extinction of the predatory endemic species, the Maclear's Rat, that the people of Christmas Island started to experience what has developed into a... »

Natural Wonders, Anomalous Islands, Fascinating Fauna | Edited by Rachel

Kuli Sarez, Tajikistan

Sarez Lake

The largest dam in the world and the site of a potential disaster

Sarez Lake is a mountain lake deep in the inaccessible Pamir Mountains of Central Tajikistan. The lake was created in 1911, when an earthquake, estimated at 7.0 at the Richter Scale, and a... »

Natural Wonders, Watery Wonders, Geological Oddities, Disaster Areas | Edited by Tawsam and Rachel

Ozero Mertsbakhera, Kyrgyzstan

Merzbacher Lake

Glacial lake that mysteriously empties itself every year

A strenuous multi-day trek is necessary to reach Merzbacher Lake, a lake so far away from anything, that even the label "remote" would be an understatement. The lake is located at the confluence... »

Natural Wonders, Watery Wonders, Geological Oddities | Edited by Tawsam and Rachel

Shetpe, Kazakhstan

Valley of Balls

Mysterious spherical rocks in the semi-desert of western Kazakhstan

Close to the town of Shetpe in Western Kazakhstan lies the Valley of Balls – or Torysh, as it is known in Kazakh. It consists of numerous ball-like rock formations strewn across a wide range of... »

Natural Wonders, Martian Landscapes, Geological Oddities | Edited by Tawsam, Rachel and others