Fiery Wonders

Olympos, Turkey

Olympos Coastal National Park

Roman ruins, natural methane fires and a lovely beach

There is true power in the ability of a landscape to capture a person's imagination enough to midwife legend that still remains after millennia. Olympos Coastal National Park, home to scattered... »

Natural Wonders, Fiery Wonders, Geological Oddities, Incredible Ruins | Edited by serflac and atimian

Kehena, Hawaii, US

Big Island Lava Flow

Watch the newest land on the planet form before your eyes

Usually, when speaking of geological phenomena, one speaks of time in "aeons” or references events as "prehistoric." But on the Big Island of Hawai'i, the vocabulary's a little different. Lava... »

Natural Wonders, Fiery Wonders | Edited by EmilyYaMei and atimian

Suraxani, Azerbaijan

Fire Temple of Baku

Place of Fire Worship Built on Top of a Natural Flame

Situated on the Abşeron Peninsula, the Fire Temple (Ateşgah) of Baku was a place of sacrifice built above a natural gas vent. Fire rituals at the peninsula’s numerous natural gas vents can be... »

Fiery Wonders, Rites and Rituals, Curious Places of Worship | Edited by Tawsam and atimian

Wingen, Australia

Burning Mountain

6000-year-old coal fire moves one meter per year

Mount Wingen has been smoldering for 6000 years without stop. Just below the surface of the earth in New South Wales, a coal seam has been burning and slowly moving south along the mountain at a... »

Fiery Wonders | Edited by A Facebook user and atimian

Manciano, Italy

The average hot tub costs around $2500. Throw in maintenance costs, a new swimsuit and a privacy fence to keep your neighbor from seeing your beer belly, and you're looking at closer to $4000. If... »

Natural Wonders, Watery Wonders, Fiery Wonders, Cultures and Civilizations | Edited by serflac, atimian and others

Irta'ale Isate Gemora YeFelek'ebet Gudgwad, Ethiopia

Erta Ale

Ethiopia's "smoking mountain" is in one of the hottest regions on the planet and is home to two lava lakes

Located in the Danakil Depression (or Afar Depression) in the Afar Region of northeastern Ethiopia, it is one of the driest, lowest and hottest places on earth. At best the region is 77 °F and at... »

Natural Wonders, Fiery Wonders, Martian Landscapes, Geological Oddities, Intriguing Environs | Edited by Dylan and atimian

Rotorua District, New Zealand

Rotorua

Major tourist destination known for its bubbling mud-pools and hot thermal springs

New Zealanders like to refer to their land as "God's Own Country," a land of plenty with beautiful scenery and a temperate climate. But located 230 km south of Auckland lies a city that bears more... »

Natural Wonders, Fiery Wonders, Martian Landscapes | Edited by Dylan, PaperTiger and others

Pico, Portugal

Mount Pico

Highest point in the Mid-Atlantic range, this stratovolcano offers spectacular views

The highest point on Pico Island in the Azores, Mount Pico is a stratovolcano that reaches an altitude of nearly 8,000 feet above sea level. At more than twice the altitude of any other peak in... »

Fiery Wonders, Anomalous Islands | Edited by HerkJason and Nicholas Jackson

Franceville, Gabon

Oklo Reactor

The world's first and only natural nuclear reactor

Many people think nuclear power is an invention of mankind, and some even think it violates the laws of nature. But nuclear power is in fact a naturally occurring phenomenon, and life could not... »

Natural Wonders, Fiery Wonders, Martian Landscapes, Geological Oddities, Long Now Locations | Edited by Alpha, Dylan and others

Morne Macouba, Martinique

The Prison Cell of Ludger Sylbaris

The cell which saved the life of Ludger Sylbaris "the man who lived through Doomsday."

The story of Ludger Sylbaris so outlandish and astonishing that it is difficult to believe that it is true. In fact, his story was so amazing that Barnum & Bailey hired him to travel with the... »

Fiery Wonders, Anomalous Islands, Geological Oddities, Unusual Monuments, Incredible Ruins, Subterranean Sites | Edited by Dylan and Annetta