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While we often look to the stars , planets and moons forbizarre and fantastic sites , the Earth itself remains home to huge and varied landscape and structures , fit for a science - fiction epic . Here are 15 of our favourite .
1. Fly Geyser, Nevada
This man - made geothermal geyser was created by accident . After the area had beendrilled for weewee and resealedmultiple time , Fly Geyser grew from mineral deposits . These deposits along with thermophilic alga create its fantastic red and green hues .
2. Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone
Yellowstone ’s largest hot spring measures 200 - 330 feet ( 60 to 90 meters ) in diam and over 121 understructure ( 36 m ) in deepness , harmonize to theNational Park Service . Itswild rainbow patternis produce by thermophilic alga and bacterium along a temperature grade , with the hottest water — which is in reality sterile and the cause of the vivacious downhearted shade — at the center of the spring .
3. Rainbow Mountain, Peru
Also known as Vinicunca , or the Mountain of Seven Colors , Rainbow Mountain wasdiscovered in 2015after its usual snow covering melted . Its colorful stripes of rose , gold , mint , and lavender are created from the mountain ’s mineral make-up and weather over fourth dimension .
4. Danakil Depression, Ethiopia
Danakil Depression is the result of the departure of three tectonic plates beneath northern Ethiopia . Sulfur springs , volcano , geyser , lakes , and pool comprehend this spooky desert formation wheretemperatures pass over 122 degreesFahrenheit ( 50 Celsius ) .
5. Lake Hillier, Australia
Australia ’s Barbie - pink Lake Hillier gets its confect - colour hue fromalgae , halobacteria , and microbesand has a salinity equal to that of the Dead Sea .
6. Cave of Crystals, Naica, Mexico
Massive crystal pillars of gypsum fill the red-hot , humid cavern of theCave of Crystals . Its crystals are hundreds of thousands of year quondam and continue to actively grow .
7. Princess Elisabeth polar research station, Antarctica
Princess Elisabeth station in Antarctica is the the first zero - emission diametric inquiry station . According to theInternational Polar Foundation , the center " integrates passive construction engineering , renewable wind and solar energy , and water handling quickness , " and is dedicated to maximize free energy efficiency .
8. Habitat 67, Montreal, Canada
With a mission to to " reinvent the apartment building , " designer Moshe Safdie createdHabitat 67 in 1967 in Cité - du - Havre , an artificial peninsula in Montreal . The modular construction was meant to reinvent urban living and stands today as a unequalled architectural feet .
9. The Eden Project, Cornwall, England, UK
The Eden Projectis an experimental garden , glasshouse , and sustainability center with a mission that focuses on " environmental harmony and societal equity , " located in Cornwall , England .
10. Underwater waterfall, Mauritius Island
The island ofMauritius , eastern United States of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean , is home to an " subaqueous falls " beneath its dark lagune . The waterfall is actually anoptical illusioncaused by the drastic drop of the continental ledge .
11. Gardens by the Bay, Singapore
Singapore’sGardens by the Bayis a " showpiece of horticulture and garden artistry , " that opened to the public in October , 2011 . It is founded on sustainability , international gardening , and a finish to showcase " a city in a garden . "
12. Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
The eery , yet beautiful , landscape of Bolivia’sSalar de Uyunis a kernel for Strategic Arms Limitation Talks and atomic number 3 harvesting , as well as a tourer name and address .
13. Socotra, Yemen (dragon’s blood trees)
The bizarredragon ’s blood tree , with its vein - like umbrella canopy , is only native to the remote island of Socotra , located two hundred mile off Yemen .
14. The Wave, Coyote Buttes, Arizona
The wind , stripy sandstone rock’n’roll shaping known asThe Waveis part of the Coyote Buttes on the Arizona - Utah border in the U.S.
15. Svalbard Global Seed Vault, Norway
According toCrop Trust , the Global Seed Vault in Svalbard , Norway is " the ultimate insurance policy for the worldly concern ’s intellectual nourishment supply , " as it has the content to stack away 4.5 million craw varieties and up to 2.5 billion seeds . The vault is ready to withstand"doomsday"circumstances .
Aerial shot of Fly Geyser up close.
Aerial shot of Fly Geyser up close.
Grand Prismatic Spring, Midway Geyser, Yellowstone.
Rainbow Mountain in the Cusco region of Peru.
Hot springs in the Danakil Depression.
Lakie Hillier in Australia
The Cave of Crystals in Naica, Mexico.
Princess Elisabeth polar research station, Antarctica.
Habitat 67 buildings on St. Helene island in Montreal, Canada.
Biomes at the Eden Project in Cornwall, England, UK.
Mauritius island, including the famous Le Morne Brabant mountain, the beautiful blue lagoon, and underwater waterfall.
Gardens by the Bay in Singapore.
Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia.
The Wave, Coyote Buttes, Arizona
Entryway to the Global seed vault in Svalbard, Norway.
