Impossible places that actually exist!

​

Meanwhile I'm stuck with Stone Henge.​

 

whole cities carved out of tuffa rock formations like cappadokia and pietra. tolkin's mines of moria i suspect being to some extent conceptually based on them.
also the salt mines of again i forget where, along the similar vein. my part of where i lived in the sierras we had a pentangle of odd things found and happening in the area.
improbably doesn't contradict science or anything else, some things just happen a lot less often then others, and some a lot more, that's all.
there are things like magnetic anomalies, which combined with extreme weather events, or other conditions, which may be common to some places,
which result in people and machines becoming disorient a bit more often then in some other places, and then of course there is, as mentioned,
the love of the human ego to be able to tell some kind of a gosh wow story.
(marry celest? how about peaceful pre-arrainged surrender to pirates, abondond ship set adrift as found as diversion to throw off scent. that would be my bet.
maybe went wrong, maybe when exactly as intended, or at last as intended by someone or some several)

 

We all heard the saying ‘lightning never strikes the same place twice. Well, at lake Maracaibo in Venezuela, lightning can strike up to 280 times an hour and last for 10 hours a day. Called Catatumbo Lightning, this is an atmospheric phenomenon that just goes on and on and on.

It is thought the region’s unique topography and wind patterns contribute to this unique phenomenon, but the precise reason is unclear, with this an occurrence that continues to puzzle the country’s brightest scientific minds. When the storm clouds gather high above the mouth of the Catatumbo River, you know you’re in for a show.

There’s more. There’s no thunder, with the lightning strikes taking place in a deafening silence that can be a little eerie. Then there are the colours, with the darkening skies here lit in red, orange, pink, and blue. Catatumbo Lightning can be seen, on average, on 160 days a year — making for a natural phenomenon that demands to be seen. Interested? You can join a guided night tour to witness the spectacle and explore the tropical savannas nearby. Make sure to pack your camera!

 

The Devil’s Kettle waterfall, also called Disappearing River, has long fascinated visitors to Minnesota’s Judge CR Magney State Park. Located on Lake Superior’s scenic northern shores, there’s a great deal to see and do in this beautiful park, but most are drawn to this wonderful wilderness to see its extraordinary waterfall.

The fast-flowing river defies the laws of nature and puzzles scientists and explorers alike. It splits in two, with one side dropping over a standard 50-foot waterfall, whilst the other vanishes without a trace.

Scientists think the river must drain somewhere beneath Lake Superior but they’ve been unable to prove it. Another hypothesis is this portion of the river plunges into a vast pothole that cannot be seen from the surface, before rejoining the main flow a little further downstream. Researchers and other curious visitors have dropped various objects into the hole and searched for signs of them in an attempt to solve the mystery, but so far, none have been found.

 

“Bridge of the Gods” across the Columbia between Oregon and Washington. In past times a massive slide splatted off the mountain on the North side of the Columbia Gorge. The Bonneville Slide blocked the mighty Columbia for a period and native peoples could freely walk across the river. Today there’s a spindly bridge across the narrow channel the river has carved through the slide.

 

This place gives fresh meaning to the term ‘Rock Concert’. Here — in northern Pennsylvania, not far from the scenic Delaware River — those with a penchant for the inexplicable gather to experience a genuine scientific oddity.
The large rocks that litter the ground here ring like bells when struck. Our advice for anyone planning a visit? Make sure to bring a hammer. Scientists have long studied Pennsylvania’s remarkable Ringing Rocks, but a clear explanation remains elusive.

Make no mistake about it: this is something that shouldn’t be possible. But there’s no question that the rocks here do ring — although not all are audible. It was once thought that just one-third of the rocks made their distinctive sound. Yet research in 1965 discovered that all the rocks here ring, but some sound at a pitch that is lower than the human ear can detect. That research didn’t, alas, determine the cause.

 

The stunning Sea of Stars is a sight to behold. This might appear to transcend the possible, but there can be no question that this phenomenon is in rude health.

Found in the Maldives, the lapping waves look like the night sky, filled with bright lights, twinkling like stars in the ocean. It’s all down to plankton — microscopic organisms that make the impossible possible. The dazzling effect could not be more magical.

Like to see the ‘stars’ for yourself? Vaadhoo Island, part of the picturesque Raa Atoll, is a prime spot — with the late summer months the best time to visit. The bioluminescent plankton is often at its brightest here, with the movement of the waves prompting a chemical reaction that causes the ‘stars’ to shine. It might seem too good to be true. But the Sea of Stars is there for all to see. Far from impossible, this is a destination that demands a visit.

 

There can be no question that Lake Hillier is a scientific oddity. It takes just a quick look to realize that this is a body of water with a difference. Most lakes appear blue, or maybe green. But the shimmering waters that lap Lake Hillier’s scenic shores?

They’re bubble gum pink. Located on Middle Island, in Western Australia’s picturesque Recherche Archipelago, this is a puzzle that has long baffled scientists. It shouldn’t be possible for a lake to be bright pink. But Lake Hillier? It most certainly is.

There are various theories — the main one being that the lake’s high saline levels, coupled with a rare algal species, are responsible for its most notable feature. Yet Lake Hillier remains pink all year round — and even when removed from the lake and bottled, the water’s distinctive colouring stays as vibrant as ever. Such things ensure that Lake Hillier is a scientific oddity.

 

There is a place in Turkey like that. Beautiful x

 

OOH photos please x

 

As a barefooter, that looks like it'd be a fun surface to try walking on in one's bare feet.

 

Go for it. x

 

I'm kinda too far away from Mexico right now (like, on the other side of the Atlantic ocean-kinda far away), and too nervous to travel while Covid continues to be a thing.

 

Certainly.

 

OMG FINLAND LOL

 

A Winter Trip To Pamukkale, Turkey - Funotic.com

 

This is simply burning sulphur. Normally the sodium content of the rocks would mask the blue with orange, so I assume that the molten rock was rich in potassium.

Flame colour testing is a method of qualitive analysis. to avoid contamination, the crucible or test spatula is made from pure platinum.

 

Flame testing - Chemical analysis - National 5 Chemistry Revision - BBC Bitesize