Sailing Stones of Racetrack Playa

By sandy.redding

Among the the ghost towns, abondoned mines and amazing geology of Death Valley, California, there is a place of intriguing mystery. Located above the northwestern side of the National Park, the dry lakebed of Racetrack Playa is world-famous for its inexplicable sailing stones, a puzzle that has baffled scientists for decades.

Richat Structure - The Eye of Africa

By Google Maps - Imagery (c) TerraMetrics

The Richat Structure, or the Eye of Africa, as it’s also called, is a huge geological formation 50 kilometers across. Smack dab in the middle of the Sahara Desert in Mauritania, this feature that looks remarkably like an eye was immediately noted by the very first astronauts, as it is glaringly obvious in the otherwise rather featureless Sahara.

The Big Hole of Kimberley

The Big Hole, located in Kimberley, South Africa, may not look like much at first glance. Hardly something one would look at twice next to some of the other wonders of planet Earth. What makes this crater unusual is its origin. You see, at almost 500 meters in diameter and over 200 meters in depth, the Big Hole is quite possibly the largest hole in the world dug entirely by hand.

The Burning Pit of Darvaza, Turkmenistan

By autarken

If at night you approach a certain spot in the middle of the desolate Karakum Desert outside the village of Darvaza, Turkmenistan, you will see a strange glow light up the clouds in a red hue. The locals call it ”The Burning Gate” or ”The Door to Hell”. Like something straight out of the Book of Revelation, it is a perpetually burning pit 60 meters in diameter and 20 meters deep.