Wednesday, April 25, 2012

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Top 10 Weirdest Places on Earth

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 09:05 PM PDT

There are a number of places that should be visited. These are exquisite, hardly found in other parts of the world. They are also weird as many historians and geologists still do not understand the origins. If you ever have the chance, go visit these places and experience the diversity of the earth we are living on.

 

1. Salar de Uyuni:



This Bolivian desert is quite different than the other deserts we have been to. The area is defined by its impressive salt structures, active volcanoes and tall cacti islands and geyser flats. The area is 10, 582 square km. The salted crust serves as a source of salt and is rich in lithium. 50% to 70% of the world's lithium reserves are here.

 

2. Guanajuato Mummy Museum:



This museum features mummified bodies interred during a cholera outbreak in Guanajuato, Mexico in 1833. The mummies were exhumed in a cemetery between 1865 and 1958 when a law required relatives to pay for burial.

These mummies are unique in many ways. Unlike in Egypt, these mummies were not mummified intentionally. Dry conditions and overcrowded cemeteries caused the mummification. They also inspired legends surrounding a woman who was believed to be buried alive. Legend says she was buried faced down with arms over her facce. No truth has ever been uncovered.

 

3. Nine Hells of Beppu



Beppu is a city in Japan with 2,800 springs that gush out hot thermal water every day. The city has thus been named the hot-springs capital of Japan. Given their extreme temperatures and unique colors, nine of these springs have been labeled as the hells of Beppu.

The writers in the Edo Period described this as an apocalyptic place where torture through boiling took place. Now it has become an attraction for tourists.

 

4. McMurdo Dry Valleys:



This is one of few areas in the Antarctica that is not covered by snow or sheets of ice. Summer temperatures are so warm that  glacial ice melt, creating streams that feed freshwater lakes that lie at the bottom of the valleys. Unlike Antarctica as a whole, the lakes never freeze and have colonies of bacteria and phytoplankton.

 

5. Rio Tinto:



The Spanish city is heavily acidic and rich in heavy metals. The deep red color of the water is attributed to the mining population for over 5000 years. The presence of iron-oxidating bacteria and sulfur-oxidating material are thought to be the culprits. This place is still significant as it is the birthplace of the Copper Age and the Bronze Age. The first mines were developed in 3000 B.C. by Iberians and Tartessans.

 



 

6. Easter Island:



Much of Easter Island and the 887 monumental statues (50 ft. tall) is still a mystery. The island was incorporated into Chile in 1888. It is the most remote inhabited island in the world. The Moai are monolithic human figures carved from rock and dates back to 1250-1500. The stones are highly preserved, occasionally moved for thorough examination.

 

7. The Hanging Coffins:



These are coffins that were placed on cliffs. They may be found in different location, including China, Indonesia and Philippines. It was customary for tribes (i.e., Bo) to bury minority groups like this.

 

8. North Bimini Island underwater rock formation:



This is one of the most natural rock formations ever and it is underwater. The location is in North Bimini Island in the Bahamas. These rock formations are made of limestone and are suspiciously aligned according to the edges and patterns of route. Many speculate that half of the rock formation was man-made and are a part of the lost city of Atlantis.

 

9. The Wave:



This is one of the most stunningly weird sandstone rock formations in the United States, located in Arizona. Almost 200 million years ago, the region was just a desert where Duines migrated across the landscape and pushed the winds. The ribbons of colors were formed by movement and precipitation of oxidizing material.

 

10. Pamukkale:



Pamukkale means cotton castle in Turkish. It is a natural site in southwestern Turkey which contains hot springs and travertines and terraces of carbonate minerals. The Hierapolis was built on top of this castle. The place looks like a winter wonderland. Tourists visit there to bathe in the pool.

 


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