The Jacob’s Well, Texas United States

Jacob’s well seems an abyss, and people jumping into it are crazy! Jacob’s well actually a popular tourist attraction, which beckons both locals and tourists for several years. Jacob’s Well is located on the “Cypress Creek” in the town of Wimberley, Texas, USA. The well represents an inexhaustible artesian spring; the transparent water creates the feeling of flying into an empty space while jumping. Once Jacob’s Well was a semblance of a geyser and a powerful flow of artesian water was beating to a height of 10 meters.

This scenic spring has always been reflected eternal, but lately it starts to dry out. The lowering of the aquifer has resulted in a decrease of the water level in the well. Moreover, from the second half of the 20th century, divers started to explore the cave. In 1980, after a series of accidents, in order to prevent such tragedies, the entrance to the well was closed by setting a special lattice of reinforcement and by concreting of one of the chambers of the cave. However, these warnings didn’t stop the brave divers, and all these superstructures were ultimately removed. The karstic spring entices not only the divers, but also researchers and artists. Visitors like this place as one of the most noteworthy natural, geological Texas treasures.

This perpetual underwater cave with a diameter of 4 meters derives from the most extensive underwater cave system in the state of Texas. The cave vertically goes deep into the rocks for about 10 meters, and then branches out into the endless underwater corridors, extending in indefinite directions. These branching are cameras, or even grottos, with narrow isthmuses covered with thick sludge; the entire length is about 40 meters. There are four caves at the bottom, located a few dozen of feet below the surface. The first cave can be found at a depth of 30 feet, which stretches to a depth of 55 feet. It is well lighted, and has numerous kinds of fish and algae. The second cave is located at a depth of 80 feet, has a narrow entrance, which temptations the divers into a trap. Some caves bottoms are covered with layers of limestone and loose gravel, and they are stirred up, it will be almost unbearable to find a way out of the underwater trap.

Thus, the passage between the second and the third caves is hindered with gravel, and here the divers try to be particularly careful in order not to touch the bottom. The entrance to the fourth cave is even more arduous task. Few people saw it, therefore it is called “virginal cave.” No one has ever completely explored the farthest corners of the underwater cave network. This is a threat to life of the inquisitive divers, as so far eight divers have died in the process of research of the cave. Jacob's Well in Wimberley, Texas is one of the most dangerous places to dive on Earth, having claimed the lives of more than eight divers. Recent attempts at developing the surrounding area resulted in the creation of a natural preserve so that the springs could be enjoyed for generations to come, and you would definitely visit again.

 

 

 

 

Ships Graveyard in the Desert of Moynaq, Uzbekistan

In Uzbekistan, an eerie ship graveyard filled with hauntingly beautiful shipwrecks beckons, is literally a ghost town in the middle of the desert. Moynaq ship Graveyard — Mo‘ynoq also spelled as Muynak and Moynaq, is a city in northern Karakalpakstan in western Uzbekistan. It was formerly a sea port, now home to only a few thousand residents at most. Mo‘ynoq's population has been abating precipitously since the 1980s due to the recession of the Aral Sea. Because in the last 30 years Moynaq was one of two biggest Soviet fishing harbors at the Aral Sea. As the scarce few travelers who have traversed this most barren and isolated of landscapes will tell you, it’s perhaps the last place on earth you’d expect to find a flotilla of abandoned ships. Except this isn’t a mirage you’ve reached the Graveyard Ships of Mo’ynaq, a surreal collection of rusting fishing vessels in Uzbekistan, stranded nearly 100 miles from the nearest shoreline.

The Aral Sea has been gradually declining since the 1960s, as the waters of the two rivers feeding it, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya, were aimed at irrigating agricultural areas. Actually formerly one of the four largest lakes in the world with an area of 68,000 km2 or 26,300 sq mi. Aral Sea has been steadily shrinking since in 1960s after the rivers that fed it were diverted by Soviet irrigation projects.  In 2007, it had dropped to 10% of its original size, splitting into four lakes! the North Aral Sea, the eastern and western basins of the once far larger South Aral Sea, and one smaller lake between the North and South Aral Seas. Though, in 2009, the southeastern lake had disappeared and the southwestern lake had retreated to a thin strip at the extreme west of the former southern sea.

Moreover, the maximum depth of the North Aral Sea is 42 meter or 138 ft in 2008.The lessening of the Aral Sea has been called "one of the planet's worst environmental disasters". The region's once-prosperous fishing industry has been basically destroyed, bringing unemployment and economic adversity. The Aral Sea region was also heavily polluted, with following serious public health problems. The retreat of the sea has reportedly also caused local climate change, with summers becoming hotter and drier, and winters colder and longer.In an ongoing effort in Kazakhstan to save and replenish the North Aral Sea, a dam project was completed in 2005; in 2008, the water level in this lake had risen by 12 m or 39 ft compared to 2003. Salinity has dropped, and fish are again found in sufficient numbers for some fishing to be viable.

The Aral Sea watershed covers Uzbekistan and parts of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. Nowadays Mo‘ynoq's is a major tourist attractions are the armada of rusting hulks that once made up the proud fishing fleet during the Soviet era. Even a one-room museum devoted to Mo‘ynoq's heritage as a center of the fishing industry. Though, poisonous dust storms kicked up by strong winds across the dried and polluted seabed give rise to a multitude of chronic and acute illnesses between the few residents who have selected to remain, most of them ethnic Karakalpaks, and weather unmoderated by the sea now buffets the town with hotter-than-normal summers and colder-than-normal winters. Let's take a closer look and see how these ships came to be stranded in the middle of the desert.

The Giant Barringer Meteor Crater in Arizona

The Giant Crater is formed after the fall of the meteorite crater Meteor or Barringer, is located almost 69 kilometers east of the city of Flagstaff and near the town of Winslow, in the northern Arizona desert, USA. It is also called - Meteor Crater, originated about 50,000 years ago in a fall on the Earth meteorite vesivshego 300,000 tons and flying at a speed of about 45-60 thousand km / h. According to some calculations, the explosion at the fall of the meteorite was three times more powerful than the Tunguska explosion, which can be compared with a thousand Hiroshimas. Berrenzhera crater is one of the most popular attractions of Arizona. 

In the district of Arizona crater were found fragments of nickel-iron meteorite. Few meteorites, such as the Tunguska meteorite, have left behind a crater. While Berringer Crater impeccably preserved and has a shape akin to lunar craters. It is an enormous cavity width of 1200 meters and a depth of 200 meters. Moreover local Indian tribes have long been aware of the giant crater and collected scattered around the metal fragments of the meteorite. There are plentiful legends associated with this sacred place.

The existence of the crater became known in 1891, and it was thought a volcanic crater. However, in 1902, it has been recommended meteorite, and researchers involved a mining engineer Daniel Moreau Barringer. He has spent 26 years on their life, but could not prove unequivocally meteoritic origin of the crater. Although strong evidence was found specialist comets and meteorites Eugene ShoemakerIn Arizona crater trained astronauts who had to go to the moon. The local landscape is well-thought-out to be the most akin to the moon. The locals often talk about the appearance of UFOs in these places. This is not the largest meteorite that fell to Earth.

Meteors hardly ever fall to the ground; however a few cases still recorded. In 1908 over Tunguska taiga, about 10 km from the surface of the Earth, the explosion occurred. Its sound was heard nearly 1,000 km, and the trees knocked down on an area of about 2000 square kilometers. This massive explosion could have been caused by an asteroid or comet fragment. Some scholars suggest that this meteorite caused mass death of the dinosaurs that occurred 65 million years ago. According to this theory, a huge piece of space pierced the Earth’s atmosphere and reaching the surface, leaves a crater depth of 50 km, 200 km in diameter, on the seafloor. Volcanic products and hot gases joined millions of tons of dust and rocks thrown into the air.

Thus, dust rose into the upper atmosphere and blocked the way of the life-giving solar energy, initiating impaired development of the plant and decreases the amount of food that has caused the death of several animals, including dinosaurs. Moreover, a big crater, just found off the coast of Mexico, maybe confirm this theory. Presently Arizona meteorite crater is a popular tourist destination, privately owned family Barringer. On the northern edge of the meteorite crater is a visitor center, which presents interactive exhibits, and where everyone talk about meteorites, asteroids, space, solar system and comets. We can see the 637 pound meteorite found in the area, as well as fragments of the meteorite crater found in Arizona, they can even touch it. Visitor Center, formerly known as the Museum astrogeology includes theater, gift shop and observation point overlooking the inner edge of the crater, with daily excursions. In the Antarctic, on the island of Wilkes in 1962 discovered a meteor crater 241 km and a depth of 800 m in Canada on the coast of Hudson Bay has a crater with a diameter of 443 km.

The Mysterious “The Longyou Caves”

Longyou caves is located near the village of Shiyan Beicun in Zhejiang province, is an extensive, magnificent and rare ancient underground world considered in China are an enduring mystery that have perplexed experts from every discipline that has examined them. In 1992, an eccentrically curious man named Wu Anai, near the Chinese village of Shiyan Beicun in Longyou County, based on a hunch, started to pump water out of a pond in his village. He had strong belief the pond isn’t natural, nor was it substantially deep as the local lore went, and one day he stepped up to decides to prove it. Anai convinced some of his villagers and together they bought a water pump and started to siphon water out of the pond. Therefore, after exorbitant  hardworking of 17 days of pumping, the water level fell enough to disclose the flooded entrance to an ancient, man-made cave, confirming Anai’s suspicion. This discovery has called the attention of many specialists from China, Japan, Poland, Singapore and USA. One of the most interesting and challenging questions is how the caverns have been able to keep their integrity for more than 2000 years.

This cave, now called the “Longyou Caves”, represent one of the largest underground excavation made during ancient times. A total of 24 hand-dug caves were ultimately discovered, each with an average floor area of a thousand square meters and ceilings that reaches heights of up to 30 meters. The cave total area covered exceeds 30,000 square meters. We know the caves are not natural because the interior walls are covered with chisel marks. The chiseling was also done in a way so as to leave uniform patterns of parallel grooves which some people rely on are symbolic. Moreover, the markings are alike to those found on pottery housed in a nearby museum, which is dated between 500 and 800 BC. There are also staircases, pillars and exquisitely carved figures.

According to some approximation the caves were dug more than 2500 years ago, possibly in 200 BCE. A rough estimation reveals that approximately a million cubic meters of rock were removed to make the caves. This was a mega project so large would surely have been mentioned by historians and travelers, but no documents at all have been found, which is particularly odd considering the ancient Chinese were meticulous record-keepers. However, one cannot rule out the possibility that the ancient cave builders were just enlarging an existing natural cave which would explain a lot of things, such as how they were constructed and what happened to the excavated rocks. Nevertheless, the excavation of the caves was a monumental project executed by man and will continue to be a lasting mystery. At present there is no explanation for their existence. They represent one of the largest underground excavations of ancient times. They are considered by Chinese to be the 'Ninth Wonder of the Ancient World'

 

 

 

 

 

Dead Sea, Jordan and Israel

Dead Sea is fascinated by the magic and healing power to create state-of-the-art cosmetics based on the minerals, plants and aromas. Dead Sea is a marvelous pantry of sea minerals and salts is the lowest point of the planet has depth of 377 meters. Dead Sea is an incredibly beautiful oasis in the desert and mountain terrain. Dead Sea is a closed lake, which lies between Jordan and Israel, located 394 meters below the sea level. Dead Sea length is 67 kilometers and the width at the maximum point amounts 18 kilometers. It is called a hypersaline lake which has no outlet to the sea. Its healing properties entice tourists from all over the world to see the mysteriousness, legendary and truly uniqueness! Though, each year the water level decreases by 1 meter. So, specialists predict that in the coming 800 years the Dead Sea would turn into Dead Valley. Moreover Dead Sea is deepest salt lake in the world. It contains the concentration of salt and other minerals, the level of salinity of which is superior the ocean water.

The Dead Sea one of the most saline water bodies in the world (33.7%). Such a remarkably high salt concentration lets people to effortlessly float on the surface of the water in a natural way. Even a person can read a newspaper or a book, without fear to wet it. This water is not suitable for living beings, though tiny bacteria and microfungi are present here. The main tributary of the lake is the Jordan River, located above the Rift Valley area. The Dead Sea represents two reservoirs, the north one which is wider and less salty, and the south one a small, near the shores of which people extract potash, bromine and numerous salts for chemical companies that produce the world famed cosmetics.

The Dead Sea area has become a major research center in the field of health for some good reason. Because the mineral content in the water is distinctive; as no pollen and other allergens in the atmosphere, due to the large depth there is less ultraviolet in sunlight radiation and the atmospheric pressure is higher, which has a beneficial effect on the human health. A distinctive benefit of this place lies in healing mineral mud, has a wound-healing effect, strengthens hair roots, and eliminates dandruff and seborrhea. After the mud application the wrinkles are smoothed out and usually the aging course is slowed down.

Furthermore, the Dead Sea water is very effectively helps in the treatment of allergies, psoriasis, eczema, acne. It also improves the blood circulation and enhance metabolism, calms the nervous system, cleanses skin and improves its appearance and elasticity. Thus, the low humidity and high evaporation at high levels of bromide in the air proliferations metabolism, increases bronchial tubes and blood vessels, normalizes the activity of the nervous system. Hence, this combination of rich mineral water, sunlight filtered by the troposphere and dry air of the desert attracts many people. And it is far from the whole list of useful properties of this place. The water of Dead Sea is having the density of 1.240kg/L due to which swimming in Dead Sea is almost synonymous to floating. That is why it is said that nobody ever drowns in the Dead Sea. It is worthy of mentioning in this connection that the Great Salt Lake in America is also similar to Dead Sea in this respect.Source: Charismatic Planet