The Salt Pan of Devil’s Golf Course Death Valley in California

The Devil's Golf Course is a huge salt pan on the floor of Death Valley, situated in the Mojave Desert in eastern California. Though its particular boundaries are below par defined, and it spreads from the vicinity of the Ashford Mill site to the Salt Creek Hills, a well distance of around 40 miles. The large salt pan is basically a colossal, dried up bed of a lake that once well covered the valley to a depth of about 30 feet. It is believed that nearly 2,000 to 4,000 years ago the lake dried up which have leaving behind dissolved minerals more than thousands of years, were sculpted by weathering processes into eccentric shapes. The salt pan is so amazingly serrated that the 1934 National Park Service guide book to Death Valley National Monument stated that "only the devil could play golf" on its surface. After some time, the salt pan came to be recognized as the Devil's Golf Course. Over 150,000 years ago the contemporary day salt pan was the site of a large, deep lake produced by snow and melting glaciers as far away as the Sierra Nevada. Famous as Lake Manly, this body of water reached depths of 600 feet, and during this dated the majority of the salts that encompass these formations entered the area. At the close of the last Ice Age approximately 10,000 years ago climate change started a period of evaporation drying up this lake. Then for a brief period during the Holocene about 2,000 to 4,000 years ago the climate was again much damper and one more shallow lake shaped primarily from snow melt in the surrounding mountains and the drainage of the Amargosa River. This time the salt pan flooded to a depth of around 30 feet. After than the climate warmed again, and rainfall declined at some extent and the shallow lakes started to dry up. As the water evaporated, minerals dissolved in the lake became increasingly concentrated finally leaving a thick salty pool on the lowest parts of Death Valley's floor. While the saltpan at Badwater periodically floods, then dries, Devil's Golf Course lies in a part of the Death Valley salt pan that is few feet above flood level. Without the smoothing effects of flood waters, the salty salt at Devil's Golf Course grows into bizarre, intricately detailed pinnacles. The pinnacles form when salty water increases up from underlying muds. Capillary action draws the water upward where it rapidly evaporates, leaving a salty residue behind. The pinnacles rise very slowly, possibly as little as an inch in 35 years, and strong wind and rain continually sculpt the salty spires into captivating shapes.Source: Charismatic Planet

Kaziranga National Park India

The oldest park in Assam is Kaziranga National Park actually lies partly in Golaghat District and Nagaon District. It covers an area of 430 Sq Kms along the river Brahmaputra on the North and Karbi Anglong hills on the South. The National Highway 37 passes through the park area and tea estates, hemmed by table-top tea bushes. The park has actually been declared as National Park in 1974, and is world heritage site and famous for to see the rhinos and wild elephants straying near the highway. The landscape of park is comprises of sheer forest, tall elephant grass, rugged reeds, marshes & shallow pools. It is one of least area in eastern India undisturbed by a human presence.

It is occupied by the world's largest population of one-horned rhinoceroses, as well as many mammals, including elephants, panthers, tigers, bears, Snakes, Lizards, Turtles and Tortoises, Crocodiles, and thousands of birds & other species. The park normally opens from November to April and Tourists can take rides on elephants to move around the park or cruise in a boat on the Brahmaputra along the park. The flora of National Park is mainly consists of alluvial inundated grasslands, tropical wet evergreen forests, dense and tall elephants grass intermixed by small swamplands. The Kaziranga National Park is an abundant cover of water lilies, water hyacinth and lotus, offering stunning view of surroundings of park. Rattan Cane, (A Climbing Palm) also adds natural beauty of park.

The climate of Kaziranga National Park is varied season wise, normally hot and humid in April to June, and warms days in winter Nov to Jan. During monsoon the park is flooded by the water of Brahmaputra which caused Kaziranga becomes inaccessible. There is only method of getting around inside Kaziranga National Park is through a Jeep or elephant safari, which is more feasible. There are several shops at entrance selling different forest products & handicrafts. Hiking in Kaziranga is strictly prohibited to stop man-animal conflicts, so going on a jeep or elephant-back tour are the only options.Source: Charismatic Planet

Blue Pond Hokkaido Japan

The beautiful Blue Pond situated on the left bank of River Bieigawa nearby the town of Biei in Hokkaido Island, Japan. It is not a natural formation; actually artificial pond was formed when a dam was constructing to keep the area from mud flows due to its proximity to a volcano on Mt. Tokachi. The local officials decided to build a dam upstream along the river when the volcano erupted in December 1988. All the water blocked by this dam gets collected in a depression in the forest, formed the pond. The “blue pond” is the famous tourist resort in Biei, Hokkaido, Japan actually is a place where myriad tourists gather in spring, summer, and autumn. Therefore, since this pond freezes in winter, nobody is there during that period.

The blue pond is remarkably blue that also the barren tree stumps that protrude from the surface of the water. The color of lovely pond is hardly remains constant, keep varying on seasonal based, and changes depending on what angle you look at it from and even at different times of the day. In a distinguish light, it seems electric blue and green with no real scientific explanation. The Blue pond phenomenon actually attributes to a high concentration of aluminum hydroxide in the water. The obviously occurring mineral is famous to reflect the shorter wavelength blue light, just like the earth’s atmosphere does. Of course, the water itself is colorless and pond gets its name from the extraordinarily bright blue hue of its water, and tree stumps protruding from the surface of the water, not unlike Lake Kaindy, the Blue Pond has an ethereal and enchanting appearance.

The attractive town of Biei has been a widespread tourist destination for years, but the Blue Pond became a global magnetism only recently after Apple included an image of the aquamarine pond in the recently released OS X Mountain Lion.Source: Charismatic Planet

Svetloe Lake in Serbia

The real life Svetloe Lake located near Urozhainoe village which means “Prolific” in Siberia is also known to many locals as the Swan Lake which uniqueness is that water never freezes, no matter how cold the winter. In winter the Lake is usually teeming with activity and you found it most beautiful lake in world as hundreds of beautiful swans arrive here to enjoy warm water of this lake, swans generally select to fly further south where the climate isn’t so harsh. Svetloe Lake is so special, because it is fed by many warm springs, as the temperature of water is always above zero, although surroundings air drops to minus 40c. The lake waters is warm in comparison, in between 5C to 6C, making it the unspoiled hang-out place for the beautiful birds.

The swans started to appear at the lake way back in 1967. Only about 15 birds would make an appearance then, but the numbers have steadily increased to over 350 today and still continue to rise. The name “Svetloe” actually means “Clear Lake” and the waters are pristine and so transparent even though you can see all the way down to its depths. The people of nearby village are arrogant to have the breathtaking swan lake and treat the species with massive care and respect, and in return have the most rewarding swan songs the birds is famed for its deep honking call and relish the watching them fly. As per locals, only 15 birds were appeared in 1967, but now quantity has grown up to 350 annually with the numbers rising every year.

The birds leave for nesting to the northern polar areas of Siberia in March, and come back here with their young some nine months later. Whooper Swans are extra cautious birds.  They need calm and quiet, so the access of people to the lake to see this remarkable sight is limited. There is a special viewing point ten meters high with a panoramic view of the lake, built in a way that it doesn't disturb the birds. There are also more than a few floats designed especially for feeding the swans which permits you to see these remarkable birds from a closer distance. Almost 2,000 ducks also spend the coldest months with the swans which include the Mallard, the Goldeneye, the Redhead and the Tufted ducks, two kinds of Teals and Northern Pintails. Source; Charismatic Planet