Brimham Rocks, Yorkshire England

Brimham Rocks are collection of weird and wonderful balancing rock formations on Brimham Moor in North Yorkshire, England. The rocks stand at a height of nearly 30 feet in an area owned by the National Trust. That is part of the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The area was recognized as being a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in 1958. The natural spectacle was created by a river 100million years BEFORE the first dinosaurs walked the earth.

The different rock formations caused by Millstone Grit Being eroded by water, glaciation and strong wind. Many formations are unbelievable formed amazing shapes. There are extensive views of the rocks jutting above woodland from North West as well as 360° views of the nearby countryside and beyond. Many of the rock outcroppings reach over 30 meters into the sky, and the protected Brimham Rock area covers more than 400 acres.

This landscape is an untouched heathland north of Summer-bridge has been drained for agricultural improvements and large-scale forestation. The strangely shaped rock formations tower over heather moorland, offering panoramic views across Nidderdale and to the Vale of York. The area covers approximately 1.66km² weathered to create dramatic shapes. And this site where the landform is higher, drier and cloaked in species such as heather and bilberry. Let your imagination run wild as you explore the labyrinth of paths through this unique landscape.

Many formations required some imagination to call. So, different formations have been named in various angles. Like Sphinx, Pivot Rock, The Watchdog, Cannon Rock, The Camel, Idol Rock, The Turtle, and Dancing Bear. The site has been filmed in various movies. In June 2018 an act of vandalism caused a rock to fall from the top of one of the crags and damage the crag face. On lower lying land, the ground is wetter and several springs form small streams that meander through the wetland scrub.

Across the rocks, natural clumps of birch woodland have been allowed to regenerate remaining naturalistic and wild. Thousands of tourists flock to the spectacular landmark every year to see the weird and wonderful shapes sculpted by wind and ice over millions of years.

In the summer season, the heather flowers turn the moorland purple, attracting bees and butterflies. This intriguing landscape is like no other you will have seen. The area is an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) managed by the National Trust and open to the public all year round. It is easily accessed by a network of public footpaths including the Nidderdale Way.

There are many choices of activities available, from regular guided walks and climbing days to family trails to make your own adventures. The site is open typically from 8 a.m. until dusk. Hence entry is free but car parking is charged for visitors who are not members of the National Trust. Brimham Rocks makes a great day out for families, climbers, walkers and those wanting to enjoy the simple pleasures of fresh air and magnificent views. Source: CP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also Read: Wave Rock, A Strange Rock Formation in Australia

Giant Hands Lift up The Golden Bridge Vietnam

In the mountains above Da Nang, Vietnam sits a rare piece of bridge design. It is called The Golden Bridge, a 490 feet long pedestrian bridge in the Bà Nà Hills resort. The Golden Bridge is designed to connect the cable car station with the gardens and to provide a scenic overlook for tourist attraction. The five meter wide, pedestrian bridge is support by simple steel with the two giant stone hands acting purely as decoration. The Golden Bridge has a timber deck with stainless steel handrails colored golden. It creates a walkway in the sky, among the foggy and fairy-like lands of Ba Na Mountain. The bridge loops nearly back around to itself, and hands designed to appear to support the structure. The bridge is avoiding a steep incline. The bridge opened for public in June 2018.  It is a latest tourist attraction in Da Nang previously the site of an American base during the Vietnam War. And now, a vacation hot spot for tourists.  

The Golden Bridge hands are decorated with cracks and moss to make them look like aged stone ruins. The remarkable appearance of two huge grips looks like they drew the bridge out from the land and adore it as it were a gift from nature. The mix of city, beach, and mountains is drawing people to the area. The China Beach is for fresh seafood and good waves. Marble Mountains are for exploring temples and caves. Now the city itself offers for a burgeoning culinary scene.

The client for the project was the Sun Group. A curved golden bridge designed by TA Landscape Architecture based in Ho Chi Minh City. The company's founder, Vu Viet Anh, was the principal designer. Initially Sun Group was hesitant about the design, have concerned about this bridge. But it took months too persuaded by the practice for final design. The Ba Na Hills, a popular getaway for the French during the colonial occupation of Vietnam, received over 2.7 million visitors last year, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism. This project looks like humans can do anything. You will feel to walk on clouds as it’s so unique. Source: CP

Ovniport, The UFO Landing Pad in the Desert of Argentina

The strange monument UFO landing pad built by a man who claimed aliens told him to construct it. The UFO landing pad has been built in the middle of the Argentinian desert with the collection of white and brown rocks. The man gives the shape of a star, known as an 'ovniport'.  It appeared in the small town of Cachi in the province of Salta. The site is a huge attraction for UFO fanatics who hope to contact aliens.

The Swiss man Werner Jaisli travelled to town of Cachi in search of extraterrestrials. After that he have claimed to receive a 'telepathic message' from aliens telling him they required a place to land on earth. They landed about 100 meters above our heads and projected on us a beam of light that made us both see their own brightness. The funny thing is that it did not affect our vision. Something began to bubble through my brain: it was an order. They asked me telepathically to build the airport.' Visitors flock to the site and no wonder, because it's magnificent built.

He is thought to have instantly got to work, making a large star in 2008 with 36 points that measures 48 meters in diameter. Jaisli also made a smaller star and it took him till 2012 until his work was done. As a tourist’s point of view, the UFO landing pad is also popular with UFO enthusiasts. They believe they may be able to contact beings from another world from the site.

However, soon after the “ovniport” was built, the local people of Cachi stopped seeing Jaisli, who had a large beard and would often wear a Druid outfit. It is imprecise where he travelled to but some people sparking theories, that he may have been abducted by aliens. Although, it is thought he actually traveled back to Bolivia - with another theory that he went to Switzerland. Also Read: Mount Danxia

 

 

Mount Danxia, China

Mount Danxia “Dānxiá Shān” is a prominent scenic mountainous area near Shaoguan city in the northern part of Guangdong China. In 2004 the Mount Danxia is listed as a "world famous UNESCO geopark of China". Mount Danxia has been honored National Scenic Area, National Geomorphologic Nature Reserve, and National Geo-park etc. since 1988.

It covers an area of ​​approximately 280 square kilometers. The stones and peaks are rhythmically interspersed making it a sculpture garden of red sandstone rocks. Set against the blue sky, white clouds, jade waters, green trees and the colorful algae, the mountain becomes a picturesque painting. Mount Danxia is not only bright in color, but peculiar in outlook.

Mount Danxia is named for its unique danxia landforms. With a deep red color, bright like sunset glow, different from other Danxia Nature Reserves owns the most graceful views. The area is formed with reddish sandstone, eroded with the passage of times. It is a series of outcrops surrounded by spectacular cliffs and many unusual rock formations known as Danxia landform.

The stones have been formed the shape of human body, birds and even animals. Many cliff tombs and cliff coffins were left by our ancestors who inhabited the mountain. The Danxia Mountain consists of many other wonderful scenic spots, including Zhanglao Peak, Yangyuan Hill, Xianglong Lake and Jin River. The Jin River features charming waterside scenery and wonderful aquatic programs, such as swimming, boating and yachting.

The area beauty is added by several temples located on the mountains. Many scenic walks can be undertaken. There is also a beautiful river winding piercing the mountains where you can have boat trip. The scenic area contains more than 680 different stone peaks, stone fortresses, walls, pillars and stone bridges. Yangyuan Hill and Zhanglao Peak face each other across a river. The hill is renowned for the marvelous Yangyuan Stone, which looks like a male genital.

The area has moderate subtropical climate suitable to rich variety of plants. These ancient Danxia Phoenix Trees 'Dharma Orchid' are very rare and most distinguished species of the mountain. It was discovered in 1987, that only tree of this species existed in the world. Moreover, 28 ancient trees are more than 100 years old. Out of them 14 trees are more than three centuries old.

Therefore, as soon flowering season arrives, the sweet scent of the orchid tree lingers & thrives in the mountain and visitors swarm to its attraction. Visitors arrive here and take photos, some giggling and posing. And if that’s not enough silly selfie opps, there’s a trail from here to Breast Rock and elsewhere there’s a narrow cleft some imagine as a women private part.

Moreover, the mountain has been a busy place for various religious activities. The mountain prospered a great number of poems, carvings and inscriptions praising the bewitching scenery were left behind by writers, poets and painters throughout past dynasties. The Xianglong Lake sits to the south of Zhanglao Peak, named so because the lake resembles a flying dragon.

There are numerous attractions that make the Danxia range interesting. The area has the different stone formation.

• Yang Yuan Stone, bearing a remarkable resemblance to a phallus
• Yin Yuan Stone, which somewhat resembles the female vulva.
• Breasts Stone, human breast-shaped rocky outcrops on a cliff hanging 30 m above the ground.
• Sleeping Beauty, a rocky range resembling a sleeping maiden.

World Heritage Site

In the 2010 UNESCO list of world heritage sites, Mount Danxia was recorded as a natural World Heritage Site as part of China's Danxia landform. Whenever you go to China, you must visit Mount Danxia, it’s a must see area. You will bring unforgettable memories with Mount Danxia. Also Read: Mount Katmai Eruption! Biggest Bang of 20th Century

Source: CP

Mount Katmai, Alsaka

Mount Katmai has long been recognized for its caldera collapse. Mount Katmai rises at the head of the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes on the upper Alaska Peninsula, along the volcanic front of the Aleutian arc.  It’s a large compound stratovolcano that consisted of two contiguous cones, both beheaded by the caldera collapse of 1912.

Still many people don’t even hear its name. Mount Katmai is 6.3 miles in diameter with a central lake-filled caldera about 3 by 2 mi in area. Mount Katmai was formed during the massive Novarupta eruption in 1912. The sound of the explosion would be heard in Atlanta and St. Louis, and the fumes observed as far away as Denver, San Antonio, and Jamaica." (Robert F. Griggs, National Geographic Magazine, 1917, v. 81 no. 1, p. 50)

In June 1912, the most spectacular Alaskan eruption in recorded history and the 20th century's largest measured volcanic eruption formed a large summit caldera at Katmai volcano. The volcano has caused ten known fatalities due to gas exposure. The caldera rim reaches a maximum elevation of 6,716 feet. In 1975 the surface of the Crater Lake was at an elevation of about 4,220 feet, and the estimated elevation of the caldera floor is about 3,400 ft. The flows were still hot enough to release gases and boil water and would be until the 1980's

Mount Katmai is centered on the regional drainage divide, the edifice is amazingly asymmetrical. It was one of largest eruption in the 20th century, ejecting almost 30 cubic kilometers of ash and debris into the atmosphere. It is well beating 1991 Pinatubo by a factor of 3 in volume and, for comparison, 1980 Mt. St. Helens by a factor of 30.

The magnitude of the eruption can perhaps be best realized if one could imagine a similar outburst centered in New York City. All of Greater New York would be buried under from ten to fifteen feet of ash. Philadelphia would be covered by a foot of gray ash and would be in total darkness for sixty hours. And Washington and Buffalo would receive a quarter of an inch of ash, with a shorter period of darkness.

The mountain is located in Kodiak Island Borough, adjacent to its border with Lake and Peninsula Borough. The massive eruption happened at a vent about 10 km to the west of Mount Katmai. More than 60 hours, the volcano eruption took place 28 km³ of ash flows and tephra representing 13 km³ of magma volume. Mount Katmai consists mainly of lava flows, pyroclastic rocks, and non-welded to agglutinated air fall.

However, very little is known about the historical activity of Katmai volcano before 1912 eruption. The Quaternary volcanic rocks at Mount Katmai and nearby cones are less than 5,000 feet thick. Much of the volcano is mantled by snow and ice and some valley glaciers radiate out from the flanks. The gigantic eruption produced a cloud of suffocating gas and ash that blackened the sky for the inhabitants of the town of Kodiak. The ash falling on them were quickly led to the harbor and evacuated by boat.

In 1919, geologists noted a lake covering a large part of the caldera floor. However at the end of 1923 the lake was gone and many fumaroles, mud pots, and a large mud geyser had replaced it. Please keep in mind that Mount Katmai should not be climbed without mountaineering skills and equipment. Because high winds, regular rain and drizzle, brown bears, icy stream crossings, crevassed glaciers, and particularly its remoteness make the area a true wilderness. But it’s exhilarating and risky, occasionally wonderful, rarely comfortable, and never to be trifled with.

The withdrawal of magma beneath Katmai resulted in the collapse of the summit area, forming the caldera. After the subsidence, a small dacitic lava dome recognized as “Horseshoe Island” was emplaced on the floor of the caldera. That is the only juvenile material erupted from Katmai caldera during the historical eruption. It was visible at the time of the expedition in 1916.

After that it has since been submerged by the Crater Lake. Still, the eruption from Katmai had a VEI of 3, and possibly involved phreatic eruptions. The nearby Trident, Griggs, and Snowy Mountain volcanoes became active long before Mount Katmai, and activity at Mageik volcano began about the same time as at Katmai.

The massive eruption had a decadal impact of wildlife, affecting the spawning of salmon in the rivers near Novarupta for years. The Mount Katmai cluster was built on a set of rugged glaciated ridges, marine siltstone and sandstone of the Jurassic Naknek Formation. The lake has since refilled to a depth of over 800 feet. Moreover, small glaciers have also formed on a bench within the caldera beside the lake. Pumice still floats on Naknek Lake nearby.

Access is difficult because the Katmai cluster lies completely within the Roadless wilderness of Katmai National Park. The only convenient access is by boat or amphibious aircraft from King Salmon to Brooks Camp on Naknek Lake. The fascination with the eruption goes beyond the size of the event.

Modern geology had never seen the deposition of such a large ash flow sheet. So it was the first time geologists could examine first-hand how the sheet cools and welds after an eruption. Overall, the 1912 eruption shows how interconnected magmatic systems in a cluster of volcanoes might be. The area of the Alaska Peninsula is still sparsely populated, but important things occurred nearby actually, directly above: air traffic.

Not only would the trans-Pacific lines be affected by ash of a Novarupta-scale event, but the ash fallout distribution shows that the potential exists for air travel across much of Canada and the northern United States (especially Seattle, Portland, Vancouver) to be halted. Thankfully, the eruption only lasted 60 hours, but it took at least a week for the ash to settle out of the atmosphere.

Today, only infrequent earthquake swarms occur in the Katmai Cluster and many of the hydrothermal features created during the 1912 eruption are dead. However, the eruption at Novarupta does show the potential for a new colossal eruption to occur where none has happened in the geologically-recent past. Hence a reminder of how vital volcano monitoring and research can be in helping notice the signs of such an event well in advance.

 

 

 

 

 

Source: CP

The Alnwick Poison Garden

The Alnwick Garden is featuring intoxicating and poisonous plants.  A sign at The Alnwick Garden gate reads! “These Plants Can Kill”. The Alnwick’s boundaries are kept behind black iron gates, in which visitors are explicitly told not to stop and smell the flowers. The Poison Garden is home to 100 notorious killers. Due to the plants’ dangerous qualities, visitors are prohibited from smelling, touching or tasting any of them. Even though some plants are caged, and the garden is secured each evening behind gates under a 24-hour security watch. Any garden without people is lifeless and people have bought The Alnwick Garden to life and restored its soul.

The Poison Garden includes many species like, hemlock, Strychnos nux-vomica, foxglove, Ricinus communis, Atropa belladonna, Brugmansia and Laburnum. The main purpose of Poison Garden to aware the drug education, plantings of cannabis, coca and the opium poppy Papaver somniferum. The Alnwick Garden was established in February 2005 as just a portion of the ambitious 14-acre new gardens. The Poison Garden features different themed plantings designed around a central water cascade.

The Alnwick Garden is a complex of formal gardens nearby to Alnwick Castle in the town of Alnwick, Northumberland, England. The Alnwick Garden is contemporary pleasure place which brings joy to millions people. The Poison Garden is inspired with botanical gardens in Padua, dedicated completely to floras which are deadly and narcotic. The colorful plants are enticing visitors to wander through rows of fragrant roses, manicured topiaries and cascading fountains.

The ideal time to visit Poison Garden is spring season. Countless bulbs appear, heralding the start of new life. The Cherry Orchard is transformed a cloud of white cherry blossom, carpeted with thousands of alliums in a sea of purple. In 2017 The Alnwick Garden won “Northumberland’s top Large Visitor attraction”. The Alnwick Garden is most exciting contemporary gardens and a floral wonderland. But this isn't just an attraction for keen horticulturalists. The Poison Garden prides itself on being a place for families with lots of chances to get wet and play.

One can see acres of captivating plants, water sculptures. The landscape is eclectic, from the gentle waves of color and scent in the Rose Garden to the riotous, fascinating water displays of the centerpiece the Grand Cascade. The pergola-covered paths of the rose garden combine shrub and climbing roses with clematis and honeysuckle. The Ornamental Garden features the best of European garden design and planting.

The Alnwick Garden holds dangerous plants and many stories. One poisonous plant “Brugmansia”, or angel’s trumpet, that grows in the wild in South America. It’s an amazing aphrodisiac before it kills you. Just take a flower from the plant and add small amounts of its pollen to tea are an amazing way to die because it’s quite pain-free. A great killer is usually an incredible aphrodisiac.

According to the Poison Garden, Castor Oil, made from “Ricinus communis” is harmless. However, a single seed from the same plant can kill an adult in the most horrible way. The poison, Ricin causes much suffering in its victims (severe vomiting, nausea, convulsions and subsequent disintegration of the kidneys, liver and spleen).

It is also home to the Bamboo Labyrinth and one of the world's largest tree houses, with rope bridges. You may also find the looming Alnwick Castle strangely familiar, having seen it stand in as Hogwarts in the first two Harry Potter films. Visitors are often surprised to learn that the laurel hedge, nearly ubiquitous in English gardens, can be highly toxic.

So, be careful, don’t do anything silly, even with guidelines in place, visitors can fall victim to the plants. The Alnwick Garden is planned in several phases, some of which are still incomplete as heavy funds in the millions of pounds have not been as forthcoming lately. The Alnwick Garden is open every day from 10am to 7pm in summer; and in winter opening hours vary please check website for full details. Also Read: Rainbow Mountain
Source: CP

Rainbow Mountains China

Rainbow Mountains China had a hard time believing that this mind-blowing mountain formation was actually real. But believe it or not this Technicolor range actually exists. It is located inside of the Zhangye Danxia National Geopark 30km west of Zhangye City, Gansu Province, China. The park covers an area of 322 square km and contains 2 separate Danxia regions. Seven Colored Mountains and Ice Valley (Bing Gou Danxia) is its own separate park. The naturally formed landscape is alive with shades of green, orange, blue, emerald, red and yellow. There is a full seven differentiations of color. This exclusive feature has been given the monikers the eye candy of Zhangye and China’s Rainbow Mountains.

Approximately 24 million years of natural erosion brought out the mountain’s distinctive layers and dazzling colors. The multicolor layers of sandstone and minerals were pressed together and then buckled up by tectonic plates. A similar formation exists in British Columbia called “Rainbow Range” formed from a mixture of volcanic rock and various minerals. While Peru has the similar type multihued “Vinicna Mountains”. The mountains are famous for their otherworldly colors that mimic a rainbow painted over the tops of rolling mountains. Danxia was mapped by Chinese archaeologists in the 1920s and 1930s. It is remained relatively unknown outside of the region at that time.

The Rainbow Mountains was featured in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009. It is the ultimate destination for many international and Chinese’s tourists. Some photographs are really incredible, may be manipulation going on to make the colors pop a bit more than they would naturally. The Rainbow Mountains China is a geological wonder of the world. However the mountains forms seem as if they could be man-made creations. But rainbow layer cookies or painted canvases and their coloration is a completely natural phenomenon.

There are lots of rocky landscapes in China referred to as “Danxia” because this translated means something along the lines of “rosy clouds”. The numerous rock formations similarly like an assortment of imaginary shapes like mythical creatures, castles, palaces and distant cities. Their beautiful peaks looking through the clouds and mist at times, display a mirage like scenery, of fantastical pavilions and mountains. However, when two of the earth’s plates collided, these mountains formed on this previously flat piece of land. The most common questions come in mind, how did the rainbow Mountains form?

How Did Rainbow Mountains China in the Geological Sense

Zhangye was formed under special geologic conditions, which involves various erosion activity, oxidation and tectonic plate activity. The effect is similar to a layer cake. Rain, wind and eons of time sculpted unique shapes that include pillars, ravines, towers with infinite patterns and sizes. Before the Himalayan Mountains formed, the Rainbow Mountains are cretaceous sandstones and siltstones that were deposited in China. The sand and silt was deposited with iron and trace minerals that give it with the vital ingredient to form the colors. Much like when two cars get in a wreck and the bumpers fold and break, a similar process folded what was once flat sandstones into the Rainbow Mountains we see today. This process uplifted mountains and exposed sedimentary rocks that were otherwise hidden well below the surface of the earth. Moreover, weathering and erosion detached the overlying layers of continental siliciclastic rocks and bare underlying formations with different mineralogy and chemistry. Due to this reason, the amazing color variation seen across the Rainbow Mountains. Therefore, the precipitated groundwater moves through the sandstone grains and deposits trace minerals in between the grains. This natural process imparts the trace minerals let for the eerie coloring of sandstones around the world.

Today Zhangye Danxia Geopark has become a major tourist attraction in China. A series of well access roads and boardwalks, have been constructed to increase greater tourist exploration of rock formations. Hence watching Rainbow Mountains China in person almost looks, as someone came through with a giant can of spray paint and painted lines across the mountains. Indeed the real fact is that, this is a natural formation, a truly mind blowing. From the ground it would be hard to see the striations and variations of colors. Because you have to climb up to the viewing platform, it’s feels like someone has opened your eyes to a fairy-tale world you never knew existed. It will be far more crowded July and August and on Chinese holidays. During the height of the tourist season, some 20,000 tourists visit daily. 

You will feel that on another planet. You need to pay some attention to which viewing platform to get in. One is North Entrance and the other is West Entrance. Make sure you know which entrance you came in at there will be a sign at the entrance gate. The best time to visit Rainbow Mountains China is May-October when the weather is comfortable and the sun is shining. Because the vivid colors only appear with the rays of sunshine, so avoid a cloudy day. From October till April, Gansu Province is very harsh as sub-freezing temperatures, strong wind and snow can dampen your travel. The best time to visit is in the morning and particularly in the evening, where the color variation changes continuously.

Moreover, myriad hotels in Zhangye City, but not all of them book foreigners. So, book your hotel in advance to avoid any hassle. The Gansu province is a remote area, so not many people speak English. So that’s why did not offer Hotels to Foreigners. These people can’t communicate with and whose standards they don’t understand. The Rainbow Mountains China is absolute a coolest place on earth due to its uniqueness. Not overrun with tourists, and an absolute dream to photograph. So don’t make rush at Rainbow Mountains as its magical awesome! Take your time on each platform and soak in the beauty. This is a landscape like nowhere else in the world, so savor it! Source: CP

These Rainbow Mountains, as people call them, are believed to be the same mountains that are mentioned in the Quran which are of different shades present on the surface of planet Earth. Here is what the Quran says,

“Do you not see that Allah sends down rain from the sky, and We produce thereby fruits of varying colours? And in the mountains are tracts, white and red of varying shades and (some) extremely black” (Surah Fathir verse 27)