Lena’s Stone Forest in Russia

Lena’s Stone Forest, is also called Lena's Pillars, actually a natural rock formation about 60 km upriver from Yakutsk, in Russia. Lens’s Pillars are amazing stone structures towers over 150 meters in height and extends along the river for about 80km. This magical place has captivated travelers since the 17th century, however getting there is a real challenge.  Lena Stone forest contains exceptional evidences of the Earth and its living population development history. Plentiful fossils of ancient organisms found here are exclusive preserved evidences of a very significant stage in the history of the organic world and a biodiversity "boom” that occurred in lower Cambrian epoch. This exclusive ecological and tourism location was submitted as a World Heritage site in 2006. Moreover, in Lena Pillars area the fossils of mammoth fauna representatives were found: mammoth (Mammulhus primigenius Blum), bison (Bison priscus Boj), fleecy rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiguibatis Blum), Lena horse (Eggus lenensis Russ), Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus L) and ancient organisms like mollusks, shells, sponges, and trilobites, dating back to the Cambrian Explosion were also found beautifully preserved.

These isolated, towering pillars can reach more than 100 meters in height. The pillars’ rocks formed in Cambrian sea basins more than 500 million years ago and are made up of alternating layers of limestone, marlstone, dolomite, and slate. This areas severe climate and the humidity from the river create risky temperature swings, from +40 °C in the summer to -60 °C in winter. Therefore, this has caused a cryogenic process, containing of a freeze-thaw action that shatters the rock, widening the gullies between them.

The journey starts from Moscow city from where you will have to take a four day journey to the Siberian area of Yakutsk. First, you have to take a flight to Yakutsk, so long that if you flew opposite direction you could easily come to New York. The average price for such flight costs around $800. From Yakutsk you have to take a boat. However, supposedly only a half a day’s trip upriver, it takes considerably longer and the locals can offer you a three day trip on a small boat for about $500. Eventually after 4 days of travel, you’ll be able to have arrived at your destination.

Seattle Floating Bridge

An unusual concept of bridge of concrete and steel that floats may seem highly uncommon, if not impossible, but there’re 20 such bridges around the world, 5 in the U.S. state of Washington alone, of which 4 are the longest floating bridges in the world. Floating bridges, also recognized as pontoon bridges, are generally temporary structures built out of wood during times of emergencies such as war. Wooden floats and sometimes boats are lashed together and flat planks are laid over creating a roadway, letting men and materials to cross bodies of water. Although Pontoon bridges have been used to great benefit in numerous battles throughout history, including the 2nd World War and during the Iran–Iraq War. Therefore, the longest enduring floating bridge, Evergreen Point, usually called the SR 520 Bridge, lies across Lake Washington, in Seattle. In fact it carries the traffic of State Route 520 and is 4,750 meters long. The Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge, the 2nd longest bridge in the world, lies across the same lake just a few miles to the south, and is 2,020 meters long.

Thus, the question comes in mind why floating bridges? The answer lies in Lake Washington’s complex geographical location. Because, the lake bed is too soft for piers of a conventional bridge! However, the other alternative, is a suspension bridge, may fulfill bridge towers the height of Seattle’s Space Needle, which would have been too costly. The concept of a floating bridge across Lake Washington was first suggested by engineer Homer Hadley in the 1930s. Hadley had worked for a firm designing concrete barges during World War I and he recommended the idea of linking hollow concrete barges end-to-end to Lacey V. Murrow, the state's then director of highways. Thus, Hadley’s floating bridge was such a big accomplishment that Washington State adopted the concept for future bridges. However, the 2nd bridge, Evergreen Point, the longest in the world, was opened in 1963. In the honor of a man who first led the concept, the third bridge was named after Homer Hadley. Nowadays, Lake Washington is home to three and all rank among the five longest floating bridges in the world.

The Mysterious Stone Structure of Amazon Rainforest

Researchers has found hundreds of mysterious structures built into the Earth more than two thousand years ago have been discovered in the Amazon rainforest. The truly incredible earthworks have long remained hidden by trees however; deforestation in recent years has discovered over 450 massive geoglyphs. Though, the purpose of stone structure is not known, but believed ditched enclosures were perhaps used sporadically as ritual gathering places. These ditches resemble to Stonehenge approximately 13,000 square kilometers in the western Brazilian Amazon, thought untouched as previously believed.

The real phenomena lay hidden for many centuries underneath mature rainforest actually challenges the idea that Amazonian forests are pristine ecosystem. The region actually forested when the geoglyphs were built, or people impacted the landscape to build these earthworks. Therefore, the researchers reconstructed 6,000 years of vegetation and fire history around two of the geoglyph sites, enlightening heavy alterations by ancient humans. The history tells that humans altered the bamboo forests for millennia, creating small, temporary clearings to build these mysterious structures. The analyzed “phytoliths” a type of microscopic plant fossil made of silica.

So, this allowed them to rebuild the ancient vegetation and charcoal quantities, assess the amount of forest burning and carbon stable isotopes, and determine how ‘open’ the vegetation used to be. Moreover, the search exposed that the indigenous people didn’t burn large tracts of forest, whether for geoglyph construction or agricultural practices. In its place, they concentrated on economically valuable tree species, such as palms, transforming their environment in the process to make a “prehistoric supermarket.” Thus, the biodiversity of few Acre’s remaining forests may have roots in these ancient ‘agroforestry’ practices, the researchers say.

So, hence the findings will be published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Regardless of the massive number and bulk of geoglyph sites in the region, it can certain that Acre’s forests were never cleared as broadly, or for as long, as they have been in recent years. The current evidence that Amazonian forests have been managed by indigenous peoples long before European contact should not be cited as justification for the destructive, unmaintainable land-use practiced today. Moreover it should in its place serve to highlight the ingenuity of past subsistence regimes that did not lead to forest degradation, and the importance of indigenous knowledge for finding more sustainable land-use alternatives.

Incredible Dragon’s Eye View of Stunning Pictures Game of Thrones locations

The most spectacular drone footage has captured the unbelievable natural beauty of Game of Thrones locations from above. The majestic dragon’s eye views show a geyser shooting water high into the air in Iceland as well as the intricate patterns the land makes when looked at from a bird eye view. It's no small wonder in this spectacular landscape as implausible pictures show the contrast of the ash grey volcanic land against the lush green countryside. The Russian photographer took the pictures and videos in Norway and Iceland. The 26 year old photographer Dmitry Bubonets, took the stunning images in both countries, where locations are extremely beautiful, stunning fjords, mountains, and waterfalls captivate the heart of nature beauty.

The jaw-dropping experience is amazing when you are watching black sand beaches, nature without trees and stunning waterfalls. However, the mind-blowing landscape is not totally from this Earth. There are seemingly more volcanoes in Iceland than people! And that moss is so green compared to the gloomy cloudy weather outside that you may think that everything is Photoshopped.' The photographer used a DJI Phantom 4 drone to shoot the footage, ran into some problems due to the bad weather in Scandinavia, very windy indeed. Hence, as for piloting, you should be careful because of the wind once again. It won't turn your drone upside down, but once the wind was so strong that full throttle on my drone was only 0.2 meters/second when it should be around 24. Although the wind was much stronger close to the ground and I positively returned to the starting point. The talented Bubonets expectation is that his footage can motivate people to travel to parts of the world they wouldn't otherwise consider.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Spectacular Glass Beach of Ussuri Bay

Well, there’ a 30 mins drive away from the city of Vladivostok, Russia, lies a spectacular bay surrounded by remarkable cliffs. Though, it has not been very long ago, the Russian beach here was used as dumping ground of old glass bottles by a local porcelain factory, or so the story goes. Therefore, according to another version, the waste glass products were washed away by the river and then swept into the sea. But many thanks to the tremendous power of Mother Nature, the bay, near Vladivostok, now boasts one of the most beautiful beaches you’ll ever see. As the years passes the seaside on Ussuri Bay has taken on a rare appearance.

The countless broken bits of glass, rounded smooth by the persistent pounding of the ocean waves cover every bit of the beach. While Ussuri Bay was once considered very unsafe, authorities have now deemed it a particularly protected area called Glass Beach that is popular with both tourists and locals. When on a sunny day, they sparkle like lighted candles, the Glass Beach of Ussuri Bay is not the only perfect example of nature correcting man’s mistake. However, the waves of the North Pacific have washed the broken beer, wine and vodka bottles into millions of smooth and colorful “pebbles” that have turned the area from a no-go zone to a tourist attraction that visitors pay to see. And looking at these stunning pictures, we’re really not surprised.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Marvelous Engineering Feat “Tehachapi Loop”

The 1.17 km long Tehachapi Loop is an iconic spiral loop, that passes over itself as it expansions height on the railroad main line from side to side Tehachapi Pass, in south central California. The Tehachapi loop was actually built in the 2nd half of the 19th century as part of Southern Pacific's main line through southern California, which had to cross the Tehachapi Mountain range. It was finished in less than 2 years’ time under the leadership of civil engineer J. B. Harris, Chief of Construction, a significant feat.

Therefore, over 3,000 Chinese immigrant laborers toiled for two years cutting through the solid and hard granite with blasting powder, and then clearing the wreckage using picks, shovels, and horse drawn carts, to lay the Tehachapi Pass Railroad Line. The line, which climbs out of the San Joaquin Valley and through the Tehachapi Mountains to Mojave in the Antelope Valley, was part of the last and final link of the first railroad line linking San Francisco to Los Angeles. Though, maybe no other time was more interesting on Tehachapi than during the steam and passenger era. However, before the 1971 one could witness trains such as Southern Pacific's overnight Owl.

The main purpose of constructing the Tehachapi Loop was to gain elevation at an adaptable gradient, and this has worked so well for closely 140 years that it continues to be used even nowadays. In fact, it one of the hectic single-track mainlines in the world with an average of almost 40 trains passing through the Loop every day. The repeated trains and the remarkable scenery makes the Loop a prime draw for trains potters in the country. The marvelous engineering achievement has earned the Loop the dual status of being a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark as well as a California Historical Landmark. During the course of the years there have been a number of inspiring photos taken capturing this marvel and the panoramic scenes are quite magnificent.