Incredible places: A window onto extraordinary landscapes on Earth

Earth is home to some truly mind-boggling landscapes, from salt-covered deserts to giant, underwater waterfalls. Geological and biological processes, together with climates and inevitable wear-and-tear, have shaped these natural landscapes over the eons into the awe-inspiring features we see today. Every week, we open a window onto an incredible place and highlight the fantastic history and science behind it.

Explore more amazing places on Earth

Latest about incredible places

View of the Drake Passage from a ship crossing it.

Drake Passage: The 'most dreaded bit of ocean on the globe' — where waves reach up to 80 feet

By Sascha Pare published

The Drake Passage off the West Antarctic Peninsula is a notoriously dangerous channel that connects the Atlantic, Pacific and Southern oceans.

Rivers & Oceans
Snow-covered summit of Mount Washington at sunrise.

Mount Washington: Home to 'the world's worst weather' with record wind speeds of 231 mph

By Sascha Pare published

Mount Washington is a prominent mountain in New Hampshire, known for its dramatic weather and conditions that are extremely dangerous for hikers and climbers.

Weather
Aerial view of Mount Roraima surrounded by clouds.

Mount Roraima: The 'lost world' isolated for millions of years that Indigenous people call the 'house of the gods'

By Sascha Pare published

Mount Roraima is a flat-topped formation with crystal-clear pools, waterfalls and a unique ecosystem that has been isolated from the surrounding savanna for millions of years.

Geology
Aerial view of salt evaporation ponds in Walvis Bay, Namibia.

Walvis Bay saltworks: The monster refinery in Namibia with colorful ponds that cover the land like patchwork

By Sascha Pare published

Walvis Bay in Namibia is home to the largest solar sea-salt production plant in sub-Saharan Africa. The plant is famous for its brightly colored evaporation ponds.

Planet Earth
Aerial view of the water-filled Savonoski Crater surrounded by green vegetation.

Savonoski Crater: The mysterious, perfectly round hole in Alaska that scientists can't explain

By Sascha Pare published

The Savonoski Crater is a round hole in Alaska's Katmai National Park that has defied scientific explanation ever since it was discovered.

Geology
Aerial image of Vostok Station in Antarctica.

Lake Vostok: The 15 million-year-old lake buried miles beneath Antarctica's ice

By Sascha Pare published

Buried several miles beneath East Antarctica's ice, Lake Vostok is one of the largest freshwater lakes on Earth, rivaling Lake Ontario in terms of size and volume.

Antarctica
A photo of the Trovants, bulbous stones emerging from the earth

Romania's trovants: The bulbous 'living' rocks that inspired folkloric tales of dinosaur eggs and aliens

By Sascha Pare published

Trovants are rocks that grow by absorbing minerals from rainwater. Romania is home to a cluster of trovants that inspired folklore of dinosaur eggs, plant fossils and alien creations.

Geology
Satellite image of Upheaval Dome in Utah. We see a structure with concentric circles of rock surrounded by barren relief.

Upheaval Dome: Utah's 'belly button' that has divided scientists since its discovery

By Sascha Pare published

Upheaval Dome is a giant rock formation in southeastern Utah with two potential origin stories, although most scientists think it was created by an ancient meteor strike.

Geology
View of the Pamukkale travertines in orange-pink light. We see rocky mountains in the background and pools of spring water in the foreground.

Pamukkale: Turkey's 'cotton castle' of white limestone that inspired an ancient cult

By Sascha Pare published

The Pamukkale travertines are limestone slopes and thermal water pools that have attracted visitors since before the days of Ancient Greece, when the spa town of Hierapolis was founded at the top.

Geology
Aerial view of the Bungle Bungles in Western Australia. We see towers of orange and gray striped stone with vegetation growing in between.

The Bungle Bungles: Towering domes in the Australian outback that contain traces of the earliest life-forms on Earth

By Sascha Pare published

The Bungle Bungle Range in Western Australia is a collection of rock domes forged from ancient seabeds and flanked to the northeast by a prehistoric meteor impact crater.

Geology
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