Incredible places: A window onto extraordinary landscapes on Earth
Latest about incredible places
![An underwater image of the brine pool with steep walls covered in yellow mineral flows.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/MjHqVmgtdDbsLJU4fuxcYQ-320-80.jpg)
Hot Tub of Despair: The deadly ocean pool that traps and pickles creatures that fall in
By Sascha Pare published
This stagnant brine pool at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico is so toxic it kills and embalms any crabs and amphipods that are unlucky enough to stumble into it.
![Iron rich water falls into the ocean from the glacier](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/h9iSdxxfgtK8VvfpaMB7GR-320-80.jpg)
Blood Falls: Antarctica's crimson waterfall forged from an ancient hidden heart
By Sascha Pare published
Iron-rich waters buried beneath Taylor Glacier in East Antarctica are sporadically released in what looks like a bloody mess — but the so-called Blood Falls aren't as gruesome as they first appear and sound.
![A view of the Richat structure in the Sahara desert from space.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EcbYA6FJwHk9ntzaxLrd5H-320-80.jpg)
Eye of the Sahara: Mauritania's giant rock dome that towers over the desert
By Sascha Pare published
The Eye of the Sahara, also known as the Richat structure, stands out like an oversized ammonite among the sand dunes of the Sahara desert in Mauritania.
![This giant karst sinkhole, also called a tiankeng, has plants growing at the bottom in Luoquanyan Village of Xuan'en County, central China's Hubei Province. This is not the sinkhole discovered in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/rTTE4HqHKjtPGTuJSaKELT-320-80.jpg)
China's 'heavenly pits': The giant sinkholes that have ancient forests growing within
By Sascha Pare published
China's southwestern karst landscape is pockmarked with dozens of enormous sinkholes that look like they were made with a cookie cutter — and scientists keep finding new ones.
![A golden lancehead pit viper curled up with its head alert on Snake Island in Brazil.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xMQSpP56aRFR23pySnecRB-320-80.jpg)
Snake Island: The isle writhing with vipers where only Brazilian military and scientists are allowed
By Sascha Pare published
Snake Island was isolated from the Brazilian mainland at the end of the last ice age, trapping Earth's only known population of highly venomous golden lancehead pit vipers on a rock in the Atlantic.
![Turkey's Love Valley and its spires at sunrise.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RpRc3JjonqcKP4gpZRUycM-320-80.jpg)
Fairy Chimneys: The stone spires in Turkey that form 'the world's most unusual high-rise neighborhood'
By Sascha Pare published
Turkey's magical "fairy chimneys" in Cappadocia were carved out of an ancient volcanic landscape over millions of years before humans turned them into hiding dens.
![The interior of the Cave of Crystals in Mexico with a person for scale.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fbYLYuW5ndZJMMGBHEVNDo-320-80.jpg)
Cave of Crystals: The deadly cavern in Mexico dubbed 'the Sistine Chapel of crystals'
By Sascha Pare published
The Cave of Crystals in Chihuahua, Mexico, is buried almost 1,000 feet (300 meters) beneath Earth's surface and contains giant gypsum crystal beams that are up to 37 feet (11 m) long.
Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter now
Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.