748 Items Tagged

Geological Oddities

Columnar basalt along the Kanaio Coast.

Wailea-Makena, Hawaii

Kanaio Coast

A cooled lava flow from the Haleakalā volcano formed these surreal-looking columnar basalt structures.

Unaweep Divide, west.

Gateway, Colorado

Unaweep Canyon

Two creeks flow out of either end of this canyon in opposite directions.

Overthrust Fault

Washington, D.C.

Overthrust Fault

A surprising, but overlooked example of geology in the middle of the nation’s capital.

Paradox Valley

Bedrock, Colorado

Paradox Valley

A river runs through this remote valley in a very unexpected way.

Prelate, Saskatchewan

Great Sand Hills

These little-known sands dunes are a geological anomaly in Saskatchewan's southern prairies.

Lava pillows visible in the rock cut.

Meriden, Connecticut

Talcott Basalt Lava Pillows

Hidden behind a Target are pillows of cooled lava that formed at the bottom of a deep lake in the Mesozoic Era.

Del Norte, Colorado

La Ventana Arch

Unlike most arches, this geological oddity formed in a volcanic dike.

A small spray blows over the crowd.

Ensenada, Mexico

La Bufadora

Legend says one of the world's largest marine geysers is actually a whale that got wedged within the rocks.

Dinosaurs on the facade.

Mexico City, Mexico

Museo de Geología (Museum of the Institute of Geology)

The museum houses "the most studied meteorite in history," among other geological oddities.

Seaward entrance.

Peñíscola, Spain

Bufador de Peñiscola

The blowhole bursts spectacularly right next to the buildings in a medieval seaside town.

Red Mountain during winter.

Flagstaff, Arizona

Red Mountain

The eroded core of an ancient volcano is now accessible by a short hike.

Cueva Clara.

Quebrada, Puerto Rico

Cueva Clara

An enchanting natural wonder in Puerto Rico's Camuy River Park.

Growing Rock of Usterling.

Usterling, Germany

Growing Rock of Usterling

Nestled within a German forest is an intriguing, growing rock.

The Devil's Nest.

Pirunpesä (The Devil's Nest)

This honeycomb-textured tafone looks like a petrified troll head.

Glitter mountain.

Littlefield, Arizona

Glitter Mountain

This old selenite mine is dotted with tiny crystals that make it shimmer like it's covered in glitter.

Corryvreckan Whirlpool.

Corryvreckan Whirlpool

Legend says a witch conjured the world's third largest whirlpool to protect Scotland from a nasty pirate.

The Devil’s Bit

Glenreagh, Ireland

The Devil’s Bit

It's said this geological anomaly was caused when the Devil took a bite out of the Irish mountainside.

The escarpment (right).

The Edge of the World

These towering cliffs jut dramatically from the middle of a barren desert.