Explore 748 Geological oddities Collections - Atlas Obscura
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Geological Oddities

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museums

Podcast: Fluorescent Rocks of Sterling Hill

A light show, courtesy of a historic New Jersey mine.
The Podcast Team November 30, 2022
At 10-times magnification, sand from Alaska's Point Spencer resembles semiprecious stones.
science

These Tiny Jewels Come From One of Alaska's Most Unusual Beaches

This microscopic treasure was collected from a remote site near the Arctic Circle.
Gemma Tarlach November 15, 2022
Bow Fiddle Rock
Portknockie, Scotland

Bow Fiddle Rock

Named for its similarity to the tip of a violin's bow, this striking formation was created by millions of years of erosion.
Plug seen looking southeasterly, close-up.
Mono City, California

Basalt Plug

This large chunk of dark rock is a relic from an ancient volcanic eruption.
Tasmans Arch
Eaglehawk Neck, Australia

Tasmans Arch

A natural rock bridge towers above the sea.
Image of the Hill
Washington, England

Worm Hill

According to local legends, a monstrous worm once wrapped itself around this hill by the River Wear.
Serpentine rocks at Green Point
Anacortes, Washington

Green Point

On the edge of this small Washington Park, a piece of the Earth's mantle has come to the surface.
caves

Podcast: SubTropolis

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
The Podcast Team October 10, 2022
Wilsons Promontory, Australia

Squeaky Beach

The spherical grains of white quartz sand give every step on this Australian beach a distinctive sound.
Sa Stiddiosa
Gadoni, Italy

Sa Stiddiosa

Greenery covers the face of a gently-dripping waterfall deep in the mountains of central Sardinia.
Formica Léo
Sainte Rose, Réunion

Formica Léo

On one of the world's most active volcanoes, a pebble-filled crater changes color with the wind.
Gadime Cave
Gadime e Poshtme, Kosovo

Gadime Cave

The ceiling of this cavern is dripping with multicolored marble stalactites.
Trollkonufingur
Sandavágur, Faroe Islands

Trøllkonufingur

Legend says this rock spire is the finger of a witch who wanted to throw the Faroe Islands towards Iceland.
Fontaine Intermittente de Fontestorbes
Bélesta, France

Fontaine Intermittente de Fontestorbes

Every half hour, the flow of this unusual spring cycles between a rush of water and barely a trickle.
A 40-foot column supports the entrance to New Hampshire's Ruggles Mine, a beloved rockhounding site for decades.
tunnels

Could This Be The End of a Historic New Hampshire Rockhound Paradise?

When Ruggles Mine went up for auction, mineral collectors feared it would never reopen to the public. After a last-minute reprieve, its future is still uncertain.
Sarah Durn July 1, 2022
Cameroon's Lake Nyos, photographed shortly after its 1986 release of a massive cloud of carbon dioxide gas, which killed more than 1,700 people.
disasters

The Invisible Threat Beneath Cameroon's Deadly Lake Nyos

Thousands died in 1986 when the crater lake unleashed a cloud of toxic gas. Could it happen again?
John Richard Saylor June 9, 2022
The Sahara? Nope. Bunge Land, a geological curiosity north of Siberia, at the edge of the Laptev Sea.
islands

The Curious Case of the Arctic Desert Island That's Not Actually an Island

No one is sure how this geological oddity got there.
Gemma Tarlach May 31, 2022
nature

Podcast: Goblin Valley State Park

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
The Podcast Team May 17, 2022