748 Items Tagged

Geological Oddities

Tambon Mueang Phan, Thailand

Phu Phra Bat Historical Park

An amalgam of precariously balanced boulders, ancient petroglyphs, and Buddhist shrines.

The window through which the giant's kettle can be seen.

Stockholm, Sweden

Haga Tingshus Jättegryta (Haga Courthouse Giant's Kettle)

This building, previously used as a courthouse, has an unusual geological feature in its basement.

Kamenický Šenov, Czechia

Panská Skála

Tall columns of volcanic basalt make up this improbable-seeming rock formation.

Halldórsskora (Elephant Rock)

Heimaey, Iceland

Halldórsskora (Elephant Rock)

On an island south of Iceland, a large volcanic rock formation resembles an elephant.

The Red Sea, dividing Africa and Arabia, may be the world's youngest ocean.

Is the Red Sea Really the Red Ocean?

It's complicated.

Gemma Tarlach May 6, 2021

Mineral deposits paint these mountains with swaths of red and gold.

Painted Mountains of Tabriz

Colorful mineral deposits turn these mountains into an Impressionist fantasy.

Slumgullion mass wasting area

Lake City, Colorado

Slumgullion Earthflow

This National Natural Landmark is one of the best examples of a “mass wasting” in the world.

The Shilin scenic zone in Yunnan Province is a popular destination for tourists.

What Candy Can Teach Us About the Origin of Mysterious Stone Forests

A stunning geological phenomenon, sweetly explained.

Luke Fater September 21, 2020

Jade collected from the coast of Itoigawa.

Itoigawa, Japan

The Jade Coast

You can still find treasures on the pebbly beaches of one of the world's oldest jade-producing areas.

Looking Glass Rock seen from the Looking Glass Rock Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Brevard, North Carolina

Looking Glass Rock

This granite rock face is named for the magnificent reflection that occurs when the sun hits it just right.

Marker of the Eastern Subcontinental Divide.

Atlanta, Georgia

Eastern Sub-Continental Divide Mural

A little-known mural reveals the hydrological reason for Atlanta's founding in this location.

The Lord

Mid and East Antrim, Northern Ireland

'The Lord'

This massive basalt sea stack stands obtrusively from the rocky coastline.

Asparuhovo, Bulgaria

Chudnite Skali (Wonderful Rocks)

These natural cliffs look like they are a part of an old castle complex.

Arco Naturale (Natural Arch)

This clifftop arch is a natural stunner.

Sasso Menicante on Monte Cimino

Soriano nel Cimino, Italy

Sasso Menicante (Trembling Stone)

This massive rock balanced for thousands of years being tossed here during a volcanic eruption.

The mushroom rock

Zegartowice, Poland

Grzyb skalny w Zegartowice (Zegartowice Mushroom Rock)

This mushroom-shaped rock has frustrated and fascinated locals for centuries.

Northern Greenland is covered in rock and ice. The longest and deepest canyon on the landmass is buried miles below.

Greenland Has a Grand Canyon Beneath Its Ice, Carved by Ancient Floods

Ancient topography lurks beneath the white expanse.

Isaac Schultz May 1, 2020

The discrepancy pops up in the Grand Canyon, where ancient rock abuts, well, less ancient rock.

One of Geology’s Great Mysteries May Actually Be Many Smaller Mysteries

The “Great Unconformity” is a big chunk of missing deep time.

Isaac Schultz April 28, 2020