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10 Places to Experience Nevada’s Extraordinary Geological Gems

From active opal mines to mind-boggling natural sand art.
Sioux Falls Park
Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Falls Park

More than 7,000 gallons of water pour over these cascading red quartzite waterfalls every second.
The vast expansive dunes with the mother mountain source on the horizon
Cuatrociénegas, Mexico

Dunas de Yeso

These gleaming gypsum sand dunes are the second-largest in North America.
Nymfopetres
Thessaloniki, Greece

Nymfopetra

Legends hold that these unusual rock formations were once a bridal party, or perhaps a group of hunters.
Skull and vertebrae of the mosasaurid Yaguarasaurus columbianus
Bogotá, Colombia

Museo Geológico Nacional José Royo y Gómez

A small museum filled with unique fossil finds, including one of the oldest specimens of ground sloths found in Colombia.
The Black Sea at Cape Kaliakra, Bulgaria.
maps

The Paratethys Sea Was the Largest Lake in Earth’s History

The Black, Caspian, and Aral Seas are the last surviving fragments of a body of water that stretched from Austria to Turkmenistan.
Frank Jacobs March 3, 2023
Kaneana Cave
Waianae, Hawaii

Kaneana Cave

This coastal cavern is associated with the Hawaiian god of creation.
museums

Podcast: Jadeite Cabbage

A tiny stone cabbage has a big backstory stretching from Beijing’s Forbidden City to Taipei's National Palace Museum.
The Podcast Team February 22, 2023
floods

Washington's 'Washaway Beach' Experiment Is Reshaping Ideas About Coastal Erosion

In 2016, a concerned local dropped $400 worth of rock on a vanishing beach to see what would happen. Now engineers are watching, too.
Sarah Trent February 13, 2023
Rare foggy day
Ojai, California

Piedra Blanca

Unusual white sandstone formations in the Los Padres National Forest.
volcanoes

What Caused This Massive Mud Volcano Eruption in Indonesia?

For more than a decade, hot mud has oozed across thousands of acres, displacing entire villages.
Michael Hudec January 23, 2023
Winona, Missouri

Rocky Falls

A 40-foot waterfall flows into this unique natural swimming hole.
Lake Powell, Utah

Cathedral in the Desert

The damming of the Colorado River buried an iconic geologic formation before record-breaking drought brought it back.
It's one thing to see a bird of prey soaring on a thermal. It's another thing entirely to get this close to one.
amusement parks

Our Favorite Photos of 2022 Are a Feast for the Eyes and the Imagination

Wondrous portraits of feathered friends, lowriders, a handmade amusement park, and more.
Winnie Lee December 29, 2022
Dubuque, Iowa

Crystal Lake Cave

An underground wonderland in Iowa.
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
Neah Bay, Washington

Cape Flattery

At the most northwestern point of the contiguous United States lies a trail leading through an ancient forest to stunning cliff-side vistas and massive oceanside caves.