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Fly Geyser, Black Rock Desert, Nevada, USA

This GEOLOGICAL curiosity was formed accidentally in 1916 when ranch owners drilled a well in the area. They hit water but it was a piping 200 degrees. They plugged the well but the GEOTHERMAL water seeped through leaving behind calcium carbonate deposits that continued to accumulate, forming a 12 foot high bulbous mound. In 1964 they drilled a second hole near the first and hot water erupted from multiple spots.

The tie-dye stains dripping down Fly Geyer’s surface are actually THERMOPHILIC ALGAE which thrive in hot, moist environments.

ALGA (algae)Are organisms. They are important because they make much of Earth’s oxygen. They are neither plant nor animal. Algae contain chlorophyll (green pigment) but lack true stems, roots, leaves, and vascular tissue.

GEOLOGICAL Adjective of: ‘Geology’. GEOLOGY is the science devoted to the study of the Earth.

GEOTHERMALRelating to and/or producing from the internal heat of the Earth.

THERMOPHILICAdjective of: ‘Thermophile’. THERMOPHILE is an organism - that thrives at relatively high temperatures, between 41 and 122 °C (106 and 252 °F).

Blood Falls, Antarctica

“New work confirms zones of liquid salt water hundreds of metres below the bright red waterfall in icy Antarctica, known as Blood Falls.” (May 18, 2015) Blood Falls is a bright red waterfall oozing from Antarctica’s ice.Geomicrobiologist Jill Mikucki and her team’s tests showed that Blood Falls’ waters contained ALMOST NO OXYGEN and hosted a community of at least seventeen (17) different types of microorganisms, thought to be flowing from a lake trapped beneath the ice for some two (2) million years. The MICROBES rely on a metabolic process never before observed in nature: using sulphate as a catalyst to "breathe" with ferric iron and draw energy from nearby trace organic matter trapped underneath Antarctica's vast glaciers

GEOMICROBIOLOGYThe study of the role of microbes and microbial processes in the field of geology and geochemistry.

MICROBE (micro=small, minute)A minute life form; a microorganism, especially a bacterium that causes disease.

FERRICcontaining iron in its plus-three oxidation state, Fe(III) (sometimes designated Fe3+).

GEOCHEMISTRYThe study of the chemical composition of the earth and its rocks and minerals.

GEOMICROBIOLOGISTA geologist or microbiologist whose speciality is GEOMICROBIOLOGY.

Mono Lake, California, USA

In 1941 Los Angeles’ diverted Mono Lake’s tributary streams and exposed what are called TUFA TOWERS (Tufa Towers ONLY grow underwater).

These TWISTING LIMESTONE PINNACLES line the shores of Mono Lake. Mono Lake is at least 760,000 years old and now has no outlet to the ocean, causing salt to accumulate and create harsh ALKALINE conditions. Oddly enough though Mono Lake hosts a flourishing ECOSYSTEM based on tiny BRINE SHRIMP which feed the more than two (2) million MIGRATORY birds that nest there each year.

ALKALINEAlkaline water is water that measures anywhere above a 7.0 on the pH scale.

BRINE SHRIMPa small fairy shrimp which lives in brine (salty) pools and salt lakes and is used as food for aquarium fish.

LIMESTONEa hard sedimentary rock, composed mainly of calcium carbonate or dolomite.

pH SCALEis a scale from 0-14 that measures the concentration of hydrogen ions in compounds from batteries to food. Neutral is measured at 7.0, while acids are below 7.0 and alkaline compounds (or bases) are greater than 7.0.

SEDIMENTARY ROCKSSedimentary rocks are types of rock that are formed by the deposition of material at the Earth's surface and within bodies of water

Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland

Giant’s Causeway (UNESCO World Heritage site) consists of some 40,000 hexagonal basalt columns, which extend out from the North Channel along the edge of the ANTRIUM PLATEAU.

Legend has it that the Irish giant Finn McCool built the causeway across the channel so that he could meet his enemy, the Scottish Giant Benandonner, who challenged him to a fight. Locals say, if you look carefully you can make out traces of Finn McCool in the rock structures: Giant’s Boot, the Wishing Chair and the Organ.

GEOLOGICAL STUDIES tell us that the Giant’s Causeway first formed as a LAVA PLATEAU when molten rock erupted through fissures in the Earth. During a period of intense volcanic activity about 50-60 million years ago differences in the lava cooling rate caused the columns to form, further weathering created circular formations nicknamed “Giant’s Eyes”.

BASALTa dark fine-grained volcanic rock that sometimes displays a columnar structure, typically composed largely of plagioclase with pyroxene and olivine.

FISSUREa long, narrow opening or line of breakage made by cracking or splitting, especially in rock or earth.

LAVA PLATEAULava plateaus are formed by highly fluid (runny) basaltic lava during numerous successive ‘quiet’ eruptions, through numerous vents.

MOLTEN ROCKMolten rock below the surface of the Earth that rises in volcanic vents is known as magma, but after it erupts from a volcano it is called lava.

Lake Hillier, WA. Australia

Lake Hillier sits like a giant punchbowl at the edge of Middle Island in Western Australia's RECHERCHE ARCHIPELAGO, surrounded by a thick forest of paperbark and eucalyptus trees. A slender strip of shore separates Lake Hillier from the predictably blue Southern Ocean, highlighting the lake's otherworldly appearance.

Theories differ on the origins of the lake's bubblegum hue. Some believe it comes from a dye produced by two microorganisms called Halobacteria and Dunaliella salina, while others suspect the red halophilic bacteria that thrive in the lake's salt deposits.

In any case, the lake's colour isn't a trick of the light—it's positively pink, no matter where you look.

ARCHIPELAGOAn archipelago, sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster or collection of islands.

DUNALIELLA SALINAis a unicellular green alga found in environments with high salt concentration. It produces a distinct pink and red colour often characteristic of saltern ponds.

HALOBACTERIUM (Halobacteria)Bacteria found in salt saturated waters.

HALOPHILE (Greek: ‘salt-loving’)an organism, especially a microorganism, that grows in or can tolerate saline (salty) conditions.

HUEA colour or shade.

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, China

Years of EROSION by vegetation and expanding ice, carved Zhangjiajie National Park's narrow, terraced sandstone pillars, some of which climb over 650 feet. The park's steep cliffs and plunging gullies also make the perfect home for more than 100 vertebrate species, including scaly anteaters, giant salamanders, and sprightly rhesus monkeys. Meanwhile, the damp subtropical climate nourishes diverse, sometimes unusual, flora. Take DOVE TREES, for instance.

Known as ‘LIVING FOSSILS’, the white-flowered trees are actually survivors of the fourth glacial period 2.5 million years ago.

Zhangjiajie National Park - China's first national park was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1992.

EROSIONthe process of eroding or being eroded by wind, water, or other natural agents.

FOSSILthe remains or impression of a prehistoric plant or animal embedded in rock and preserved in petrified form.

GULLYa ravine (a deep, narrow gorge with steep sides.) formed by the action of water.

VERTEBRATE SPECIESAnimals with an internal skeleton made of bone are called vertebrates. Vertebrates include fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, primates, rodents and marsupials.

UNESCOThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

Spotted Lake, British Columbia, Canada

British Columbia's Spotted Lake, known as Lake Khiluk by the First Nations tribes of the Okanagan Valley, is landlocked, resulting in salty, alkaline waters. It is also considered a sacred place for healing.

Over the summer, much of the water dries, leaving behind a lava lamp pattern of mineral "spots" that can appear white, pale yellow, green, or blue, depending on their composition. These mini-islands consist mostly of magnesium sulphate, which crystallizes to form greyish walkways around and between the spots.

SOME FACTS ABOUT SPOTTED LAKE• Lake Khiluk is the most mineralized lake in the

world.• The Okanagan tribe used the water in the spots to

treat conditions such as warts, skin disease, body aches, and battle wounds.

• During World War I ammunition was made using minerals from Lake Khiluk.• The most predominate mineral found in the spots is magnesium sulphate. There are plenty of calcium and sodium

sulphates too. Scientists have identified eight other minerals present in some of the spots. Four more minerals were found in lesser quantities, among these four are silver and titanium.

• The lake measures 0.16 miles (.25 km) wide by 0.43 miles (.7 km) long with a combined shore length of just over one mile (1.7 km).

• Lake Khiluk is considered a saline endorheic alkali lake.

ENDORHEIC LAKE (landlocked)Endorheic lakes are bodies of water that do not flow into the sea.

Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Wyoming, USA

The smallest of Yellowstone's GEYSER basins, Midway Geyser Basin (also dubbed "Hell's Half Acre") actually contains two of the park's largest HYDROTHERMAL features: • Grand Prismatic Spring and • Excelsior Geyser, which dumps 4,000

gallons of water a minute into neighbouring Firehole River.

The spring's PSYCHEDELIC colouration comes from pigmented bacteria in the surrounding microbial mats. The amount of colour in the mats depends on the water temperature and the ratio of CHLOROPHYLL (green pigment) to CAROTENOIDS (yellow to red pigment). In the summer, the mats burn orange and red, while winter turns them a dark green. The spring's lurid blue "eye" remains sterile because of its extremely high heat.

CAROTENOIDSany of a class of mainly yellow, orange, or red fat-soluble pigments, including carotene, which give colour to plant parts such as ripe tomatoes and autumn leaves.

CHLOROPHYLLa green pigment, present in all green plants and in cyanobacteria, which is responsible for the absorption of light to provide energy for photosynthesis.

GEYSERa hot spring in which water intermittently boils, sending a tall column of water and steam into the air.

HYDROTHERMALrelating to or denoting the action of heated water in the earth's crust.

Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, USA

Named after the Hawaiian word for "spewing," the mythical home of the volcanic goddess Pele rises 4,190 feet from the southeastern part of the Big Island. One of the world's most active and perilous volcanoes, Kilauea has been erupting for more than three decades, fitfully coughing BASALTIC LAVA into the Pacific Ocean below. You can easily spot the billowing plumes of scorching gas in the daytime. But if you can, visit after sunset, when the lava flows glow more visibly, creating a beautifully infernal light show.

SOME FACTS ABOUT KILAUEA VOLCANO• The Kilauea is the youngest volcano on Hawaii’s

Big Island.• Kilauea is a separate volcano and not a satellite of

Mauna Loa as once thought.• Its magna-plumbing system actually goes over

60kms deep into the earth.• It sits on a curved line made up of other volcanoes such as Kohala and Mauna Kea.• The highest point on the Kilauea Volcano is slightly less than 4,200 feet.• Its caldera at the summit is three (3) by five (5) kilometres wide at the main depression but six (6) kilometres by six

(6) kilometres at the outermost faults and goes down 165 metres deep.• The entire area is 552 square metres.• The oldest rocks found date back 23,000 years.• Scientists estimate first eruption between 300,000 and 600,000 years ago.• 90% of the basaltic shield found on the surface is made from lava flows that occurred less than 1000 years ago.• 70% of the actual volcano’s surface is 600 years old or younger.

Chocolate Hills, Philippines

The ‘Chocolate Hills’ of the Philippines, measure up to 400 feet tall. The hills are made of limestone containing marine fossils dating back millions of years. The VERDANT (green) GRASS that usually covers the hills turns a ‘milky brown’ come dry season, giving the more than 1,200 mounds their famously delectable appearance.

The hills’ origins remain a mystery, but legend says that a giant wept them as he grieved the death of his human beloved. Unfortunately, limestone quarrying has levelled some of the hills, a problem the Philippine Government began addressing in 2006 by restricting mining activities in the area. Today, the ‘confectionary landscape’ remains a popular tourist attraction.

SOME FACTS ABOUT THE ‘CHOCOLATE HILLS’• The height of these hills ranges between 150 to

400 feet. Whereas, the height of the domes varies between 98 to 160 feet ( 30 to 50 meters). The highest peak in these hills measures 390 feet (120 meters). These hills are spread across the towns of Sagbayan, Carmen, and Batuan in Bohol.

• These hills are a unique and unusual geological formation. Spread across 50 sq. km, (20 miles approx.), the Chocolate Hills consist 1268 to 1776 dome-shaped hills, covered in grass.

• In geographical terms, such a hill is called a geomorphological structure, also known as a MOGOTE. For many years, geologists have tried to decode the mystery of the formation of these hills. Most of these theories say, that these hills were formed because of a major geologic shift, when coral deposits rose up from the sea. The dome-like shape was formed due to the erosion of these deposits by wind erosion, through thousands of years.

• Movement of tectonic activity has also given the shape and structure to these hills. These hills have marine deposits like coral, algae, and mollusks.

Rio Tinto River, Spain

Spain's Rio Tinto is characterized by deep red water that is highly acidic (pH 1.7—2.5) and rich in heavy metals. Over 5000 years of mining pollution have contributed to the river becoming an extreme environment, although the presence of CHEMOLITHOTROPHIC organisms, such as iron-oxidizing bacteria and sulphur-oxidizing bacteria, are thought to be the true culprits to the river's condition.

Home to many unusual organisms, the most remarkable findings to date may be the unexpected degree of EUKARYOTIC diversity in the acidic water. The diversity of these eukaryotes, both ALKALIPHILIC and TOXITOLERANT, is much greater than that of the PROKARYOTES, thus challenging beliefs that extreme environments are always dominated by Eubacteria and Archaea.

It holds a significant role in history as the birthplace of the Copper Age and Bronze Age. The first Rio Tinto mines were developed in 3000BC by the Iberians and Tartessans.

CHEMOLITHOTROPHIC (Chemolithotroph)deriving energy from the oxidation of reduced inorganic compounds such as ferrous iron, ammonia, hydrogen sulphide, or hydrogen; said of bacteria.

EUKARYOTIC (Eukaryote)a cell with a true nucleus; a cell with a nuclear membrane and organelles

PROKARYOTEa microscopic single-celled organism which has neither a distinct nucleus with a membrane nor other specialized organelles, including the bacteria and cyanobacteria.

Cappadocia, Turkey

World Heritage Recognized:This rocky landscape is honeycombed with networks of ancient underground settlements and outstanding examples of Byzantine art.

Erosion shaped the incredible landscape of the Göreme valley, but thousands of years ago humans took a cue from Mother Nature and began carving an incredible chamber and tunnel complex into the soft rock. Beginning in the fourth century A.D., an urbanized - but underground - cultural landscape was created here.

Ancient volcanic eruptions blanketed this region with thick ash, which solidified into a soft rock - called tuff - tens of metres thick. Wind and water went to work on this plateau, leaving only its harder elements behind to form a fairy tale landscape of cones, pillars, pinnacles, mushrooms, and chimneys, which stretch as far as 130 feet (40 metres) into the sky.

SOME FACTS ABOUT CAPPADOCIA• Cappadocia was formed about three to four

million years when a series of volcanic eruptions shook the Central Anatolia plateau. The results were the Cappadocia fairies.

• Cappadocia cuts across three central Anatolia provinces including; Nevşehir, Keyseri, and Niğde. An area of about 5,000 square kilometres.

• The name 'Cappadocia' is derived from the Persian word 'Katpaktukya' which is translated as 'the land of beautiful horses'.

• During the Arab invasion, the retreating Christians used to hide in the underground cities in Gerome. Gerome means 'you cannot see in here'.

• The soft tuff rocks were easily carved and the early inhabitants of Cappadocia carved underground and over-ground shelters.

10 Interesting Facts About Cappadocia

10 Things to Know About Khiluk – The Spotted Lake of British Columbia

Earth's Weirdest Landscapes

Kilauea Volcano: Some Facts

What is Alkaline Water?

Assembled by: A. Ballas

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