Incredible places: A window onto extraordinary landscapes on Earth
Earth is home to some truly mind-boggling landscapes, from salt-covered deserts to giant, underwater waterfalls. Geological and biological processes, together with climates and inevitable wear-and-tear, have shaped these natural landscapes over the eons into the awe-inspiring features we see today. Every week, we open a window onto an incredible place and highlight the fantastic history and science behind it.
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Latest about incredible places

North America's 'broken heart': The billion-year-old scar from when the continent nearly ripped apart
By Sascha Pare published
The Midcontinent Rift is a giant tear that formed in what is now the U.S. Midwest 1.1 billion years ago. Nicknamed North America's "broken heart," it is filled with solidified magma and lava.

Jellyfish Lake: Palau's saltwater pool with a toxic bottom and surface waters brimming with millions of jellyfish
By Sascha Pare published
Palau's Jellyfish Lake is home to millions of endemic golden jellies that live in the lake's top layer but never venture below 50 feet, where the water is saturated with poisonous gas.

El Cono: The mysterious sacred 'pyramid' hidden deep in the Amazon rainforest
By Sascha Pare published
Cerro El Cono is a solitary, pyramidal hill in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest whose origins remain mysterious and that holds spiritual significance for Indigenous people.

Corryvreckan whirlpool: Scotland's 'raging cauldron' that is named after a Norse king and said to house a witch
By Sascha Pare published
The Corryvreckan whirlpool is one of the largest whirlpools in the world, reaching speeds of 8.5 knots and producing a roaring sound that can be heard 10 miles away.

Iran's folded rocks: The crumpled mountains at the intersection of Asia and Europe
By Sascha Pare published
Iran's folded rocks are a colorful formation that is part of the Greater Caucasus mountains, which formed when the Eurasian tectonic plate collided with the Arabian plate millions of years ago.

Wilkes Land crater: The giant hole in East Antarctica's gravitational field likely caused by a meteorite
By Sascha Pare published
Researchers have proposed many origins for a gravity anomaly in Wilkes Land, East Antarctica, but the latest evidence suggests the subglacial hole is an impact crater measuring 315 miles across.

Rainbow Mountains: China's psychedelic landscape created when 2 tectonic plates collided
By Sascha Pare published
The colorful swirls and stripes that characterize China's Rainbow Mountains would have remained hidden without the epic tectonic collision that created the Himalayas.

Lake Salda: The only place on Earth similar to Jezero crater on Mars
By Sascha Pare published
Lake Salda, in southwestern Turkey, bears a close resemblance to Mars' Jezero crater, which is currently being sampled by NASA's Perseverance rover.
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