Odd Terrains of the World
One might think that there are no new places on earth to look for odd terrain. It could be thought that space must be explored to find wacky mountains and strange canyons. Looking at the pockmarked surface of our moon or the size and grandeur of Olympus Mons (Latin for Mount Olympus)on Mars might make us think that we have little to compare here on our home planet. While Earth doesn’t have anything with the height or mass of Olympus Mons (which is over four times the height of Mount Everest), we still have our own odd terrain to boast.
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| Olympus Mons |
Mount Roraima
This oddly shaped structure is on the border of three South American Countries (Venezuela, Brazil, and Guyana). Its odd cubic shape rises 1300 feet and covers a massive 12,000 square miles on the mountain’s flat top. The sheer rock faces keep out anything that would wish to disturb the peace atop mount Roraima. The massive plateau is special in the fact that it generates its own unique habitat due to the isolation that the walls afford. The structure of this strange mountain is built of sandstone which is mostly devoid of plant life except for in a few locations. Unique species such as the Roraima Bush Toad are not found in any other location. Mount Roraima was inspiration for a location in the 2009 Disney film “Up”. The mountain is squared off as if it had been carved by some kind of titanic sculptor who wished for beautifully square block.
Minecraft anyone?
On the note of rocks that appear “sculpted by titans” you should take a look a...
The Giant's Causeway
Located in Northern Ireland these interlocking basalt shapes appear at first to be flagstones made my master craftsmen. They are usually hexagonal and almost always interlock perfectly. Upon further investigation it is revealed that they are more than just flagstones.
And they go on for miles. Three miles to be exact. The Giant’s Causeway lines the coast and sometimes form pillars in the range of 40 feet height! For years people marveled at the strange pillars which they could only theorize were built by giants. Now our best theories indicate that the magnificent Causeway was formed by volcanic basalt flows. When the flows cooled they contracted leaving the cracks that form the pillars. Many other places on earth have similar odd structures.
The most notable one is in Scotland directly across the water. This gave rise to the ledged that giants had built a bridge across the channel at one time.
Mir Mine
Being a mine, this is not so much a wonder of our planet, but it is still a sight to behold. Located in Mirny Siberia (East-Central Russia) it is the largest diamond mine in the world. Or rather was the largest mine, it was closed in 2011.At its average year it could produce around 10,000,000 carats (just over 2.2 tons) of diamonds per year. This generated employment for 3600 workers and made $600,000,000 for extracting the gems.
This mine is 1,722ft deep and 3,900ft wide. This makes it the second largest excavated hole in the world. My attempts at digging to China in the back yard are put to shame. The mine is in a zone where the permafrost makes it impossible to use traditional mining methods so the Soviet engineers who started the project had to resort to explosives and jet powered devices to clear out the rock.
Another unusual fact about the Mir Mine is that Helicopters are not allowed to fly in it. Apparently the size of the hole creates unusual winds that can suck down aircraft crashing them against the bottom and sides.
Ankarana Rocks
Anyone who is familiar of the “Madagascar” franchise will remember the predator side of the island.It is a mess of rocks and jungle enclaves. The gray stone forms massive blade like wall structures. Gloom and rain prevail and the bleak landscape gives off an air of hopelessness.Such a desolate place must not be real.
Right?
Nope!
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| Ouch! It would hurt to stand on top of one of these. |
Minus the gloom this is an accurate description of the Ankara Reserve towards the northern tip of Madagascar Island. Sheer cliffs over 900 feet protect the area from intruders. The massive walls of limestone have been eroded into sharp points by the 79 inches of annual rainfall. These odd rock blade in Ankara Park split up the dense rainforest within. Ankarana has my vote as one of the strangest places on Earth.
I hope you enjoyed the tour!
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