You are hereArchive - Oct 16, 2011
Archive - Oct 16, 2011
16 mysterious sights: Salar de Uyuni, Eye of Africa, Desert Floor Drawings, Racetrack Playa, Spotted Lake, Cotton Castle...
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Mysterious Sights: Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
Salar de Uyuni is a magical place: When covered by water, the world’s largest salt flat becomes a mirror, and anyone walking across it appears to be walking on clouds. The salt crust, which covers 4,086 square miles in southwestern Bolivia at 11,995 feet above sea level, is nearly flat, which makes it ideal for calibrating the altimeters of satellites. Salar de Uyuni's origins lie in prehistoric lakes; it is a major breeding ground for several species of flamingoes.
Mysterious Sights: Eye of Africa, Mauritania
The Eye of Africa - whose official name, the Richat Structure, seems so mundane in comparison - was spotted in central Mauritania by astronauts on early space missions. In the expanse of the Western Sahara Desert, the formation has a diameter of about 30 miles. At first, scientists thought a meteorite had hit the Earth, causing this impression. But now it is believed to be a symmetrical uplift that erosion has revealed. No one has explained yet why it is circular.
Mysterious Sights: Middle East Desert Floor Drawings read more »
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