The Blue Lagoon Hot Springs are man-made geothermal pools located in Iceland. The Blue Lagoon pools gradually came into existence, after a pool had formed from the wastewater of a geothermal plant in 1977. As it gained popularity for having supposed healing properties, the pool was opened for the public by 1992. The rich minerals […]
Hot desert is any location on the Earth that is extremely dry and receives less than 25 cm of rainfall per year. Deserts may be very hot or very cold. In hot deserts, the Sun shines mercilessly and the only source of water is through meagre annual rainfall. African and Asian deserts are the examples
Cascadas de Agua Azul are picturesque waterfalls found in Chiapas, Mexico. Spanish for ‘blue waterfalls’, the Cascadas de Agua Azul comprise many cataracts that follow one after another in a sequence, with the larger cataracts gushing water from as high as 6 metres. Due to the high mineral-content, the waters of the Agua Azul are
Tolantongo is a box canyon that has been beautifully transformed into a resort located in Hidalgo, Mexico. Situated in a semi-desert area, the box canyon is a wonderful blend of Nature and man-made comforts. The bottom of the box canyon has heated pools, with walls as high as 500 metres. However, the main attraction of
Dettifoss is a waterfall located in the Vatnajökull National Park, in Iceland. Considered the most powerful waterfalls in all of Europe, the waters of the Dettifoss are a force to reckon with. While the sediment rich greyish white waters of the Vatnajökull glacier flow to make this waterfall, it receives its ‘power’ from the strong
Stalactites and Stalagmites are natural features present in caves. These are deposits of minerals which form on cave roof, cave floor or near cave walls. Stalactites hang from the ceilings of caves like icicles, while stalagmites resemble traffic cones that look like emerging from the ground. These features form when water droplets containing some amount
Caves are the underground enclosure with access from the surface of the ground or from the sea. They are the natural openings of the Earth. Caves are formed by two methods: ♦ Weathering of rocks; or ♦ Through water seepage under the ground: Water flows through the cracks present on the Earth’s surface, dissolving certain
Canyons are deep V-shaped narrow valleys with steep sides and rocky boundaries. The word ‘Canyon’ is derived from the Spanish word cañon, which means tube or pipe. These are formed by the movement of rivers (river canyons), the process of weathering and erosion (weathering canyons), and tectonic activities underneath the Earth’s surface (submarine canyon).
A steppe is a dry and grassy belt of grassland. It is located in temperate climatic regions of the Earth, which lie between the tropics and the polar regions. They are also called mid-latitude grasslands. The two main types of grasses which are found in this area are cropland and pasture. These are short grasses,
Savanna is a type of flat grassland in tropical and subtropical regions, bordering tropical rainforests. However, certain dry savannas are present on the borders of some deserts as well. These grasslands are generally warm and they have dry climatic conditions. They are characterised by brushy and coarse grasses with a few small or dispersed trees
Grasslands are the open and flat plains on the Earth where grass is the most dominating flora. The grasslands present in the Southern hemisphere get more rainfall than those in the Northern hemisphere. Hence the grass in the Southern hemisphere grows more than 2 metres in height and its roots extend several feet into the
Plains are one of the most widespread landforms of the Earth. They are primarily classified on the basis of the process of formation. The three main types of plains are: structural plains, depositional plains and erosional plains. Erosion is a natural process that creates or destroys the landforms of the Earth. The common erosion agents
A valley is a relatively flat, low land lying between ranges of hills and mountains on the Earth’s surface. Valleys are generally formed by erosion caused by rivers or glaciers. They can be classified on the basis of shape or origin. On the basis of shape, they can be categorised as: V-shape and U-shape. And
The Playa del Amor or the ‘Hidden Beach’ is a beach located near Puerto Vallarta, in Mexico. The Playa del Amor does not look like it belongs to this planet. Literally a hidden beach, it looks like something out of a fantasy novel. While the white sandy beach with the blue Pacific waters rushing in
Krishna’s Butterball is the name given to a unique rock formation located in Mahabalipuram, India. A gigantic granite boulder, 5 metres high and 6 metres wide, weighing approximately 250 tons, Krishna’s Butterball is not just any rock formation. This gravity-defying boulder sits on a short incline and has been in the same place for more