The Richat Structure (Mauritania)<\/strong><\/p>\n In the middle of the Sahara Desert lies a 30-mile wide geological oddity known as the Richat Structure. This eye-like feature is visible from space and once served as a geographical\u00a0landmark for astronauts as they passed over the desert. (Tweet this<\/a>)<\/p>\n Socotra islands, Indian Ocean<\/strong><\/p>\n Thanks to the process know as speciation<\/a>, a third of Socotra’s plant life cannot be found anywhere else on the planet.\u00a0Photos: imgur<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019d like to visit Bolivia\u2019s Salar de Uyuni, the world\u2019s largest salt flat, you can book a stay at the Palacio de Sal Resort<\/a>, which, quite appropriately, is a hotel made entirely out of salt.<\/em><\/p>\n “Door to Hell,” Derweze, Turkmenistan<\/strong><\/p>\n In 1971 scientists lit a store of natural gas on fire to ensure the poisonous gas would not harm the environment or inhabitants of a nearby village. Their thinking was the gas would burn off in a few days. Four decades later, the pit is still smoldering.<\/p>\n The Stone Forest, Madagascar<\/strong><\/p>\n Ninety per cent of the species found in Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park in Madagascar are endemic, meaning you won’t find them anywhere else on Earth. In fact, because the terrain is so difficult to navigate (the\u00a0word tsingy translates into English as “where one cannot walk barefoot”)\u00a0most scientific expeditions to the area lead to the discovery of a new plant or animal. Lake Natron,\u00a0Tanzania<\/strong><\/p>\n Colored a deep red from salt-loving organisms and algae,\u00a0Lake Natron is one of the most alkaline lakes in the world. And while extremely hot and generally inhospitable, the lake is home to one of the most important flamingo breeding grounds in the world.\u00a0 Mount Roraima, South America<\/strong><\/p>\n Bordered by Brazil, Venezuela, and Guyana, the 31 square kilometer summit of Mount Roraima is defended by 1,312 foot tall (400 meters) cliffs on all sides. Looking at it, we can’t help but be reminded of the fictional world of Pandora from James Cameron’s Avatar.\u00a0 <\/em>Lake Retba,\u00a0Cap Vert peninsula<\/strong><\/p>\n The\u00a0salty waters of Lake Retba constantly changes hues, but the most striking pink shade occurs during the dry season. Looks delicious. Red Beach, Panjin, China<\/strong><\/p>\n Panjin’s Red Beach is covered in\u00a0a type of sea weed called Sueda, which, while green\u00a0during the summer, turns a deep red in the fall.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Fly Geyser, Nevada<\/strong><\/p>\n Thermophilic algae is what gives\u00a0Nevada’s Fly Geyser its colorful facade. Technically speaking, the geyser isn’t a natural site as it was created accidently by a geothermic energy company who drilled a test well on the site in the mid-1960s.<\/p>\n From rock forests to doorways to Hell, we’re looking at 10 surreal locations that, despite appearances, actually exist.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":52522,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11269],"tags":[],"coauthors":[10332],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Richat](\"https:\/\/www.livabl.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Richat-Structure.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo: NASA Goddard Photo and Video\/Flickr<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n![\"Richat](\"https:\/\/www.livabl.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Richat-Structure-3-1024x563.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo: Wikimedia<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n![\"Socotra](\"https:\/\/www.livabl.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Socotra-islands.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo: Rod Waddington\/Flickr<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n![\"Socotra](\"https:\/\/www.livabl.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Socotra-islands-11.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo:\u00a0Soqotra (Yemen) – Fotograf\u00edas de Nacho Benvenuty\/Flickr<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n![\"bolvia](\"https:\/\/www.livabl.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/bolvia-salt-plain-1024x622.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo:\u00a0<\/em>suellewellyn2011\/WordPress<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n![\"Salar](\"https:\/\/www.livabl.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Salar-de-Uyuni1.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo:\u00a0Nouhailler\/Flickr<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n![\"door](\"https:\/\/www.livabl.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/door-to-hell-1024x682.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo: Martha de Jong-Lantink\/Flickr<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n![\"Tsingy](\"https:\/\/www.livabl.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Tsingy-de-Bemaraha-National-Park-1024x609.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo: RaKra42\/Flickr<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n
\n<\/em><\/p>\n![\"Lake](\"https:\/\/www.livabl.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Lake-Natron-2.jpg\")
Photo:\u00a0<\/em><\/a>imgur<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n
\n<\/em><\/p>\n![\"Mount](\"https:\/\/www.livabl.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Mount-Roraima-South-America-2.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo:\u00a0imgur<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n
\n<\/em><\/p>\n![\"Lake](\"https:\/\/www.livabl.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Lake-Retba.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo:\u00a0imgur<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n
\n<\/em><\/p>\n![\"red-beach-panjin-china-1\"](\"https:\/\/www.livabl.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/red-beach-panjin-china-1.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"China](\"https:\/\/www.livabl.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/China-red-sea.jpg\")
<\/a>Photos:\u00a0Jia Mi\/OneBigPhoto<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n![\"Fly](\"https:\/\/www.livabl.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Fly-Geyser-Nevada.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo: Denny Thurston<\/a>
\n<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n