Eternal Flame Falls

Tucked deep within Chestnut Ridge Park, New York, is a small waterfall called the Eternal Flame Falls. The waterfall is so called because of a simple phenomenon – a natural gas leak just underneath the falls that just happens to be burning. The flame is not really "eternal" in the sense that it goes out occasionally. Often it is re-lit by the next hiker that finds it extinguished.

Chestnut Ridge Park is situated on 1213 acres of the northern face of a series of hills sandwiched between the Eighteenmile Creek and West Branch Cazenovia Creek valleys in Erie County. The park itself is a superb summer family destination containing miles of hiking trails, cycling paths, several playing fields, tennis courts, and a wealth of picnic facilities and shelters. Eternal Flame Falls, despite being located within the park boundaries, is off on the fringe, away from the crowds, and most directly accessible from a trail that begins on the southern edge of the park.



As you approach the falls, the smell of rotten-egg hits your nose. What you smell is the natural gas that leaks from between the shale layers. The gasses produced during the decomposition of the organics within the rock deposits are under pressure and push out through cracks and loose layers within the rock. One large fissure is located right within Eternal Flame Falls, in a small grotto that protects the gas seepage from the falling water and any wind, enabling it to sustain a flame when lit. Two other, smaller seepages within the grotto can be lit, although they can't hold a flame as large or as long as the primary flame. There are several other gas seepages, or springs, around the falls, but locating them can be tricky and lighting them often impossible. Some are located underneath the pool below the falls, and can be seen as bubbles rising up from the bedrock below.

Eternal Flame Falls is highly dependant on rainfall and melt water. It is usually only flowing in early spring, or after long bouts of heavy rain. It reaches 30 ft high, cascading over sloping shale in two segments. A small grotto, 5 ft up from the creek bed, to the right houses the natural gas spring that can be ignited to create a flame of 4-8 inches in height. When flow is high, the water pours over the grotto, covering the flame and diffusing the light like a lampshade.

Eternal Flame Falls is truly one of the most unique waterfalls in the country and one of the few remaining natural areas that we find on our planet. It is said that the falls may be the only one of its kind on the planet.









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Nugget Point Lighthouse

Nugget Point is one of the most iconic landforms on the Otago coast, in the South Island of New Zealand. Located at the northern end of the Catlins coast down the road from Kaka Point, this steep headland has a lighthouse at its tip, surrounded by rocky islets - the Nuggets.

A five minute walk takes you to the lighthouse, where you can enjoy amazing views along the coastline in both directions. Directly below the lighthouse on the rocks, you can see fur seals lolling about, playing in rock pools and generally having fun. Nugget Point is also home to sea lions, sooty shearwaters, shags, yellow-eyed penguins, spoonbills and a breeding colony of gannets. Occasionally, elephant and leopard seals visit the area.



Owned and operated by Maritime New Zealand, the lighthouse was built in 1870 and was originally fueled by oil. In 1949 the oil lamp was replaced with an electric one powered by a local diesel generator. This was subsequently replaced by a connection to the mains grid although the original lens for the light is still in place and used to this day. The light was fully automated in 1989 and is now managed from a control room in Wellington. In 2006, the original light was replaced with a LED beacon, powered by mains and backed up by battery.

The best time to visit the Nugget Point is either early morning or during the evenings to catch magnificent views of sunrise and sunset.














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10 Incredible Object Graveyards

Have you ever wondered what happens to decommissioned machines and other similar facilities that people once used? Some of these objects are being recycled, and many of them are piling up on the so-called Object Graveyards and there waiting to be completely eaten by the ravages of time. Places of natural decomposition of such objects can be unusual tourist destinations and sites to capture amazing photos.



1. Aircraft Boneyard, USA


The 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG), often called The Boneyard is located near Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona. For those of you that have never seen it, it's difficult to comprehend the size of it.



The number of aircraft stored there and the precision in the way they are parked is impressive. Another important fact is that they are all capable of being returned to service if the need ever arises.



AMARG is a controlled-access site, and is off-limits to anyone not employed there without the proper clearance. The only access for non-cleared individuals is via a bus tour which is conducted by the nearby Pima Air & Space Museum. Bus tours are Monday through Friday only. Both the museum and the Bone Yard are very popular attractions in the Arizona desert.



2. Ship Graveyard, Mauritania


The city of Nouadhibou is the second largest city in Mauritania and serves as the country's commercial center. It is famous for being the location of one of the largest ship graveyard in the world. Hundreds of rusting ships can be seen all around, in the water, and on beaches.



One of the most commonly read explanation for that situation is that Mauritanian harbor officers were taking bribes and allowing ships to be discarded in the harbor and around the bay. This phenomenon started in the 80's after the nationalization of the Mauritanian fishing industry, numerous uneconomical ships were simply abandoned there.



The city of Nouadhibou is one of the poorest locations in the world. Right over these phantom beaches there are people living inside the huge merchant boats.



3. Train Cemetery, Bolivia


One of the major tourist attractions of southwestern Bolivia is an antique train cemetery. It is located 3 km (1.9 mi) outside Uyuni and is connected to it by the old train tracks. The town served in the past as a distribution hub for the trains carrying minerals on their way to the Pacific Ocean ports.



The train lines were built by British engineers who arrived near the end of the 19th century and formed a sizable community in Uyuni. The rail construction started in 1888 and ended in 1892.



The trains were mostly used by the mining companies. In the 1940s, the mining industry collapsed, partly due to the mineral depletion. Many trains were abandoned thereby producing the train cemetery. There are talks to build a museum out of the cemetery.



4. Vozdvizhenka Aircraft Graveyard, Russia


Littered with at least 18 gutted Tupolev Tu-22M Backfires of the 444th Heavy Bomber Regiment, Vozdvizhenka air base resembles a post-apocalyptic landscape. Entering this barren place, located near Ussuriysk in the Primorsky Krai region of Far East Russia, 60 miles (95 km) north of Vladivostok and 40 miles (65 km) from the Chinese border, is like taking a step back in time.



The 444th Regiment was disbanded in 2009, with some aircraft transferred to the Belaya air base, and others dismantled (removed engines, equipment, and with holes cut in the fuselage).



The aircraft carcasses are awaiting final metal cutting. Currently based at the airfield is the aviation commandant of Khurba airbase and the 322 Aircraft Repair Factory.



5. Anchor Graveyard, Portugal


Among the dunes of Tavira island, in Portugal, there’s an impressive anchor graveyard called the Cemitério das Âncoras. It was built in remembrence of the glorious tradition of tuna fishing with large nets fixed with these anchors, a fishing technique already invented by the Phoenicians.



Tavira used to be a place devoted to the tuna fishing. They built up this anchor graveyard to remember those who had to quit their occupation when the big fish abandoned the coasts.



6. Soviet Tank Graveyard, Afghanistan


On the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan there’s a massive collection of abandoned Soviet battle vehicles left behind after the failure of a massive eastern bloc military occupation of the country in the 1970’s and 1980’s.



The Soviets left in a hurry and couldn’t be bothered to find a way to get broken-down tanks back home, so now they sit, partially stripped and covered in graffiti.



Afghanistan has few recycling facilities, so this cemetery of tanks will likely remain where it is for many more years as a reminder of the Russian invasion.



7. Submarine Graveyard, Russia


The area around Nezametnaya Cove, close to the town of Gadzhiyevo, in Murmansk Oblast on the Kola Peninsula, is a cemetery where is located a lot of old Russian submarines. After serving their duty underwater, the submarines were brought to this restricted-access zone in the 1970s and then forgotten.



Locals said that some of the old submarines were used for target practice in military exercises and often sunk, an employment of the old “out of sight, out of mind” strategy. Others were simply left in the bay to rust and rot, floating to the surface like so many whale carcasses.



8. Moynaq Ship Graveyard, Uzbekistan


Moynaq is a city in northern Karakalpakstan in western Uzbekistan. Home to only a few thousand residents at most, Moynoq's population has been declining precipitously since the 1980s due to the recession of the Aral Sea.



Once a bustling fishing community and Uzbekistan's only port city with tens of thousands of residents, Moynoq is now a shadow of its former self, dozens of kilometers from the rapidly receding shoreline of the Aral Sea.



For travellers the main reason to visit Moynaq is to see the ship graveyard, a collection of rusting hulks that were once the town’s fishing fleet. It’s an image that perfectly illustrates the disaster - once proud vessels beached in a sandy desert.



Unfortunately there aren’t many left, as scrap metal companies made short work of them before the tourism authorities forbade it. In one final kick for a local population already downed, the money didn’t go to the people who owned the boats; it was divided up between the scrap companies and government officials.



9. Taxi Graveyard, China


Thousands of scrapped taxis are abandoned in a yard in the center of Chongqing, China. Traffic congestion and pollution have worsened dramatically in Chinese cities because the country's long-running economic expansion has allowed increasing numbers of consumers to make big-ticket purchases such as cars, which means many no longer have to rely on taxis or public transportation.



10. Phone Booth Graveyard, UK


This phone booth graveyard is located between Ripon and Thirsk, near the village of Carlton Miniott, UK. There are located hundreds of disused telephone booths.



Decommissioned old red booths are systematically replaced by new modern booths, and deposited in one site near this English village.




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Beautiful Terraced Pools in the World

Naturally terraced pools are a shallow, rimmed water bodies usually located on the travertine terraces - a form of limestone deposited by mineral springs, especially hot springs. Travertine terraces often have a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, and cream-colored varieties. Because of this and because of the biochemical composition of the water, these pools usually have wonderful shades of different colors.



1. Semuc Champey Pools, Guatemala


Semuc Champey is a beautiful series of small ponds and pools on a natural land bridge that crosses the Cahabon River. It is located in the Municipality of Lanquin, Alta Verapaz.



The Cahabon River submerges itself at the entrance of Semuc Champey and resurfaces about 400 meters (1,300 ft) later after it passes this natural limestone bridge suspended with beautiful crystal clear ponds. In this unique natural formation you have water with shades of light green emerald to dark blue sapphire.



Although it can be difficult to get to, Semuc is becoming more and more popular with travelers.



2. Pamukkale, Turkey


Pamukkale, meaning "cotton castle" in Turkish, is a natural site in Denizli Province in southwestern Turkey. The site contains hot springs and travertines, terraces of carbonate minerals left by the flowing water. It is located in Turkey's Inner Aegean region, in the River Menderes valley, which has a temperate climate for most of the year.



The ancient Greco-Roman and Byzantine city of Hierapolis was built on top of the white "castle" which is in total about 2,700 metres (8,860 ft) long, 600 m (1,970 ft) wide and 160 m (525 ft) high. It can be seen from the hills on the opposite side of the valley in the town of Denizli, 20 km away.



Tourism is and has been a major industry. People have bathed in its pools for thousands of years. As recently as the mid-20th century, hotels were built over the ruins of Hieropolis, causing considerable damage. An approach road was built from the valley over the terraces, and motor bikes were allowed to go up and down the slopes.



When the area was declared a World Heritage Site (1988), the hotels were demolished and the road removed and replaced with artificial pools. Wearing shoes in the water is prohibited to protect the deposits.



3. Huanglong Pools, China


Huanglong is a scenic and historic interest area in the northwest part of Sichuan, China. It is located in the southern part of the Minshan mountain range, 150 kilometres (93 mi) north-northwest of the capital Chengdu.



This area is known for its colorful pools formed by calcite deposits, especially in Huanglonggou (Yellow Dragon Gully), as well as diverse forest ecosystems, snow-capped peaks, waterfalls and hot springs.



Accumulated travertine landscapes and fascinating pools are Huanglong's main attraction. The total length of the travertine is 3,6 km (2.2 mi) and it is thought to look like a huge golden dragon wheeling through the snow-capped mountains of the valley. The main landscapes are travertine banks, amazingly colorful ponds and travertine waterfalls and caves.



The main body of water starts from the top of the valley and ends at Xishen Cave Waterfall in the north with a length of 2.5 km (1.6 mi) and a width of 30 – 170 m (100 - 550 ft). The colours of Huanglong’s waters consist of yellows, greens, blues and browns.



4. Kuang Si Falls, Laos


The Kuang Si Falls, sometimes spelled Kuang Xi or known as Tat Kuang Si Waterfalls, is a three tier waterfall about 29 kilometres (18 mi) south of Luang Prabang in Laos. These waterfalls are a favourite side trip for tourists in Luang Prabang.



The falls begin in shallow pools atop a steep hillside. These lead to the main fall with a 60 metres (200 ft) cascade. The falls are accessed via a trail to a left of the falls. The water collects in numerous turquoise blue pools as it flows downstream. The many cascades that result are typical of travertine waterfalls.



The locals charge a nominal admission fee to visit the site, but it is well main maintained with walkways and bridges to guide the visitor. Most of the pools are open to swimming.



5. Baishuitai Pools, China


White Water Terrace (Bai Shui Tai) is located in the foothills of the Haba Snow Mountains, 101 km (62 miles) southeast of Shangri-La.



The variegated landform of the tableland is a continual deposition of calcium carbonate that is contained in the spring water. Every year, the surface of the land is covered by the deposition and finally transformed into the terraced structure with pools you see today.



The Baishuitai covers an area of three square kilometers (about 741 acres). The spring water runs down along the slope of the mountain, leaving an impression of a large white jade carving among the green mountain. Besides being a beautifully scenic spot, the Baishuitai is also the birthplace of Dongba culture of the Naxi Minority Group.



6. Mammoth Hot Springs, USA


Mammoth Hot Springs is a large complex of hot springs and pools on a hill of travertine in Yellowstone National Park. It was created over thousands of years as hot water from the spring cooled and deposited calcium carbonate (over two tons flow into Mammoth each day in a solution).



Algae living in the warm pools have tinted the travertine shades of brown, orange, red, and green.


Dead trees in an area of intense deposition of calcium carbonate
Terrace Mountain at Mammoth Hot Springs is the largest known carbonate-depositing spring in the world. The most famous feature at the springs is the Minerva Terrace, a series of travertine terraces.



7. Badab-e Surt, Iran


Badab-e Surt is a natural site in Mazandaran Province in northern Iran, 95 kilometers (59 mi) South of city of Sari, and 7 kilometers (4.3 mi) west of Orost village. It comprises a range of stepped travertine terrace formations that has been created over thousands of years as flowing water from two mineral hot springs cooled and deposited carbonate minerals on the mountain side.



As a result, over the course of thousands of years the water from these two springs emanating from the mountain range have combined and resulted in a number of orange, red and yellow colored pools shaped as a naturally formed staircase.



Badab-e Surt's springs are two distinct mineral springs with different natural characteristics, located at 1840 meters (6,000 ft) of altitude. The first spring contains very salty water that gathers in a small natural pool; its water is considered to have medical effects, especially as a cure for rheumatism and some types of skin diseases and skin conditions. The second spring has a sour taste and is predominately orange mainly due to the large iron oxide sediments at its outlet.



8. Egerszalók, Hungary


Egerszalók is an open-air spa located in Heves County in northeastern Hungary. The springs yield 68°C (154°F). mineral water from an aquifer located under the volcanic Mátra Mountains.



Before entering the spa pools, the steaming water runs down a series of cascades backed and lined with travertine; the gleaming mineral has precipitated from the water as it interacts with air at atmospheric temperatures.



The travertine is locally called "salt," and the cascade of water is called "Salt Hill." The Egerszalók pools contain water rich in calcium, magnesium, and hydrocarbonate minerals.





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