The Tectonics of the Great Rift Valley
Stretching for thousands of kilometers, the Great Rift Valley is a monumental scar on the Earth's surface, a place where the African continent is literally tearing itself apart. This colossal…
Geology
Skerries, Holms, and Sea Stacks
Discover the poetic language of our coastlines as we explore the difference between a towering sea stack, a treacherous skerry, and a green holm. From the dramatic shores of Scotland…
Cryovolcanism: Ice Volcanoes
Journey to the frigid outer solar system to explore cryovolcanism, a phenomenon where ice volcanoes erupt with water, ammonia, and methane instead of molten rock. Discover how geological forces like…
The Plitvice Lakes System
Discover the geological magic behind Croatia's Plitvice Lakes National Park. This natural wonder isn't just a series of beautiful lakes; it's a dynamic, living system where water, rock, and life…
The Danakil Depression
Journey to the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia, a land forged by the raw power of a tectonic triple junction where the Earth is literally tearing itself apart. Explore a world…
The Chocolate Hills of Bohol
Journey to the Philippines to uncover the mystery of the Chocolate Hills, a surreal landscape of over a thousand conical mounds. We'll explore the leading scientific theory of their formation…
The Ring of Fire Megacities
Explore how megacities like Tokyo, Mexico City, and Santiago thrive atop the volatile Pacific Ring of Fire. This journey delves into the incredible engineering, unique urban geography, and cultural adaptations…
Madagascar’s Tsingy Forests
Venture into Madagascar's Tsingy, a breathtaking 'forest' of razor-sharp limestone needles where life thrives in the most unlikely of places. This UNESCO World Heritage site, whose name means "where one…
Cappadocia’s Fairy Chimneys
Journey to the heart of Turkey, where the surreal landscape of Cappadocia reveals its secrets. Discover how volcanic eruptions and millennia of erosion created the iconic "fairy chimneys", and how…
The Great Escarpment: Africa’s Grand Edge
Stretching for thousands of kilometers, Africa's Great Escarpment is a colossal geological step that divides the continent's high interior plateau from its low coastal plains. This dramatic feature is the…
The Chevrons: Megatsunami Scars
Explore the mystery of "chevrons", massive V-shaped dunes found on coastlines from Madagascar to Egypt. Are these formations simply the work of wind, or do they represent colossal scars left…
LIDAR Mapping: Seeing Through the Forest
What if you could digitally strip away entire forests to reveal lost cities beneath? LIDAR technology is giving geographers and archaeologists x-ray vision, uncovering ancient urban landscapes in the Amazon…
Jökulhlaups: Iceland’s Volcanic Floods
In Iceland, where colossal glaciers conceal active volcanoes, a terrifying phenomenon known as a jökulhlaup can occur. These sudden and catastrophic glacial outburst floods are among the most powerful natural…
Karst Topography: The World Beneath Our Feet
Dive beneath the surface into the world of karst topography, where water sculpts soluble rock into breathtaking landscapes. From the disappearing rivers of the Dinaric Alps to the sacred cenotes…
The Channeled Scablands: A Flood of Biblical Scale
Journey to eastern Washington, where the scarred landscape tells a tale of a flood of biblical proportions from the last Ice Age. In just a matter of days, a torrent…
Glacial Rebound: The Rising of the Continents
The Earth is still recovering from the last Ice Age, causing vast landmasses to slowly rise in a process called post-glacial rebound. This geological phenomenon is actively reshaping coastlines from…
Solifluction: When Permafrost Soil Flows
In the world's coldest regions, the ground itself is on the move. Discover solifluction, the slow, creeping flow of soil driven by the relentless cycle of freezing and thawing that…
Ephemeral Islands: Land That Comes and Goes
Explore the world of ephemeral islands, fleeting landmasses born from volcanic fire and shifting sands. From the explosive life of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai to the legal chaos they create, discover…
Glacial Erratics: Boulders Left by Ice
Ever seen a giant boulder sitting in a flat field, miles from any mountain? These geological oddities are called glacial erratics, colossal stones carried hundreds of miles by ancient ice…
Tombolos: Land Bridges Made by Waves
Explore the fascinating world of tombolos, natural land bridges built by the relentless power of waves. Discover how the delicate dance of longshore drift and wave refraction forges these sandy…