The document outlines various geological formations and phenomena, highlighting their origins and unique characteristics, including Fly Geyer's calcium carbonate deposits, Blood Falls in Antarctica, and the Chocolate Hills in the Philippines. It discusses the ecological importance of features such as Mono Lake's brine shrimp ecosystem and the thermophilic algae in Fly Geyer, and also notes significant human-influenced changes in locations like Rio Tinto. The text emphasizes the interaction between geological processes, ecosystems, and historical context, showcasing the diversity of Earth's landscapes.

3. This GEOLOGICAL curiosity was formed
accidentally in 1916 when ranch owners
drilled a well in the area. They hit water but it
was a piping 200 degrees. They plugged the
well but the GEOTHERMAL water seeped
through leaving behind calcium carbonate
deposits that continued to accumulate,
forming a 12 foot high bulbous mound. In
1964 they drilled a second hole near the first
and hot water erupted from multiple spots.
The tie-dye stains dripping down Fly Geyer’s
surface are actually THERMOPHILIC ALGAE
which thrive in hot, moist environments.
ALGA (algae)
Are organisms. They are important because they
make much of Earth’s oxygen. They are neither plant
nor animal. Algae contain chlorophyll (green pigment)
but lack true stems, roots, leaves, and vascular tissue.
GEOLOGICAL
Adjective of: ‘Geology’. GEOLOGY is the science devoted to the study of the Earth.
GEOTHERMAL
Relating to and/or producing from the internal heat of the Earth.
THERMOPHILIC
Adjective of: ‘Thermophile’. THERMOPHILE is an organism - that thrives at relatively high temperatures, between 41
and 122 °C (106 and 252 °F).

5. “New work confirms zones of liquid salt water
hundreds of metres below the bright red waterfall
in icy Antarctica, known as Blood Falls.” (May 18,
2015) Blood Falls is a bright red waterfall
oozing from Antarctica’s ice.
Geomicrobiologist Jill Mikucki and her team’s
tests showed that Blood Falls’ waters
contained ALMOST NO OXYGEN and hosted a
community of at least seventeen (17)
different types of microorganisms, thought to
be flowing from a lake trapped beneath the
ice for some two (2) million years. The
MICROBES rely on a metabolic process never
before observed in nature: using sulphate as a
catalyst to "breathe" with ferric iron and draw
energy from nearby trace organic matter
trapped underneath Antarctica's vast glaciers
GEOMICROBIOLOGY
The study of the role of microbes and microbial processes in the field of geology and geochemistry.
MICROBE (micro=small, minute)
A minute life form; a microorganism, especially a bacterium that causes disease.
FERRIC
containing iron in its plus-three oxidation state, Fe(III)
(sometimes designated Fe3+).
GEOCHEMISTRY
The study of the chemical composition of the earth
and its rocks and minerals.
GEOMICROBIOLOGIST
A geologist or microbiologist whose speciality
is GEOMICROBIOLOGY.

7. In 1941 Los Angeles’ diverted Mono Lake’s
tributary streams and exposed what are
called TUFA TOWERS (Tufa Towers ONLY grow
underwater).
These TWISTING LIMESTONE PINNACLES line
the shores of Mono Lake. Mono Lake is at
least 760,000 years old and now has no outlet
to the ocean, causing salt to accumulate and
create harsh ALKALINE conditions. Oddly
enough though Mono Lake hosts a flourishing
ECOSYSTEM based on tiny BRINE SHRIMP
which feed the more than two (2) million
MIGRATORY birds that nest there each year.
ALKALINE
Alkaline water is water that measures anywhere above
a 7.0 on the pH scale.
BRINE SHRIMP
a small fairy shrimp which lives in brine (salty) pools
and salt lakes and is used as food for aquarium fish.
LIMESTONE
a hard sedimentary rock, composed mainly of calcium carbonate or dolomite.
pH SCALE
is a scale from 0-14 that measures the concentration of hydrogen ions in compounds from batteries to food. Neutral is
measured at 7.0, while acids are below 7.0 and alkaline compounds (or bases) are greater than 7.0.
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
Sedimentary rocks are types of rock that are formed by the deposition of material at the Earth's surface and within
bodies of water

9. Giant’s Causeway (UNESCO World Heritage site)
consists of some 40,000 hexagonal basalt
columns, which extend out from the North
Channel along the edge of the ANTRIUM
PLATEAU.
Legend has it that the Irish giant Finn McCool
built the causeway across the channel so that
he could meet his enemy, the Scottish Giant
Benandonner, who challenged him to a fight.
Locals say, if you look carefully you can make out traces of
Finn McCool in the rock structures: Giant’s Boot, the
Wishing Chair and the Organ.
GEOLOGICAL STUDIES tell us that the Giant’s
Causeway first formed as a LAVA PLATEAU
when molten rock erupted through fissures in
the Earth. During a period of intense volcanic
activity about 50-60 million years ago
differences in the lava cooling rate caused the
columns to form, further weathering created
circular formations nicknamed “Giant’s Eyes”.
BASALT
a dark fine-grained volcanic rock that sometimes
displays a columnar structure, typically composed
largely of plagioclase with pyroxene and olivine.
FISSURE
a long, narrow opening or line of breakage made by
cracking or splitting, especially in rock or earth.
LAVA PLATEAU
Lava plateaus are formed by highly fluid (runny)
basaltic lava during numerous successive ‘quiet’
eruptions, through numerous vents.
MOLTEN ROCK
Molten rock below the surface of the Earth that rises in volcanic vents is known as magma, but after it erupts from a
volcano it is called lava.

11. Lake Hillier sits like a giant punchbowl at the
edge of Middle Island in Western Australia's
RECHERCHE ARCHIPELAGO, surrounded by a
thick forest of paperbark and eucalyptus
trees. A slender strip of shore separates Lake
Hillier from the predictably blue Southern
Ocean, highlighting the lake's otherworldly
appearance.
Theories differ on the origins of the lake's
bubblegum hue. Some believe it comes from
a dye produced by two microorganisms called
Halobacteria and Dunaliella salina, while
others suspect the red halophilic bacteria that
thrive in the lake's salt deposits.
In any case, the lake's colour isn't a trick of
the light—it's positively pink, no matter
where you look.
ARCHIPELAGO
An archipelago, sometimes called an island group or
island chain, is a chain, cluster or collection of islands.
DUNALIELLA SALINA
is a unicellular green alga found in environments with
high salt concentration. It produces a distinct pink
and red colour often characteristic of saltern ponds.
HALOBACTERIUM (Halobacteria)
Bacteria found in salt saturated waters.
HALOPHILE (Greek: ‘salt-loving’)
an organism, especially a microorganism, that grows in or can tolerate saline (salty) conditions.
HUE
A colour or shade.

13. Years of EROSION by vegetation and
expanding ice, carved Zhangjiajie National
Park's narrow, terraced sandstone pillars,
some of which climb over 650 feet. The park's
steep cliffs and plunging gullies also make the
perfect home for more than 100 vertebrate
species, including scaly anteaters, giant
salamanders, and sprightly rhesus monkeys.
Meanwhile, the damp subtropical climate
nourishes diverse, sometimes unusual, flora.
Take DOVE TREES, for instance.
Known as ‘LIVING FOSSILS’, the white-
flowered trees are actually survivors of the
fourth glacial period 2.5 million years ago.
Zhangjiajie National Park - China's first
national park was named a UNESCO World
Heritage site in 1992.
EROSION
the process of eroding or being eroded by wind,
water, or other natural agents.
FOSSIL
the remains or impression of a prehistoric plant or
animal embedded in rock and preserved in petrified
form.
GULLY
a ravine (a deep, narrow gorge with steep sides.) formed by the action of water.
VERTEBRATE SPECIES
Animals with an internal skeleton made of bone are called vertebrates. Vertebrates include fish, amphibians, reptiles,
birds, mammals, primates, rodents and marsupials.
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

15. British Columbia's Spotted Lake, known as
Lake Khiluk by the First Nations tribes of the
Okanagan Valley, is landlocked, resulting in
salty, alkaline waters. It is also considered a
sacred place for healing.
Over the summer, much of the water dries,
leaving behind a lava lamp pattern of mineral
"spots" that can appear white, pale yellow,
green, or blue, depending on their
composition. These mini-islands consist
mostly of magnesium sulphate, which
crystallizes to form greyish walkways around
and between the spots.
SOME FACTS ABOUT SPOTTED LAKE
• Lake Khiluk is the most mineralized lake in the
world.
• The Okanagan tribe used the water in the spots to
treat conditions such as warts, skin disease, body
aches, and battle wounds.
• During World War I ammunition was made using minerals from Lake Khiluk.
• The most predominate mineral found in the spots is magnesium sulphate. There are plenty of calcium and sodium
sulphates too. Scientists have identified eight other minerals present in some of the spots. Four more minerals
were found in lesser quantities, among these four are silver and titanium.
• The lake measures 0.16 miles (.25 km) wide by 0.43 miles (.7 km) long with a combined shore length of just over
one mile (1.7 km).
• Lake Khiluk is considered a saline endorheic alkali lake.
ENDORHEIC LAKE (landlocked)
Endorheic lakes are bodies of water that do not flow into the sea.

17. The smallest of Yellowstone's GEYSER basins,
Midway Geyser Basin (also dubbed "Hell's
Half Acre") actually contains two of the park's
largest HYDROTHERMAL features:
• Grand Prismatic Spring and
• Excelsior Geyser, which dumps 4,000
gallons of water a minute into
neighbouring Firehole River.
The spring's PSYCHEDELIC colouration comes
from pigmented bacteria in the surrounding
microbial mats. The amount of colour in the
mats depends on the water temperature and
the ratio of CHLOROPHYLL (green pigment) to
CAROTENOIDS (yellow to red pigment). In the
summer, the mats burn orange and red, while
winter turns them a dark green. The spring's
lurid blue "eye" remains sterile because of its
extremely high heat.
CAROTENOIDS
any of a class of mainly yellow, orange, or red fat-
soluble pigments, including carotene, which give
colour to plant parts such as ripe tomatoes and
autumn leaves.
CHLOROPHYLL
a green pigment, present in all green plants and in
cyanobacteria, which is responsible for the absorption
of light to provide energy for photosynthesis.
GEYSER
a hot spring in which water intermittently boils, sending a tall column of water and steam into the air.
HYDROTHERMAL
relating to or denoting the action of heated water in the earth's crust.

19. Named after the Hawaiian word for
"spewing," the mythical home of the volcanic
goddess Pele rises 4,190 feet from the
southeastern part of the Big Island.
One of the world's most active and perilous
volcanoes, Kilauea has been erupting for
more than three decades, fitfully coughing
BASALTIC LAVA into the Pacific Ocean below.
You can easily spot the billowing plumes of
scorching gas in the daytime. But if you can,
visit after sunset, when the lava flows glow
more visibly, creating a beautifully infernal
light show.
SOME FACTS ABOUT KILAUEA VOLCANO
• The Kilauea is the youngest volcano on Hawaii’s
Big Island.
• Kilauea is a separate volcano and not a satellite of
Mauna Loa as once thought.
• Its magna-plumbing system actually goes over
60kms deep into the earth.
• It sits on a curved line made up of other volcanoes such as Kohala and Mauna Kea.
• The highest point on the Kilauea Volcano is slightly less than 4,200 feet.
• Its caldera at the summit is three (3) by five (5) kilometres wide at the main depression but six (6) kilometres by six
(6) kilometres at the outermost faults and goes down 165 metres deep.
• The entire area is 552 square metres.
• The oldest rocks found date back 23,000 years.
• Scientists estimate first eruption between 300,000 and 600,000 years ago.
• 90% of the basaltic shield found on the surface is made from lava flows that occurred less than 1000 years ago.
• 70% of the actual volcano’s surface is 600 years old or younger.

21. The ‘Chocolate Hills’ of the Philippines,
measure up to 400 feet tall. The hills are
made of limestone containing marine fossils
dating back millions of years. The VERDANT
(green) GRASS that usually covers the hills
turns a ‘milky brown’ come dry season, giving
the more than 1,200 mounds their famously
delectable appearance.
The hills’ origins remain a mystery, but legend
says that a giant wept them as he grieved the
death of his human beloved. Unfortunately,
limestone quarrying has levelled some of the
hills, a problem the Philippine Government
began addressing in 2006 by restricting
mining activities in the area. Today, the
‘confectionary landscape’ remains a popular
tourist attraction.
SOME FACTS ABOUT THE ‘CHOCOLATE HILLS’
• The height of these hills ranges between 150 to
400 feet. Whereas, the height of the domes varies
between 98 to 160 feet ( 30 to 50 meters). The
highest peak in these hills measures 390 feet (120
meters). These hills are spread across the towns
of Sagbayan, Carmen, and Batuan in Bohol.
• These hills are a unique and unusual geological
formation. Spread across 50 sq. km, (20 miles
approx.), the Chocolate Hills consist 1268 to 1776
dome-shaped hills, covered in grass.
• In geographical terms, such a hill is called a geomorphological structure, also known as a MOGOTE. For many
years, geologists have tried to decode the mystery of the formation of these hills. Most of these theories say, that
these hills were formed because of a major geologic shift, when coral deposits rose up from the sea. The dome-like
shape was formed due to the erosion of these deposits by wind erosion, through thousands of years.
• Movement of tectonic activity has also given the shape and structure to these hills. These hills have marine
deposits like coral, algae, and mollusks.

23. Spain's Rio Tinto is characterized by deep red
water that is highly acidic (pH 1.7—2.5) and
rich in heavy metals. Over 5000 years of
mining pollution have contributed to the river
becoming an extreme environment, although
the presence of CHEMOLITHOTROPHIC
organisms, such as iron-oxidizing bacteria and
sulphur-oxidizing bacteria, are thought to be
the true culprits to the river's condition.
Home to many unusual organisms, the most
remarkable findings to date may be the
unexpected degree of EUKARYOTIC diversity
in the acidic water. The diversity of these
eukaryotes, both ALKALIPHILIC and
TOXITOLERANT, is much greater than that of
the PROKARYOTES, thus challenging beliefs
that extreme environments are always
dominated by Eubacteria and Archaea.
It holds a significant role in history as the
birthplace of the Copper Age and Bronze Age.
The first Rio Tinto mines were developed in
3000BC by the Iberians and Tartessans.
CHEMOLITHOTROPHIC (Chemolithotroph)
deriving energy from the oxidation of reduced
inorganic compounds such as ferrous iron, ammonia,
hydrogen sulphide, or hydrogen; said of bacteria.
EUKARYOTIC (Eukaryote)
a cell with a true nucleus; a cell with a nuclear
membrane and organelles
PROKARYOTE
a microscopic single-celled organism which has
neither a distinct nucleus with a membrane nor other
specialized organelles, including the bacteria and
cyanobacteria.

25. World Heritage Recognized:
This rocky landscape is honeycombed with
networks of ancient underground settlements
and outstanding examples of Byzantine art.
Erosion shaped the incredible landscape of
the Göreme valley, but thousands of years
ago humans took a cue from Mother Nature
and began carving an incredible chamber and
tunnel complex into the soft rock. Beginning
in the fourth century A.D., an urbanized - but
underground - cultural landscape was created
here.
Ancient volcanic eruptions blanketed this
region with thick ash, which solidified into a
soft rock - called tuff - tens of metres thick.
Wind and water went to work on this plateau,
leaving only its harder elements behind to
form a fairy tale landscape of cones, pillars,
pinnacles, mushrooms, and chimneys, which
stretch as far as 130 feet (40 metres) into the
sky.
SOME FACTS ABOUT CAPPADOCIA
• Cappadocia was formed about three to four
million years when a series of volcanic eruptions
shook the Central Anatolia plateau. The results
were the Cappadocia fairies.
• Cappadocia cuts across three central Anatolia
provinces including; Nevşehir, Keyseri, and Niğde.
An area of about 5,000 square kilometres.
• The name 'Cappadocia' is derived from the
Persian word 'Katpaktukya' which is translated as
'the land of beautiful horses'.
• During the Arab invasion, the retreating Christians
used to hide in the underground cities in Gerome.
Gerome means 'you cannot see in here'.
• The soft tuff rocks were easily carved and the
early inhabitants of Cappadocia carved
underground and over-ground shelters.

26.  10 Interesting Facts About Cappadocia
 10 Things to Know About Khiluk – The Spotted Lake of British Columbia
 Earth's Weirdest Landscapes
 Kilauea Volcano: Some Facts
 What is Alkaline Water?