9 November 2022 - LARGEST UNDERGROUND LAKE IN EUROPE

 

LARGEST UNDERGROUND

 LAKE IN EUROPE

G'day folks,

Welcome to the largest underground lake in Europe. 

In the middle of the Valais valley, just below some beautiful vineyards, lies the inconspicuous entrance to one of Europe’s most impressive underground sites: Lac Souterrain de Saint-Léonard. It is the largest subterranean lake in Europe, with a length of 300 meters and a width of 20 meters.

 

After entering and descending the 50 steps you find yourself on a jetty, with waters of the continent’s largest natural underground lake stretches out in front of you. Its total area is approximately 6,000 square meters, and the water stays at an average temperature of 11 degrees Celsius (52 degrees Fahrenheit). The water is so very still that every drop hitting the surface can be heard distinctly in the cave.

 

The underground lake is located in a bed of Triassic gypsum. It formed over millions of years as the rock was slowly dissolved by groundwater. On the guided boat tour bats or the settled trout can be observed, and so can the bare gypsum, slate, and marble walls touching the edge of the water.

2 October 2022 - THE MOVING ISLAND - ITALY

 

THE MOVING ISLAND 

- ITALY -

G'day folks,

This serene, turquoise lake in an extraordinary nature reserve showcases a rare natural phenomenon. 

Posta Fibreno is a karstic lake in the foothills of Italy’s Lazio region, and though it may seem more like an engrossed river, it is a small, serene lake home to a very unusual natural phenomenon known since Roman times. Described by Pliny the Elder in his 1st-century Naturalis Historia, the lake is the setting for the subtle dances and movements of a natural floating island.

 

The island, known as La Rota for its round shape, was formed over the years by free-floating rhizomes, peat, and roots. At about 13 feet thick and 130 feet wide, the mass is not rooted to the ground below the water, and thus the wind and currents cause it to move freely around the surface of the lake. Small trees and shrubs cover the land, and when a breeze blows or the volume of the water released by the underwater springs varies, the island appears to be somehow floating around on its own. This is a phenomenon so rare that Posta Fibreno is one of the only places on Earth to see it occur.

Geological anomaly aside, Lake Posta Fibreno’s mild temperature and extraordinarily clear waters have made it a paradise for divers, kayakers, wildlife lovers, and birdwatchers. The landscape is a nature reserve that protects a local endemic species of fish, the Fibreno trout. The lake has no tributaries and it is fed by karstic springs, whose constant flow are responsible for the turquoise water’s remarkable transparent hue. The fishermen on Posta Fibreno still use a traditional boat known locally as a “nàue,” and these may be spotted when walking along the nature reserve’s boardwalks. 

 

1 October 2022 - MYSTERIOUS KAINDY LAKE - KAZAKHSTAN

 

MYSTERIOUS

 KAINDY LAKE 

- KAZAKHSTAN -

G'day folks,

Here, submerged trees jut ghost-like out of an idyllic turquoise mountain lake. 

Kaindy Lake is an idyllic mountain lake in Kazakhstan’s portion of the Tian Shan Mountains, close to the country’s largest city, Almaty. The lake was formed after an earthquake in 1911, which caused a major landslide, effectively creating a natural dam. Successively, rainwater filled the valley and created the lake.

 

The lake is famous for the number of dead and bleached spruce trees that stick out of the water – remnants of the trees that were flooded when the lake was formed. The trees, together with the improbable turquoise water of the lake, make an incredibly scenic sight. Underwater, the imagery is even more stunning, as the trees have not decomposed and create the surreal vision of an underwater forest.

 

Surprisingly, the lake sees few visitors, partly because Kaindy Lake is overshadowed by the more famous Bolshoe Almatinskoe Lake and the Kolsay Lakes, all of which are close by, but far easier to reach from Almaty. Thus, despite its proximity to a city with a population of more than one million, the lake retains a peaceful atmosphere.

20 September 2022 - SALTY LAKE ABBE - DJIBOUTI

 

SALTY LAKE ABBE 

- DJIBOUTI -

G'day folks,

Welcome to a salt lake dotted with steaming limestone chimneys. 

Situated in the middle of the hot and hellish Afar Depression, Lake Abbe stretches six miles in width and is covered in clusters of massive, steam-blasting limestone chimneys.

Although Lake Abbe is the ultimate destination for Ethiopia’s Awash River, its dry landscape absorbs the water, and the area is a vast landscape of salt flats. Besides Mount Dama Ali, a small dormant volcano, the landscape is almost completely level, and the steaming, sulphuric vents lend the region an apocalyptic, and Tatooine-like look. 

 

Some of the vents stretch as high as 150 feet into the air, and make the lake visible from miles around. Despite the hellish climate near Lake Abbe, nomadic Afar shepherds live in the area, along with a surprising population of flamingos.

27 June 2022 - LAKE NATRON - TANZANIA

 

LAKE NATRON 

- TANZANIA -

 

G'day folks,

A salty red wasteland in Tanzania is a breeding spot for endangered flamingos. 

Don’t let the ring of salty marshes along the edge of Lake Natron fool you. This body of water is one of the most inhospitable areas on Earth.

Colored a deep red from salt-loving organisms and algae, the lake reaches hellish temperatures and is nearly as basic as ammonia. Although most human settlements throughout history have formed around lakes and rivers, the barren landscape around Lake Natron tells a clear story of a place no one ever wanted to live.

 

Africa’s Great Rift Valley is known for some of its environmentally extreme regions such as the Erta Ale and Dallol. The saline environment of Lake Natron certainly qualifies. Water is supposed to give life, yet this salty world seems content to make life almost impossible… almost.

Although most species cannot handle the 120-degree lake water, cyanobacteria have made Natron their home and turned the lake its trademark reds and oranges. This algae growth has also fostered the developments of Lesser Flamingo nests. Amazingly, 2.5 million flamingos make Lake Natron their home and it is considered one of their only breeding grounds, making preservation of the lake an environmental concern.

In fact, bringing in fresh water would greatly upset the ecological balance of the lake and many in Tanzania have actively fought against bringing in water from the Ewaso Ng’iro River. If the salinity of the lake decreases, the cyanobacteria will also decrease and cause a loss of habitat for the endangered flamingos. Besides losing a bird habitat, the world would also lose a beautiful and salty natural wonder if too much water is diverted south to Natron.

 

2 February 2022 - BEAUTIFUL LAKE SIRINO - ITALY

 

BEAUTIFUL LAKE SIRINO 

- ITALY  - 

 

G'day folks,

 This small but lovely sinkhole lake is the last remnant of a great prehistoric water basin. 

The idyllic-looking Lake Sirino is situated in a karst sinkhole at the foot of Mount Sirino, and it was once part of the Pleistocene-era lake that occupied the entire length of the valley where the River Noce now flows.

The bed and shores of the prehistoric lake are made of Triassic limestone and Jurassic siliceous schists. The lake is fed by perennial springs, though in recent years, the water level has started lowering because of hydrological instabilities, like the opening of chasms that the water flows through and away from the lake.

The lake is surrounded by a street that has a small bridge crossing over a small meander of the water. A few commercial activities have sprung up around this natural attraction in the past few years. For instance, every summer a theatrical representation of some local legends and historical facts takes place on the lake.

 One of these legends provides an alternative history of the lake’s origin. According to this myth, before the lake there was a farmyard, but on a day devoted to the holy Madonna of Sirino, some farmers decided to work instead of dedicating the day to their families and praying. The sky became darker and darker until a strong storm broke out. The rain flooded the farmyard and killed the farmers and the animals. Even today, some say that when the wind is blowing between the mountains, the desperate howls of the oxen and the cries of the farmers can be heard.

 

Clancy's comment: What a magnificent place. 

I'm ...

 

10 February 2020 - LOTUS LAKE - Tambon Chiang Haeo, Thailand

LOTUS LAKE 
- Tambon Chiang Haeo, Thailand -

G'day folks,

Here, stunning wetlands ablaze with pink lotus flowers. 

A true surprise in Thailand’s Northeast - often considered to be solely a rice-farming region - these wetlands remain predominantly hidden by tall elephant grasses that belie the expanses of water lying beyond them, and are known for the most part only by the local villagers who venture out to fish and to collect snails and lotus stalks for use in the preparation of their daily meals.

Best visited in the cool season from December through February, these shallow, limpid waters may only be visited on a wooden boat belonging to the local fishermen and villagers. Having cleared the elephant grasses, a thick carpet of pink lotus blooms suddenly confronts you. A constellation of millions of startling, flamingo-pink lotus flowers dance above the crystalline waters of the Lotus Sea.

This is quite literally the land of the lotus eaters! The seeds and stems may both be eaten, and the flowers are an important Buddhist symbol. If the lotus plant does not seduce you from a culinary standpoint, then do try the fiery local cuisine with its spicy salads, lime-bathed fish, and fresh meat dishes: the food of the Northeast has now become a favorite among the Thais and may be found throughout the kingdom.

The wetlands are home to around 80 species of bird, including the endangered grey heron, purple heron, and black kite. Other rare species include the Brahminy kite and the cotton pygmy-goose.

Clancy's comment: This is on my photographic bucket list.

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9 October 2019 - AMAZING GAPING HOLE IN A REMOTE MOUNTAIN LAKE IN PORTUGAL

AMAZING GAPING HOLE IN 

A REMOTE MOUNTAIN LAKE

 IN PORTUGAL

G'day folks,

I've always tried to present interesting things, but this is one you might not expect. This gaping hole in the middle of a remote mountain lake looks like a portal to another dimension. 

 Despite its appearance, the surreal-looking opening in Portugal’s Lagoa da Serra da Estrela is actually not a portal to any other time or place, but rather a man made funnel leading into a long tunnel. Though it looks like a natural sinkhole lined with cascading waterfalls, Covão dos Conchos is, in fact, a wonder of engineering.

This lake in the Serra da Estrela mountains was artificially created in 1955 during the construction of the nearby hydroelectric dam. Instead of building a pipeline to channel water between Lagoa Serra da Estrela and Lagoa Comprida, the engineers working on the project decided to drill a tunnel through the mountain to connect the two lakes.

The spillway is designed to provide nearby communities with fresh water, but the fact that no other constructions are present nearby makes the funnel seem more like a part of the lake than a part of an infrastructure project. What’s more, there are plants growing around the edges of the concrete and granite drain pipe, making the giant hole look even more natural. This sci-fi-looking spillway was a little-known secret in Portugal until photos of the hole went viral in 2016.

Clancy's comment: Amazing, eh? Extraordinary engineering.

 

I'm ...