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[Kathie Shayne]

1. Aurora Borealis (North Pole)



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Auroras sometimes called the northern and southern (polar) lights or aurorae are natural beautiful light displays in the sky, usually observed at night, particularly in the polar regions. They typically occur in the ionosphere. The Cree people call this phenomenon the Dance of the Spirits. Its southern counterpart, the aurora australis or the southern polar lights, has similar properties, but is only visible from high southern latitudes in Antarctica, South America, or Australasia.

[Kathie Shayne]

2. Spain Rio Tinto



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The vast mines of Rio Tinto give a hypnagogic, almost martian landscape. Its growth has consumed not only mountains and valleys but even entire villages. This river has gained recent scientific interest due to the presence of extremophile aerobic bacteria that dwell in the water.The extreme conditions in the river are analogous to other locations in the solar system thought to contain liquid water, such as subterranean Mars. Río Tinto is notable for being very acidic (pH 2) and its deep reddish hue. It is metal soluble and surely not human-friendly!

[Kathie Shayne]

3. McMurdo Dry Valleys (Antarctica)



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The McMurdo Dry Valleys are a row of valleys in Antarctica located within Victoria Land west of McMurdo Sound. The terrain looks like something not of this Earth; The region includes many interesting geological features including Lake Vida and the Onyx River, Antarctica™s longest river. The valley™s floor occasionally contains a perennially frozen lake with ice several meters thick. It is also one of the world™s most extreme deserts Under the ice, in the extremely salty water, live mysterious simple organisms, a subject of on-going research. Scientists consider the Dry Valleys perhaps an important source of insights into possible extraterrestrial life.

[Kathie Shayne]

4. The Richat Structure, near Ouadane, Mauritania



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The Richat Structure is a prominent circular feature in the Sahara desert of Mauritania near Ouadane. It has attracted attention since the earliest space missions because it forms a conspicuous bull™s-eye in the otherwise rather featureless expanse of the desert. The structure, which has a diameter of almost 50 kilometres (30 miles), has become a landmark for space shuttle crews.

[Kathie Shayne]

5. Rotorua, New Zealand



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Rotorua is a city on the southern shores of the lake of the same name, in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. Rotorua city is renowned for its unique rotten eggs aroma, which is caused by the geothermal activity releasing sulphur compounds into the atmosphere. Geothermal activity is at the heart of much of Rotorua™s tourist appeal. Geysers and bubbling mud-pools, hot thermal springs and the Buried Village (Te Wairoa) “ are within easy reach of the city.This thermal activity owes itself to the Rotorua caldera on which the city lies. Waters of ivid colors, from yellow to orange to green which is partially possible to visit it.

[Kathie Shayne]

6. Fly Geyser, Reno



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Fly Ranch features two geysers, one of which is dormant. The other, Fly Geyser, was accidentally formed by a water well drill that hit a geothermal source, and continuously sprays hot water. Fly Ranch is private property and does not allow visitors.

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