Crystals and mirrors are full of charm and have always attracted people to them. Even in children's fairy tales, we read about beautiful crystal palaces, slippers, magic mirrors and the like.
But what if you want to get into a real glass or crystal place? Yes, it is possible, and we will show and prove it in the top 10 most crystal-mirror places on Earth.
10. Mirror Lake, Russia
This glacial lake, located in the Vyborg district of the Leningrad region, offers a beautiful, almost perfect reflection of the surrounding plants, animals and even clouds. It reaches a depth of 49 meters and is very rich in fish (pike, pike perch, perch, ruff, etc.).
On the shore of the lake there is a recreation center, DOL "Mirror".
There is an urban legend that on one of the two islands located on the lake, a man settled down and made himself an underground dwelling. And the entrance to it is disguised as a large boulder of the Ice Age.
9. Glossy Hills (or Glass Mountains), USA
The slopes of the Glossy Hills in northwestern Oklahoma are abundantly dotted with selenite crystals. It was as if an unknown force had scattered fragments of a huge glass around the area. And now they shine, reflecting the sunlight.
Similar Glass Mountains are found in several other states in the United States, such as California, Oregon, Utah, etc.
8. Lake of Five Colors, China
The lake, located in Sichuan province, is one of the best local attractions. Its water is rich in calcium carbonate as well as hydrophytes, which together give a multi-colored effect.
And the ancient tree trunks at the bottom the purest lake at a depth of five meters, they form patterns in bright green tones, which are visible on the surface of the water through intense shades of azure blue, blackish green, light yellow, etc.
7. Crystal Cave, Mexico
There are several caves in the world with the word "crystalline" in the name. However, the Crystal Cave or the giant crystal cave, located under the Mexican city of Nike, stands alone among them. And it is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful crystalline places in the world.
It is filled with giant glassy selenite crystals, and much of the cave has not yet been explored, as even trained people find it difficult to withstand the heat inside the cave for more than ten minutes.
There is a magma cavity under the cave. Thanks to magma, underground waters were heated and they were saturated with a large amount of gypsum and other minerals. For hundreds of thousands, or even millions of years, the cave was filled with a hot solution of minerals. At the same time, the temperature in it remained stable (from 54 to 58 degrees), and the crystals could grow unhindered.
But in the air, crystals are destroyed, so the researchers of the Nike Cave are seeking to document this geological object now.
6. Lake Huron, North America
One of the five Great Lakes of North America lies on the border between Canada and the United States.When the continental glaciers retreated (and this happened closer to the end of the last ice age, about 11.7 thousand years ago), the melting of ice, presumably, led to the formation of this lake.
Thousands of ships have sunk in Huron, as well as in four other Great Lakes since the 17th century, when North America was actively colonized. In the shallow waters of the lake, you can still see the wreckage of ships frozen forever beneath the surface of clear, transparent water.
5. Kungurskaya cave, Russia
Ice caves can be found in colder regions of the world such as Iceland and Alaska. They are covered with perennial ice, which takes various bizarre forms and forms natural sculptures.
However, only 10 of the most impressive caves in the world were worthy to be included in the Forbes list in 2011. And one of them was the Kungur cave, in which all the cold beauty of nature was embodied. The most impressive section of the cave is the Diamond Hall, where lighting helps to reflect and refract the light of the "crystal coat", filling the room with mysterious azure shades.
At the moment, Kungurskaya Cave is the only gypsum cave in the world with extensive glaciation and the seventh gypsum cave in length.
4. Hot springs in Yellowstone National Park, USA
It will be very sad if Yellowstone - the most dangerous volcano in the world wakes up. In addition to making a "long night" for humanity, it will destroy the fragile beauty - more than 10,000 hot springs and geysers found in Yellowstone National Park.
Some of them have strikingly vibrant colors that seem almost unnatural and even psychedelic. This is due to the presence of algae in the purest and transparent water. The most famous sources are Norris Cistern Spring, Grand Prismatic Spring and Glory Pool.
3. Glass Beach, USA
If you would like to take a look at one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, go to California. There, next to the Fort Bragg garrison, is a beach covered in a kaleidoscopic profusion of sea glass. These multi-colored glass pieces were formed as a result of local activities. Who among them, dumping garbage such as glass, household appliances and even vehicles into the coastal zone, would have thought that nature would take all this and rework it in its own way?
2. Pamukkale, Turkey
Seventeen unique thermal pools of Pamukkale are included in top 20 most unusual places on Earth... In daylight, you might think they look like shiny marble slabs or even ice. The temperature in these springs ranges from 35 ° C to 100 ° C.
The waters of Pamukkale have healing properties, and many people come here with heart and musculoskeletal diseases. And according to one of the local legends, Cleopatra herself bathed in the sources of Pamukkale. You may even be shown Cleopatra's pool, and you can decide for yourself whether to believe the legend or not.
1. Salar de Uyuni, South America
It is the world's largest salt marsh, formed in the southwest of Bolivia from a rich supply of salt left over after the drying up of a prehistoric salt lake called Minchin.
In dry weather, the Salar de Uyuni area is an endless white space. But in the rainy season, the plain turns into a giant mirror. With no place to drain, rainwater covers the plain, and dazzling water a few centimeters thick reflects the sky, clouds, flocks of flying flamingos and any other creature or phenomenon in the sky.
Salar de Uyuli forms the largest natural mirror in the world and can even be seen from space.