Sink Hole
Sinkholes are one of the world’s scariest natural phenomena.
Over time, water erodes the soil under the planet’s surface until in some cases, quite suddenly, the land above gives way and collapses into the earth.
Many sinkholes occur naturally while others are the result of human intervention.
Displacing groundwater can open cavities while broken pipes can erode otherwise stable subterranean sediments.
Urban sinkholes, up to hundreds of feet deep have formed and consumed parts of city blocks, sidewalks and even entire buildings.
Penitentes
Named after peak-hooded New Mexican monks (lower right above), penitentes are dazzling naturally-forming ice blades that stick up at sharp angles toward the sun.
Rarely found except at high altitudes, they can grow up taller than a human and form in vast fields.
As ice melts in particular patterns, ‘valleys’ formed by initial melts leave ‘mountains’ in their wake.
Strangely, these formations ultimately slow the melting process as the peaks cast shadows on the deeper surfaces below and allow for winds to blow over the peaks, cooling them.
Sinkholes are one of the world’s scariest natural phenomena.
Over time, water erodes the soil under the planet’s surface until in some cases, quite suddenly, the land above gives way and collapses into the earth.
Many sinkholes occur naturally while others are the result of human intervention.
Displacing groundwater can open cavities while broken pipes can erode otherwise stable subterranean sediments.
Urban sinkholes, up to hundreds of feet deep have formed and consumed parts of city blocks, sidewalks and even entire buildings.
Penitentes
Named after peak-hooded New Mexican monks (lower right above), penitentes are dazzling naturally-forming ice blades that stick up at sharp angles toward the sun.
Rarely found except at high altitudes, they can grow up taller than a human and form in vast fields.
As ice melts in particular patterns, ‘valleys’ formed by initial melts leave ‘mountains’ in their wake.
Strangely, these formations ultimately slow the melting process as the peaks cast shadows on the deeper surfaces below and allow for winds to blow over the peaks, cooling them.
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