The Victoria Falls, Smoke that Thunders

The Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya (Tokaleya Tonga: the Smoke that Thunders; note that the 'i' is silent) is a waterfall located in southern Africa on the Zambezi River between the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe.

David Livingstone, the Scottish missionary and explorer, is believed to have been the first European to view the Victoria Falls — which he did from what is now known as 'Livingstone Island' in Zambia, the only land accessible in the middle of the falls. David Livingstone gave the falls the name 'Victoria Falls' in honor of his Queen, but the indigenous name of 'Mosi-oa-Tunya' — literally meaning the 'Smoke that Thunders' — is also well known. The World Heritage List recognizes both names.

While it is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world, it is claimed to be the largest. This claim is based on a width of 1,708 metres (5,604 ft) and height of 108 metres (354 ft), forming the largest sheet of falling water in the world.

Great Barrier Reef, One Of The Seven Natural Wonders Of The World

Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef in the world, also, it is the largest organic construction on Earth. It stretches for 1,250 mi (2,000 km) in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia. The Great Barrier Reef is actually a series of individual reefs separated from the mainland by a shallow lagoon. The reef is extremely beautiful and attracts thousand of tourists a year, which threatens to harm the delicate eco-system of the reef and its unusual marine life.

The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outer space and is the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms. This reef structure is composed of and built by billions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps. It supports a wide diversity of life and was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981. CNN labeled it one of the seven natural wonders of the world. The Queensland National Trust named it a state icon of Queensland.

World's Biggest Holes

1.The Diavik Mine

The Diavik Mine is a mine in the Northwest Territory of Canada. This mine was opened in 2003 and it produces 8 million carats or about 1,600 kg (3500 lb) of diamonds every year. It has become an important part of the regional economy, employing 700 people. Diavik Diamond Mine goes to 240 meters below the surface.

2.The Bingham Canyon Mine

The Bingham Canyon Mine is an open-pit mining operation extracting a large porphyry copper deposit southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, in the Oquirrh Mountains. It is owned by Rio Tinto Group, an international mining and exploration company headquartered in the United Kingdom. The Bingham Canyon pit is now 2.5 miles wide and very deep.The mine has been in production since 1906, and has resulted in the creation of a pit over 1.2 km (0.75 miles) deep, 4 km (2.5 miles) wide, and covering 7.7 km² (1,900 acres).

3.Chuquicamata, Copper Mine, Chile

Chuquicamata is also one of the biggest open pit copper mine in the world, located in the north of Chile, 215 km northeast of Antofagasta and 1,240 km north of the capital, Santiago. Its depth of 850 meters (2,790 ft) makes it one of the deepest open-pit mine in the world. It’s an industry that has begun since 1882, although it started operating properly in 1911 when US capitals finished its construction. Today, the production reaches the 630 tons of fine copper every year.

4.Darvaza Gas Crater – The Door to Hell

Derweze is a Turkmenistan  village of about 350 inhabitants, located in the middle of the Karakum desert, about 260 km north from Ashgabat. The Derweze area is rich in natural gas. In 1971 a Soviet drilling rig accidentally punched into a massive underground natural gas cavern, causing the ground to collapse and the entire drilling rig to fall in. Darvaza Gas Crater or the “Door to Hell” named by a localist is a 328 feet wide hole. This hole has been on fire, continuously, for the last 38 years.

5.The Great Blue Hole

The Great Blue Hole is a large underwater sinkhole off the coast of Belize. It is a remarkable creation of nature. The Great Blue Hole is one of the world’s most recognizable natural wonder. It is believed the hole is the world’s largest sea-hole. It is about 125 meters deep and its diameter is about 300 meters wide. It has been created as a cause of sea level increase about 65,000 years ago. It was formed during several episodes of Quaternary glaciation when sea levels were much lower. The analysis of stalactites found in Great Blue Hole shows that formation has taken place 153,000, 66,000, 60,000, and 15,000 years ago. As the ocean began to rise again, the caves were flooded.

6.Guatemala City Sinkhole

In 2007 Guatemala got one of the biggest holes in the world. At first they believed that the  hole has been the consequence of rain during the tropical storm Agatha. Later they discovered that this hole was caused by humans. According to Sam Bonis, a geologist at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, who is currently living in Guatemala City, a burst sewer pipe or storm drain probably hollowed out the underground cavity. The Guatemala City sinkhole, estimated to be 18 meters (60 feet) wide and 100 meters (300 feet) deep, appears to have been triggered by the deluge from tropical storm Agatha. But the cavity was formed in the first place because the city and its underground infrastructure were built in a region where the first few hundred meters of ground are mostly made up of a material called pumice fill, deposited during past volcanic eruptions. This disaster killed two people and caused thousands of people harmed. Click HERE and find more about this event.

7.Kimberley Diamond Mine, South Africa

Kimberley is a city in South Africa and the capital of the Northern Cape. It is located near the confluence of the Vaal and Orange Rivers. Kimberley is famous because of the Big Hole, which is also considered the worlds deepest man made hole. Originally the hole was 240 meters deep, but after it has been abandoned it was used to throw debris in. The underground Kimberly Mine was mined to a depth of 1097 meters. The mine is closed 1914. Approximately since 1871 until 1914, 22,5 million tons of earth were moved. Today, the Big Hole is about 215 meters deep, but 40 meters of ground water leave only 175 meters visible.

8.The Mirny Diamond Mine, Russia

Mir Mine which is also called Mirny Mine is an open pit diamond mine located in Mirny, Eastern Siberia, Russia. The mine is 525 meters (1,722 ft) deep and has a diameter of 1,200 m (3,900 ft), and is the second largest excavated hole in the world, after Bingham Canyon Mine. The mine was discovered on June 13, 1955 by Soviet geologists Yuri Khabardin and now, after more than 50 years since the discovery, this mine has been abandoned.

9.The Monticello Dam, Napa County, California, US

Located at the Monticello Dam at Lake Berryessa in Northern California, this gigantic drain acts as the lake’s spillway. This place also known as ”Glory Hole” reaches capacity, the spillway swallows water at a rate of 48,800 cubic feet per second, emptying about 700 feet away through an enormous concrete pipe. Monticello Dam Powerplant was built in 1983.  It is at the base of the Monticello Dam, and has 3 generators. It was built under a FERC license and is owned, operated and maintained by Solano Irrigation District.

10. Udachnaya pipe

Udachnaya pipe is a diamond deposit in the Daldyn-Alakit kimberlite field in Sakha Republic, Russia.It is an open-pit mine, and is located just outside the Arctic circle. Udachnaya was discovered on June 15, 1955, just two days after the discovery of the diamond pipe Mirny by Soviet geologist Vladimir Shchukin and his team. Udachnaya pipe is more than 600 meters (1,970 ft) deep, which makes it the 3rd deepest open-pit mine in the world. Since 2010,Udachnaya pipe has been controlled by Russian diamond company Alrosa.

Etosha Pan, Salt Desert

The Etosha pan is a large endorheic salt pan, forming part of the Kalahari Basin in the north of Namibia. The 120-kilometre-long (75-mile-long) dry lakebed and its surroundings are protected as Etosha National Park, one of Namibia's largest wildlife parks. The pan is mostly dry but after a heavy rain it will acquire a thin layer of water, which is heavily salted by the mineral deposits on the surface of the pan, which most of the year is dry mud coated with salt.

Such a beautiful nature. Some of these photos could become really cool wallpaper.

Cave of the Crystals or Giant Crystal Cave

Cave of the Crystals or Giant Crystal Cave (Spanish: Cueva de los Cristales) is a cave connected to the Naica Mine 300 metres (980 ft) below the surface in Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico. The main chamber contains giant selenite crystals, some of the largest natural crystals ever found. The cave's largest crystal found to date is 11 m (36 ft) in length, 4 m (13 ft) in diameter and 55 tons in weight. The cave is extremely hot with air temperatures reaching up to 58 °C (136 °F) with 90 to 99 percent humidity. The cave is relatively unexplored due to these factors. Without proper protection people can only endure approximately ten minutes of exposure at a time.

A group of scientists known as the Naica Project have been heavily involved in researching these caverns.

This cave is just great for Superman's Fortress of Solitude. :)