Yangshan Quarry Stele: China’s Giant Unfinished Monument

Hidden in the hills of Nanjing, China, are three enormous pieces of limestone that were meant to become one of the largest stone monuments ever attempted. They are known collectively as the Yangshan Quarry Stele, a colossal project ordered in 1405 by the Yongle Emperor of the Ming dynasty. The plan was to create a monumental stele in honour of his father, the Hongwu Emperor, at the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum.

The enormous unfinished base of the Yangshan Quarry Stele.

Derinkuyu Underground City: Ancient City Beneath Cappadocia

Deep beneath the town of Derinkuyu in central Türkiye lies one of the most remarkable underground settlements ever carved into rock. The Derinkuyu Underground City is not simply a collection of caves. It is a carefully planned subterranean complex containing rooms, storage areas, stables, places of worship, a school, wells, ventilation shafts, and narrow passageways. 

A view inside the multi-level underground city of Derinkuyu in Cappadocia, Turkey.

Waitomo Glowworm Caves, New Zealand

Deep beneath the green hills of Waikato lies a place that seems almost unreal. The Waitomo Glowworm Caves are famous for a dark underground chamber where thousands of tiny blue-green lights shine above visitors like stars in a night sky. The experience is especially memorable because visitors view the glowworms from a quiet boat moving along an underground stream.

A spectacular glowworm cave in New Zealand creates a starry-sky effect, with hundreds of tiny lights glowing against the darkness.

Death Valley Sailing Stones

On the flat floor of Racetrack Playa in Death Valley National Park, rocks appear to have travelled across the desert by themselves. Some leave long, winding trails behind them, while nearby stones remain exactly where they were. For decades, nobody could watch the rocks move, which made the place one of the strangest natural mysteries in the American West.

A sailing stone leaves a long trail across Racetrack Playa in Death Valley.

Blood Falls Antarctica: The Strange Red Waterfall

Deep in Antarctica’s McMurdo Dry Valleys, a strange red stain cuts through a wall of ice. It looks almost like blood spilling from Taylor Glacier, which is why the site became known as Blood Falls. But there is nothing supernatural about it. The strange colour comes from salty water, rich in iron, that has been held captive beneath the glacier for an unusually long time. One of the strangest sights in nature on Earth is when this ancient brine reaches the surface, reacts with oxygen, and turns a rusty red.

Blood Falls seeps from the end of Taylor Glacier into Lake Bonney in Antarctica.

© Photo: Peter Rejcek / National Science Foundation — Public Domain

Lucifer of Liège: The Devil in the Cathedral

Inside St Paul’s Cathedral in Liège, Belgium, a remarkable marble figure sits beneath the arches of the church. With bat-like wings, chains around his body, and a troubled expression, the sculpture looks unlike the usual images of the devil. He is young, handsome, and almost sorrowful. This unusual figure is Le Génie du Mal, or The Genius of Evil, created by Belgian sculptor Guillaume Geefs in 1848. It is often known as the Lucifer of Liège. The sculpture has an unusual story involving two brothers, a controversial earlier statue, and a religious message about the triumph of virtue over evil. Its beauty is perhaps the most surprising part of all.

Guillaume Geefs’ Le Génie du Mal, the famous Lucifer sculpture inside St Paul’s Cathedral in Liège.

The Green Lagoon of Charco de los Clicos, Lanzarote

Charco de los Clicos (also known as Charco Verde or Green Lagoon) is one of the most unusual natural attractions in Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain. This stunning lagoon is located inside a volcanic crater adjacent to a black sand beach, close to the coastal village of El Golfo. Its bright green water is a striking contrast against the dark volcanic rocks, red cliffs and deep blue Atlantic Ocean.

The emerald-green waters of Charco de los Clicos contrast with Lanzarote's black volcanic coastline.

Vale da Lua, Brazil: The Incredible Moon Valley of Goiás

In the heart of the Brazilian cerrado, there is a landscape that looks like it is from another planet. Vale da Lua, or Moon Valley, is an impressive rock formation in the state of Goiás, close to Alto Paraíso de Goiás. It is one of the most unusual places to visit in Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park, with strange sculpted rocks, narrow channels, natural pools and smooth curves.

The name comes from the rocks' appearance. Over thousands of years, water has worn down the old stone into rounded shapes and winding grooves. Standing among them, it is easy to understand why visitors compare the landscape to the surface of the Moon.

Vale da Lua is renowned for its unusual rock formations in Goiás, Brazil.

Lake As Pontes: The Artificial Lake of Spain

Nestled in the lush, green landscapes of northwestern Spain, Lake As Pontes (Lago de As Pontes in Spanish, Lago das Pontes in Galician) is one of Europe’s most notable examples of ecological restoration. Once a large open-pit lignite coal mine located in the municipality of As Pontes de García Rodríguez, Galicia, it has been transformed into Spain’s largest artificial lake—a magnificent 865-hectare body of freshwater that represents a transition from industrial activity to environmental renewal.

Lake As Pontes is a remarkable artificial lake in Galicia, Spain, created on the site of a former open-pit mine.

Texas Horned Lizard

Survival traits and conservation of the Texas Horned Lizard? The "horny toad" is a well-known term for the Texas horned lizard, which is one of North America's most iconic reptiles. A flat-bodied animal that thrives in the arid prairies, brushlands and semi-desert areas of the U.S. southwestward into Mexico depends on its extreme adaptations to survive harsh climates and intense predation patterns.

The Texas horned lizard utilizes sharp cranial horns and earthy camouflaged scales to stay hidden from desert predators.