New Zealand The Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers are a pair of magnificent glaciers located in close proximity to one another. They are among the most visited glaciers in the world, thanks to their easy accessibility in a relatively warm climate (in face, the Fox Glacier ends next to a rainforest). They are both located in Westland Tai Poutini National Park, which is part of the … [Read more...]
Archives for July 2016
FEDCHENKO GLACIER
Tajikistan The Fedchenko Glacier is the world’s longest and largest glacier outside of the Polar regions. Nearly fifty miles in length and covering an area of more than seven hundred square miles, it is well over half a mile thick in places. It winds down off of Mount Garmo towards the border with Kyrgyzstan. The Pamir Mountains are located in an extremely remote corner of … [Read more...]
VATNAJOKULL GLACIER
Iceland The Vatnajokull Glacier is the largest formation of ice (by volume) in Europe. With over three thousand square miles in surface are and over a half a mile thick in places, it covers about one-tenth the surface of Iceland, effectively giving the island its name. Vatnajokull actually feeds over two dozen smaller glaciers. Much of the glacier falls inside Vatnajokull … [Read more...]
PERITO MORENO GLACIER
Argentina The Perito Moreno Glacier is the best known of the glaciers extending off of the Southern Patagonia Ice Field, and one of the most important and popular in South America from a tourism standpoint. Currently stretching just under twenty miles in length, it sprawls over a huge area in the Los Glaciares National Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The area of … [Read more...]
MARIANA TRENCH
Pacific Ocean The Mariana Trench is the deepest point on the surface of the Earth. More than two miles down in the Pacific Ocean (possibly more than six miles in places), the bottome of the Mariana Trench was the last major geological feature of the planet to be reached by humans. The trench supports living creatures at great depths in one of the harshest environments in the … [Read more...]
GREAT BARRIER REEF
Australia The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef. Approximately 1,400 miles in length and 133,000 square miles in area, it encompasses nearly a thousand islands and nearly three thousand component reefs. It is one of the most important undersea ecological zones in the world, as well as one of the planet’s most popular destinations for divers. The Great … [Read more...]
PALAU REEFS
Palau The Palau Reefs, located far out in the Pacific Ocean, are famous for a particular reason: it is one of the best preserved coral reefs in the world, and has proven to be more resistant to modern day pollutants and global warming than other major reef systems. Located around the island system of Palau, it is also one of the world’s most popular dive spots. The coral … [Read more...]
NORTHERN RED SEA
Egypt The Red Sea, the ancient waterway that separates Egypt and East Africa from the Arabian Peninsula is the most biodiverse marine area in the Middle East. Effectively isolated from the rest of the world’s oceans except by narrow straits (and the Suez Canal for only about a century and a half), the Red Sea has one of the most unique ecosystems on Earth. This is especially … [Read more...]
DEEP SEA VENTS
Ecuador The Deep Sea Vents off of the coast of Ecuador are one of the great spectacles of nature. Those who dive here can witness one of the world’s best underwater geysers, where geological forces similar to those found at land geysers churn heat and minerals into the ocean from deep below. While there are many such vents in oceans around the world, the Ecuador Deep Sea … [Read more...]
DEAN’S BLUE HOLE
Bahamas Dean’s Blue Hole is the world’s deepest salt water blue hole. The entrance of the hole is below the sea surface, and it descends to a depth of 663 feet, at the bottom of which is a huge underwater cavern. Thanks to its proximity to Clarence Town in the Bahamas (it can be reached by swimming, no boat required), it is a very popular dive spot. The waters of the … [Read more...]
