11 Fingal’s Cave, Scotland

Located in the uninhabited island of Staffa, Inner Hebrides, Scotland, the sea cave of Fingal is known for its natural acoustics aided by its arched roof.

Fingal’s Cave is made entirely of hexagonal basalt columns like those at the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. These basalt columns are formed because of the cooling and pressure that happens when lava meets seawater.

It was rediscovered in 1772 and has attracted loads of tourists since then. The name “Fingal” means “white stranger” and is the name of the hero in James Macpherson’s epic poem in his book, The Fingal of Ossian.

The cave is known as “Fingal’s Cave” only after the poem became famous in the 18th century. Currently, the National Trust of Scotland owns the cave. (1, 2)

12 Uluru, Australia

Uluru is one monolith and huge sandstone rock formation located 334 kilometers away from the nearest town, Alice Springs. The town is situated in the southern part of the Northern Territory in Australia.

One of the unique features of the rock is that its color changes with respect to the Sun’s position. It looks absolutely brilliant at the sunset – a fiery reddish-orange. It is composed of arkosic sandstone which has a good proportion of feldspar.

It has been a prominent landmark and has been a popular place for tourists to visit since the 1930s. It is an important indigenous site in Australia and was also included as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

The massive rock stands between the surrounding desert and is 2,831 feet above sea level. It was first sighted in 1872 by explorer Ernest Giles and now is a significant part of a variety of Aboriginals’ culture of the region. (1, 2)

13 Kummakivi, Finland

Kummakivi is a huge balancing rock that is said to be brought and placed by a giant, according to the legends.

The huge seven-meter-long boulder sits on a convex bedrock surface with a small footprint. It is so firmly placed that it is impossible for anyone to rock it. It is situated in the middle of the forest in Ruokolahti, Puumala, Finland.

Scientists explain that glaciers are the answer to how these giant rocks are balanced. They believe that the glaciers are capable of moving and carrying the giant rocks, and then they leave them at the place they are now found.

The word “Kummakivi” means “strange stone,” and it was discovered in 1962 and is now protected. (1, 2)

14 Mono Lake, U.S.A.

Mono Lake is a terminal lake and an endorheic basin situated in Mono County, California. The lake was formed around 760,000 years ago. The lake is a saline soda lake, and the water in the lake is completely alkaline.

The lake has zero outlets that cause the high levels of salts to accumulate in the lake turning the water alkaline. The lake was formed because of a number of geological forces that occurred over five million years.

The lake is the habitat for two million birds that migrate annually to feed on the brine shrimp and alkali flies making the desert lake’s ecosystem surprisingly productive.

In history, the natives that lived near the edges of the lake were known as “Kutzakdika,” and it is said that they used to feed on the alkali flies’ pupae. (source)

15 Devils Tower, U.S.A.

Devils Tower, also known as “Grizzly Bear Lodge.” is a natural rock tower, a remnant of a volcanic intrusion exposed by erosion.

It is located near Belle Fourche River, northeastern Wyoming, and is popular because it is the first U.S. national monument established in 1906.

The tower is made up of igneous rock and has a flat top of 1.5 acres and fluted sides. It rises 867 meters from its base and the summit is 5,112 feet above sea level.

The structure was probably formed when molten rock encountered a hard rock layer resulting in the flat-topped structure. The color of the tower looks light gray and buff.

It is a popular site for rock climbers and is sacred for Plains Indians. Only one percent of the visitors actually climb the Devil’s Tower using traditional climbing techniques. (1, 2)