Driftwood Beach

Driftwood Beach
PRISMA BY DUKAS/GETTY IMAGES

We’ve all seen driftwood wash up onto a beach, but the scene on Georgia’s Jekyll Island is something else entirely. Despite its name, this beach isn’t actually a repository for dead trees that have drifted over from other locales. Instead, the island itself once supported these trees while they were very much alive and over time, it eroded around them. What’s left are the ghostly remains of once-thriving stands of oak and pine trees.

Advertisement

Zhangye Danxia Landform

Zhangye Danxia Landform
XINHUA NEWS AGENCY/GETTY IMAGES

These colourful, rigid geological formations of the Zhangye Danxia Landform in China’s Gansu Province are sometimes referred to as the ‘Rainbow Mountains’. Although they look almost impossible – referenced as appearing to be made from melted crayons, or emerging from the vivid brain of Dr Seuss – basic science has an explanation – they’re made of different layers of sandstone, containing differently-coloured mineral deposits, which have shifted and eroded over time to reveal their stunning stripes.

Sign up here to get Reader’s Digest’s favourite stories straight to your inbox – for free!

Source: RD.com

Never miss a deal again - sign up now!

Connect with us: