PAMUKKALE - TURKEY

Pamukkale is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the pools have been closed to the tourists that once bathed in their waters to save them from further damage.

The strange and weirdly beautiful terraced pools of Pamukkale have been appreciated for over two millennia and yet still remain a little known wonder of the world. Thousands of years ago earthquakes, which are common in Turkey, created fractures that allowed powerful hot springs to bring water rich in calcium carbonate to the surface. As the water evaporated the chalky material condensed and formed layer-upon-layer of Travertine and thus slowly built up the walls over time in the same way that a stalactite forms in a cave. Apparently Pammakale means Castle of Cotton but the Greco-Romans built a town above it called Heirapolis – meaning “Holy City” or “Sacred City”. They too recognised it as a rare and important place attributing healing powers to the milky-white waters.

Found, Big Star 20 times from the Sun

United States Space Agency (NASA) and a group of scientists have succeeded in photographing a group of stars, one of whom is believed to be a young star size 20 times larger than the Sun.

NASA researchers, Stefan Kraus and astronomers from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, revealed that NASA's Space Telescope, Spitzer, managed to record images of a star called IRAS 13481-6124.

Images from the Spitzer telescope was also supported by observations from the station telescope in Chile. Star is located in the constellation Centaurus, which is 10,000 light-years. IRAS mass 20 times larger than the sun. "This is the first time such a thing could be monitored," said Kraus.

According to him, images from the Spitzer time resulted in a clearer image than has ever shown so help scientists better understand the birth of stars in the universe to another.

Through Spitzer imaging, the researchers also saw that the star is surrounded by a collection of gas and dust that resemble disks. This phenomenon also occurs in other stars.

"Futsal is very similar to what we had seen in young stars, which form smaller, but still large," said Kraus. (Vvn / Jos)

Giant Volcano Under the Sea North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Expedition along the Indonesia-United States in ocean waters in Sangihe, North Sulawesi, managed to map an underwater mountain. Research with multicahaya sonar research vessel owned by NOAA's Okeanos was discovered this mountain has a height of up to 10 thousand feet or more than 3000 meters.

The camera is controlled remotely by the vessel is taking a picture with high definition (high definition) in the region of West Kawio referring to the western waters Kawio Islands, Sangihe District.

The scientists chose West Kawio as the first target for this expedition based on the information and satellite data collected by a joint Indonesian-Australian team in 2004.

The elements of abundant submarine became the ideal initial target to customize devices and technology within the vessels used in this inaugural voyage. The scientists hope the map of this expedition and the resulting video will pave the way for other researchers to follow up preliminary findings that they have acquired.

"This is a huge volcano and higher than all the mountains in Indonesia, except three or four others, and rose more than ten thousand feet from the seabed in waters and is located at a depth of more than 18 thousand feet," says Jim Holden, U.S. Chief Scientist for the mission earlier this joint expedition, and an expert in microbiology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, who participated in the expedition of Exploration Command Center in Jakarta, Indonesia.

For comparison, Mount Semeru is the highest on the island of Java has a height of 3676 meters above sea level. However, this height is measured based on the level of the sea surface, not from the bottom of the valley from the mountains. While the seamount height found in the Sangihe is measured from the valley.

Jakarta-Seattle Connection

Many scientists who work from coastal areas by using the model of ocean exploration with a live video broadcast remote (telepresence). Holden and other scientists in Exploration Command Centers in Jakarta and Seattle with the Okeanos Explorer to connect directly via satellite and high-speed Internet lines, and can connect with the crew to guide the course of the expedition.

Indonesian and U.S. scientists believe that by investigating the ocean that had never previously unexplored so many new phenomena that will be obtained and the information obtained to increase our understanding of marine ecosystems and acidification and climate change impacts.

"Concerns relating to the ocean, including food safety and protection of marine ecosystems that support fisheries, impacts on many countries including Indonesia - a country that consists of 17 000 islands," said Sugiarta Wirasantosa, principal scientist for the expedition together with Indonesia and Indonesian researchers on the team leader Marine and Fisheries Research Agency. "To understand and manage things like that, we had to do exploration. That is the reason why the expedition was so important, "he said in a release received VIVAnews, July 12, 2010.

Basic Map the Sea Indonesia

So far, the Okeanos Explorer has mapped 2400 square miles of seabed in Indonesia, a vast territory with an area equivalent to Delaware. In mid-July, and fisheries research vessel owned by Indonesia Baruna Jaya IV will map the sea floor more and put the equipment on the islands Kawio before the two ships met in the port of Bitung. They will be deployed again on July 21 to continue to explore more of unspoiled ocean near the islands of Sangihe and Talaud clusters. The expedition will be completed on August 14.

"It's very much like solving a puzzle," said Holden. "First we map the seabed, and if we see something interesting, the scientists who are on the ground and staff who were on board the ship to stop putting more sensors and systems in the water," he said.

This includes placement of a preliminary investigation of underwater robot, called ROV, or remotely-operated vehicle, in which a pilot who were on the ship to control the ROV from deep beneath the sea. ROV is a two-body system that can dive down to depths of 13,000 feet, and when the lights and high-definition video cameras on both the instrument is turned on, will be seen directly by the scientists on the ground.

NOAA's mission is to understand and predict changes in the environment on earth, ranging from the seabed to the surface of the sun, and protect and manage coastal and marine resources.

Underwater Volcano in the Celebes Sea. Expedition with Indonesian and U.S. scientists in North Sulawesi find surprising results in the first week. The scientists discovered a giant underwater volcanoes surrounding waters of North Sulawesi. This mountain is an important finding for understanding the wealth of the seas of Indonesia. Previously also been found in Mexican and River Underwater Volcano news about Iceland.

Underwater Volcano in the Celebes SeaHigh mountains on the ocean floor that reaches 10,000 feet or approximately 3000 meters. Position is located at 18 000 feet deep in the waters Kawio Islands, North Sulawesi. The discovery of this mountain is part of the expedition of the ship Okeanos's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This expedition has mapped 2400 square miles of seabed in Indonesia or the area of Delaware. This expedition will be completed on 24 August. Volcanoes in the sea was detected in the expedition with scientists of Indonesia and United States scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the auspices of U.S. Department of Commerce.

NOAA Ship Okeanos of time exploring the ocean in the area of West Kawio, Kawio Islands, North Sulawesi, get a mapping of the volcano images. West Kawio chosen as the area because of the elements of an expedition under the sea in abundance. Via satellite, scientists at Okeanos may be associated with exploration offices in Jakarta and Seattle, USA. Indonesian and U.S. scientists believe they will find many new phenomena to understand marine ecosystems and climate change impacts. Sugiarta Wirasantosa of Marine and Fisheries Research Agency, said Indonesia, which has 17 000 more islands, need more exploration.

So far, the Okeanos Explorer has mapped 2400 square miles of seabed in Indonesia. In mid-July, and fisheries research vessel owned by Indonesia, Baruna Jaya IV will map the sea floor more and put the equipment on the islands Kawio before the two ships met in the port of Bitung. They will be deployed again on July 21 to continue to explore the islands of Sangihe and Talaud. The expedition will be completed on August 14.

MOERAKI - NEW ZEALAND

These large, spherical, alien and strangely beautiful boulders are mainly located on Koekohe Beach, part of the Otago coast of New Zealand’s South Island. Known as “Moeraki Boulders” they were originally formed on the sea floor from sedimentary deposits that accreted around a core in the same way that a pearl will form around a particle of sand. The erosion of the cliffs often reveals these boulders from the surrounding mudstone allowing them to join those already on the beach. Some of the larger boulders weigh several tonnes and can be up to three metres wide.

Maori legend attributes their origin to the arrival of the first ancestors / giants who came in the great Araiteuru canoe which was sunk by three great waves at nearby Matakaea.

It is said by the Maoris that some of the surviving crew of the Araiteuru canoe were turned into stone and became mountains. The Moeraki boulders are said to be the pots and chattels from the canoe.

NINE HELLS OF BEPPU

NINE HELLS OF BEPPU - JAPAN Beppu, located on the Japanese island of Kyūshū, is the second largest producer of geothermal water in the world. Located in the same area are the “Nine Hells” or ponds that each has its own remarkable character and colour thanks to the variety of minerals in the outflows. These “Hells” are a popular tourist attraction in Japan but are little known outside of the country. Seven of the strange geothermal springs are located in the Kannawa area and are known as: Sea or Ocean Hell (Umi Jigoku), Shaven Head Hell (Oniishibozu Jigoku), Cooking Pot Hell (Kamado Jigoku), Mountain Hell (Yama Jigoku), Devil or Monster Mountain Hell (Oniyama Jigoku,) Golden Dragon Hell (Kinryu Jigoku) and White Pond Hell (Shiraike Jigoku). Sadly, as with many incredible natural wonders, the area surrounding it has become over commercialised and “tacky”.



Further away in the Shibaseki District are Blood - Pond Hell (Chinoike Jigoku) - shown above - and Waterspout Hell (Tatsumaki Jigoku).