The 17 Most Mysterious places on Earth
Number Seventeen
The Sailing Shores of Racetrack Playa, Death Valley, California, United States of America
Sailing stones move by themselves creating long trails.
For years the movement of sailing stones was a mystery, but in 2014
Scientists were able to finally solve this incredibly fascinating mystery.
As it turns out, the stones were pushed by the wind of the desert whenever an ephemeral wind pond is created,
which is the sheet of ice only a few millimeters thick
formed during the bitterly cold desert nights.
Number Sixteen
The Blood Falls of Antarctica
The presence of this disturbing phenomenon was first recorded in 1911
This bloom of salt water appears to have the same color and consistency as blood,
resulting in the name.
Researchers now know that the water's appearance is due to iron oxide,
but the true mystery of this site is what lies beneath the falls.
Geomicrobiologist J. Mikucki has taken samples from the Blood Falls
and found more than seventeen types of microbe,
organisms that can somehow exists under glaciers for millions of years with absolutely no oxygen
Number Fifteen
The Underwater City of Shicheng, China
This city rests at the bottom of Qiandao Lake,
A man-made body of water formed in the late 1950 C.E.
The city itself, now perfectly preserved under the waters of the lake,
was established in 208 C.E.
Forgotten for almost 50 years following the flooding,
it's pristine preservation was discovered by divers.
Today, visitors can scuba dive to explore the time capsule of life in Ancient China.
Number Fourteen 14
The Door to Hell of Derweze, Turkmenistan.
This crater was created by the collapse of an underground cavern in 1971.
The size of an American football field, it is located in the middle of the Karakum Desert.
The fire, lit by geologists at the time of collapse,
to prevent the spread of deadly methane gas, has never gotten out.
Nobody knows how long the fires at the Door to Hell will burn.
Number Thirteen
The Aokigahara Forest of Japan.
The forest's English name, the Suicide Forest, has had a deadly association for centuries.
It is reputedly haunted by angry spirits of people left there to die, through the practice of ubasute,
In which elderly family members were abandoned in remote places as a form of euthanasia.
Today, annual body searches have to be conducted in the forest,
as it is estimated that about one-hundred suicides occur within the forest every year.
Number Twelve
The Nazca Lines of Peru.
These enormous geoliths are believed to have been created by the Nazca culture.
Located on a plateau of more than 50 miles, hundreds of these designs were created
by uncovering the light dirt beneath the red pebbles of the landscape.
Some designs are geometric shapes; while others are animals, humans, trees, or flowers.
The purpose of creating these enormous designs is still unknown.
Number Eleven
The Hells of Beppu, Kyushu, Japan
This site is mostly unknown outside of Japan itself.
Now a popular tourist destination,
these hot springs are known as the Jigoku Meguri.
Taking their name from the term for "burning hell".
Each spring is considered a different level of Hell,
with one filled with turquoise-blue water that is consistently at boiling temperature,
while another produces so much steam it could power a train,
and simultaneously plays host to hundreds of crocodiles.
The site truly defies explanation.
Number Ten
The Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt
Today's researchers believe that this pyramid was built over a ten to twenty year period in the mid to late 2500 B.C.E Era.
Unlike many ancient monuments or artifacts,
the purpose of the pyramids is well-known.
They served as enormous tombs for the pharaohs.
However, the actual method of construction is still unknown.
The most popular theory today is that huge stones were transported
from nearby quarries and dragged by slaves.
But the logistics are still being established.
Number Nine
The Stonehenge Circle of Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom
Stonehenge is famous due to its massive size.
With the stones forming the structure measuring up to thirty feet in height and fifty tons in weight each.
The stones are particularly interesting for researchers because they were imported from great distances,
most likely Wales.
It is today theorized that such great lengths were taken to bring these stones
because of the peculiar ringing quality when struck.
The means of transporting the stones, constructing the henge, or its purpose,
is truly a mystery.
Number Eight
The Ryugyong Hotel of Pyongyang, North Korea
This hotel, located in North Korea, has been undergoing construction since 1987.
Almost no foreigners have ever seen, let alone been inside, this enormous structure of 105 stories.
It is rumored that the interior of the magnificent glass-paneled hotel
is bare.
Despite the fact that plans include multiple restaurants, shops, and apartments.
The biggest mystery of all, however, is simply this:
in a country where few outsiders are allowed to visit,
or even fewer citizens can afford food on a daily basis,
who will stay at this hotel?
Number Seven
The Bridge of Overtoun, Scotland, United Kingdom
This bridge, which leads to a 19th century estate in Scotland, and overlooks the River Clyde,
has become bizarrely infamous for the high-rate of apparent canine suicides off the bridge.
Since the 1950's, approximately one dog every year has leapt from the bridge, plummeting 50 feet to the waters below.
Those dogs that do survive, if taken back to the bridge,
will jump again.
Number Six
The Moai of Easter Isand, Chile
These enormous statues of human figures were carved by the Rapa Nui people of Polynesia between 1250 and 1500 C.E.
The tallest of these statues stands at thirty-three feet.
and the heaviest statue weighs approximately eighty-six tons.
What makes this fact more extraordinary is that while all of the statues were produced from the main Moai quarry of the island
Many were transported to locations on the perimeter of the island
Only recently did scientists discover that these statues, long believed to simply be giant heads
were actually attached to bodies
Number Five
The Skeleton Lake of Roopkund, India
This frightening sight is located in a shallow glacial lake in a state of India
The area however is located within the Himalayas and is uninhabited
However, fearless trekkers braved the elements to visit this lake that is filled
and surrounded by human skeletons
Clearly visible from the bottom of the lake
Discovered by H.K. Madwell in 1942
Researchers believe these remains of approximately 300 people date back to the 9th Century C.E.
No one knows who they were or why they were there
Number Four
The Christ of the Abyss of San Fruttoso, Italy
Although several casts of this statue now exists, the original bronze statue of Jesus Christ
is located in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Italy
In 1954, this statue sank near Portofino in the Italian Riviera
Suddenly it now marked the location where Dario Gadzadi died in 1947
He is famous for being the first Italian to use scuba gear
Rather than rescuing the statue and relocating it back to the land
The Italians decided to leave it as a beautiful, somewhat miraculous, dedication to Gadzadi
Today, divers can swim around and through the arms of this subaqueous Son of God whose arms were raised in the invocation of peace
Number Three
The Stone Spheres of Costa Rica
These spheres were discovered by a crew of workmen clearing jungle
for banana plantations in the 1930's.
The stone spheres, ranging from a few centimetres to more than 6.5 feet in diameter,
are made of stone naturally found about a mile from their modern location.
Unfortunately, the world will never know their origin nor their purpose
Attributed to the deplete culture,
this indigenous population was destroyed by the Spanish colonization of Costa Rica.
Number Two 2
The Lost Colony of Roanoke, North Carolina, United States of America
In the late 16th century, the British intended to establish the first permanent English settlement,
in what would become the USA.
3 years after its creation the village was found dismantled
and all of its residents was gone without a trace.
Many theories exist as to the fate of these settlers
including the integration with the local native tribes
or a massacre by the Spanish.
To this day, no one knows what happened to the settlers of the lost colony.
Number One
The Yonaguni Monument of Japan
This formation was discovered in 1987.
Since then, this site measures 490 by 130 and is 90 feet tall
has become a popular diving attraction.
Made of sandstone and mud stone,
the rock masses appear to include Two pillars; a wide ledge, and an "L" shaped rock
Among other features
There's a conflict regarding its origins.
Some experts believe that the structures are man made
And that the origin society was sunk by natural disaster
Where as others insist that the apparent designs and structures
Are all the results of natural processes.