WORKING BLOG

  The Eisriesenwelt (German for "World of the Ice Giants") is a natural limestone ice cave located in Werfen, Austria, about 40 km south of Salzburg. It is the largest ice cave in the world extending more than 42km. Eisriesenwelt Cave was created by the Salzach river as it flowed through the mountain eroding passageways nearly 100 million years ago. Over the course of thousands of years cracks and crevices in the limestone became more developed as water eroded the rocks away. In winter, when the air inside the mountain is warmer than outside, cold air streams into the mountain and reduces the temperature of the lower areas of the caves to below freezing point. In spring the water from melting snow seeps through the cracks in the rock and when it reaches the colder lower areas of the caves it freezes and turns slowly into the wonderful ice formations visible inside the caves. Although the cave has a length of 42 km, only the first kilometer, the area that tourists are allowed ...

  These trees may look like they've been painted on, but these colors are all natural. This peculiar tree is called Eucalyptus deglupta, commonly known as the Rainbow Eucalyptus, and also known as the Mindanao Gum, or the Rainbow Gum. The multi-coloured streaks on its trunk comes from patches of outer bark that are shed annually at different times, showing the bright-green inner bark. This then darkens and matures to give blue, purple, orange and then maroon tones. Eucalyptus deglupta is the only Eucalyptus species found naturally in the Northern Hemisphere. It grows naturally in New Britain, New Guinea, Ceram, Sulawesi and Mindanao. Now, this tree is cultivated widely around the world, mainly for pulpwood used in making paper, and also for ornamental purposes.

  In northern Japan, in the province of Nagano, snow stays up to four months at a stretch. The average winter temperature here is -5 ° C, sometimes dropping to -15 ° C. Living at such extreme temperatures are the Japanese macaques, also known as snow monkeys. Thankfully for them, hot water springs are close at hand where the monkeys spend most of day to fight the biting cold.

  Danish artist Thomas Dambo has been building stuff using trash and recycled materials since an early age, starting with smaller sculptures such as birdhouses and furniture to bigger pieces such as the six “Forgotten Giants” he recently installed around Copenhagen. Built mainly from recycled wood, such as old pallets, an old wooden shed, a fence and so on, Dambo along with a team of local volunteers created six giant troll-like wooden sculptures and hid them at some of his favorite places around the city. These places do not see many visitors because they are located off the beaten track. To help find these public installations, Dambo has created a series of “treasure maps” which he engraved into stones near each sculpture. Each giant is named after one of the volunteers who helped build it. “The projects wants to bring art out of the museum, show the beautiful and often overlooked nature spots in the western part of Copenhagen, and at the same time give an exciting and different ...

  In the vast savannah of Australia’s North Queensland, 300 km southwest from the city of Cairns, lies the Undara Volcanic National Park where you will find some of the largest and longest lava tubes on the planet. The Undara lava tubes were formed in a massive eruption that occurred about 190,000 years ago causing lava to flow more than 90 km to the north and over 160 km to the north-west. During this fiery episode, 23 billion cubic liters of lava was estimated to have spewed forth from the Undara Volcano onto the surrounding Atherton Tableland. As the lava flowed, the outer-layer cooled and formed a crust, while the molten lava below drained outwards, leaving behind a series of hollow tubes. The roofs of some of the tubes have collapsed, allowing vegetation to flourish in the damp interiors and shelter wildlife. Many of these lava tubes have high levels of carbon dioxide—up to six per cent or 200 times greater than normal levels. This has created a habitat where only specially ad...