15 Water and Ice Formations and Phenomena | WebEcoist

15 Epic Water and Ice Formations and Phenomena

By Ecoist in Animals & Habitats, Art & Design, Geography & Travel, Nature & Ecosystems

Moving Water: Rivers, Waterfalls, Fjords

From craggy fjords to famously high waterfalls and massive rivers, waterways are another memorable artistic statement of Mother Nature.

Rivers

(Images via ecology.info, sweetcrudemovie, NASA , greatwildlifevacations and Brazil Travel)

Pictured at left is the Mississippi River, which travels some 2,340 miles of the continental United States. (Trivia: its tributary, the Missouri River, is actually longer.) It’s the fourth longest and tenth largest (by discharge) river in the world. Regardless of its invaluable economic and ecological service, it is simply beautiful to see. Pictured next are the Niger Delta from space – a magnificently beautiful water system – as well as the Ganges in stunning hi-res and the Okavango (one of the world’s biggest inland water systems). It floods annually, making life possible in an otherwise arid region for the rest of the year. And finally, the brilliant contrast of the iconic Amazon river and its emerald tropical rainforests.

Waterfalls

(Images via islamargarita, Yahoo, vgd.gov.iv and islamicboard)

Some of the most famous waterfalls in the world are shown here. Angel Falls in Venezuela, the tallest waterfall in the world, dives some 979 meters (over 2,000 feet) into the rocks below. Tugela Falls in South Africa is nearly as high, at 947 meters and boasts 5 beautiful cascades.

(Images via wallpaperbase, canadacool and Snopes)

And of course, the famous Niagara Falls of North America. Niagara once froze in a freak weather occurrence in 1911 – or so the myth and the single photo indicate. Even Snopes can’t determine if it’s an urban legend or if it really happened.

Fjords

(Images via About.com, NASA, okstate.edu and South American Experience)

Though the fjords of Norway are famous, that’s not the only place where you can see these magnificent chiseled carvings of Mother Nature as artist. Chile is home to gorgeous fjords, as are several other spots around the world. A fjord is simply a narrow water inlet with high, steep land on either side – however, they are unique because they are created through glacier activity. The images above are of fjords in Alaska (the boldness of the blue is amazing), Iceland (lobster claws?), Norway (almost other-worldly), and Chile (once again the Torres del Paine).

Lakes Seen From Above

(Images via wikimedia, Nature Conservancy and NASA)

Rounding out the tour, here are some of the quirky and artfully abstract shapes of lakes when seen from the aerial view. A playground of the rich and famous, Lake Como in Italy is famously known as the Y Shaped lake, while this lesser known Horseshoe Lake in Arkansas is endearing. But it’s this dragon lake in China that’s most striking.