Maldive Islands

(images via: Fizzy Energy and Nitty Gritty)

The Indian Ocean nation of the Maldive Islands is the poster child for island nations, consisting of a double-chain of 26 coral atolls and encompassing approximately 1,190 individual islands. The coral atolls are in most cases divided into 5 to 10 inhabited islands and from 20 to 60 uninhabited ones. This unique situation of geography allows entrepreneurs on the inhabited islands to provide “desert island vacations” for foreign tourists looking to live – temporarily – like Robinson Crusoe.

(images via: Treehugger, 5 Minutes Guide and Fizzy Energy)

The Maldives, perhaps more than any other place on Earth, blurs the lines between land and water. While this allows for an abundance of tropical beauty and a remarkably temperate climate, it also puts the nation of 400,000 squarely in the cross-hairs of Global Warming. The average height above sea level in the Maldives is only 5 feet (1.5 meters) with the highest point rising a mere 7 feet 7 inches (2.3 meters). As sea levels continue to rise, high tides and storm surges will cause ever-greater damage to the point where many of the islands will simply cease to exist and their inhabitants could become climate refugees.

Auckland Islands, New Zealand

(images via: NZ/DOC, NASA, Travel-Images and UNESCO)

The Auckland Islands lie south of New Zealand, smack dab in chill southern latitudes dominated by the legendary “Furious Fifties”, howling winds that owe their speed and relentlessness to the lack of land in those latitudes. Auckland Island is the largest of the five islands making up this tight-knit archipelago, formed millions of years ago from several long dormant volcanoes. The total area of the islands is 241.3 square miles (625 km²) but the vast majority of the land is made up of deeply eroded, jagged mountains up to 2,170 feet (660 meters) tall.

(images via: Heritage Expeditions and Andris Apse)

Residual evidence of a possible settlement estimated to be from the 13th century has been found on the Auckland Islands, making it the farthest south any Polynesian explorers were able to reach. Several attempts to colonize the island were made in the 19th century but few lasted more then a couple of years. The islands have been completely uninhabited since the removal of a meteorological station set up and manned by the government of New Zealand during the Second World War.

Aldabra Island, Seychelles

(images via: Arkive, Hot Top Trends and Answers.com)

Aldabra Island is the world’s second largest coral atoll with a total area of 60 square miles (155.4 km²), divided into four individual islands. Aldabra has been known to humanity for many centuries; its name is of Arabic origin. The island group lies 265 miles (426.5 km) northwest of Madagascar and is the westernmost large island of the Seychelles: the island’s capital, Mahé, is over 700 miles (1,126.5 km) to the east. At 21 miles (34 km) long, 9 miles (14.5 km) wide and rising up to 26.25 feet (8 meters) above sea level it’s somewhat of a mystery why Aldabra hasn’t been able to support even a small human settlement.

(images via: Arkive, Hot Top Trends and Answers.com)

Aldabra Island is home to one of the world’s largest populations of Giant Tortoises – around 150,000 Aldabra Giant Tortoises (Dipsochelys dussumieri) roam the atoll, free from human predation. Such was not always the case: 19th century whalers, sealers and long-distance ship voyagers often captured tortoises for food and by 1900 they were nearly extinct. Aldabra is also home to the world’s largest land crab, the Coconut Crab (Birgus latro), known to netizens from a widely circulated image showing one of the creatures hiding (barely) behind a trashcan.

Tetepare Island, Solomon Islands

(images via: Tetepare.org and Wikimedia)

Known as “the last wild island”, Tetepare Island in the Solomon Islands has been uninhabited since the mid-19th century when members of its native tribe fled to surrounding islands due to an increasing threat from headhunters. The island is 45.5 square miles (118 km²) in area and is the largest uninhabited island in the western Pacific Ocean region.

(images via: Jens Kruger, Solomon Times and AVI)

Tetepare Island has been monitored since 2002 by the Tetepare Descendants Association (TDA), a registered Solomon Islands charitable organization that seeks to preserve the island from logging and other resource exploitation for the benefit of future generations. An ecolodge has been established on the island under the TDA’s supervision, which provides employment to local islanders and raises both funds for conservation projects and awareness of Tetepare’s unique status.

Rock Islands (Chelbacheb), Palau

(images via: Citypictures, Survivor Skills and Daily Scuba Diving)

Made famous by their starring role in Survivor Palau, the tenth season of the American reality show “Survivor” broadcast in early 2005, the 250-300 Rock Islands (called Chelbacheb in the native Palauan language) encompass a total land area of just 18 square miles (47 km²) yet boast an abundance of ecological diversity. These heavily forested limestone and coral islands rise up to 680 feet (207 m) above sea level and many feature hidden lagoons and lakes where unique species abound.

(images via: NCBI, BDnews24.com, The Independent and Secret of the Crystal Skulls)

A place as beautiful and fertile as Palau’s Rock Islands may be uninhabited today but it seems that human’s gave settlement a shot at various times over the past several thousand years. One of the most intriguing examples involves the discovery of skeletal remains of “tiny people”. At first thought to be related to the so-called Hobbits of Flores Island in Indonesia, it’s now believed the remains belong to ancient Palauans affected by Island Dwarfism.

Cocos Island, Costa Rica

(images via: Cocos Island and Diving World)

Cocos Island is sort of a northern Galapagos, lying quite isolated in the Pacific Ocean approximately 340 miles (550 km) off Costa Rica’s western coast. The roughly rectangular island is 9.2 square miles (23.85 km²) in area and hosts a mainly stable population of deer, pigs, cats, and rats introduced purposefully or accidentally by humans. The latter never maintained long-lasting settlements despite the availability of fresh water. The waters around Cocos Island are a rich oasis of marine life, as the following video shows:

Video más Reciente de Isla del Coco-Most recent video Cocos Island, via Marcogarrido1

(images via: SciFi Squad and FilmAffinity)

Author Michael Crichton probably based Isla Nublar from his novel (and later the films and games) Jurassic Park on Cocos Island. Supporting this supposition is the fact that “Isla Nublar” is Spanish for Cloudy Island and Cocos Island is the only island near Central or South America with an extensive Cloud Forest ecosystem.

Phoenix Islands, Kiribati

(images via: Cosmos Magazine, Wikimedia and Solarviews)

The Phoenix Islands are a group of 8 islands and several coral reefs located about halfway between Hawaii and Fiji in the south Pacific. The total land area of the islands is just 11 square miles (27.6 km²) and except for two dozen people (as of May 2010) living on Kanton, the largest of the group, the islands are uninhabited. Several attempts to settle or colonize the Phoenix Islands have been made over the past two centuries but all ended in failure with the last residents leaving in 1963.

(images via: San Francisco Sentinel and The Saipan Blog)

The Phoenix Islands are isolated – though part of the Republic of Kiribati, Kanton Island lies (1,765 km) east of the republic’s capital, South Tarawa. The southernmost island of the Phoenix island group has a dubious claim to fame. Nikumaroro (formerly known as Gardner Island) is thought by some to be the place where American aviatrix Amelia Earhart along with navigator Fred Noonan crash-landed in July of 1937, while attempting an around-the-world flight in a twin-engine Lockheed Electra.

Mu Ko Ang Thong, Thailand

(images via: Souvlaki for the Soul and Treetop Asia)

Mu Ko Ang Thong National Park (established 1980) consists of 42 islands in the Gulf of Thailand. Though the park as a whole covers 39.5 square miles (102 km²), only 7 square miles (18 km²) are dry land. “Ang Thong” means “Bowl of Gold”, and the islands enjoy the warm weather and abundant sunshine that has made tourist areas in Thailand’s Surat Thani province so popular.

(images via: Simandan, Psychedelic Adventure and G Living)

The islands of Mu Ko Ang Thong are the setting of The Beach in the 1996 Alex Garland novel and the 2000 film of the same name, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Pre-production activity including flattening the beach was conducted, which ruffled feathers locally, but the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami saw the beach re-assume much of its original look and character.

Monuriki Island, Mamanuca Islands (Fiji)

(images via: CIO, David Wall Photo and Hotel Rental Group)

There are about 20 volcanic islands in the Mamanuca Islands group, part of the nation of Fiji. That number drops to about 13 when the tide is high, however. Many of the Mamanuca Islands are uninhabited and the main factor deciding habitation seems to be the availability of fresh water.

(images via: DVD Beaver and Mentalfloss)

One of the Mamanuca Islands has achieved a special type of fame: tiny Monuriki Island is the main location where the 2000 movie Cast Away was filmed. The character played by Tom Hanks, “Chuck Noland” (C. No land… get it?) faced several difficulties surviving on Monuriki, chief among them making fire and finding a source of fresh water to drink. Good thing he had his pal Wilson to keep him company too!

Ball’s Pyramid

(images via: Oddity Central, Fakename2 and Starship)

Rising from the Pacific Ocean 13 miles (20 km) southeast of Lord Howe Island and 370 miles (600 km) east of Australia, 1,844 ft (562 m) high Ball’s Pyramid may be the Earth’s most visually stunning island. The shear volcanic outcrop was first discovered in 1788 by Lieutenant Henry Lidgbird Ball. It wasn’t until nearly a century later, in 1882, that the first person actually stepped – very carefully, I’m guessing – onto the rocky shore of the island. It’s safe to say that there may not be a single patch of horizontal ground anywhere on the 3,600 ft (1,100 m) by 1,000 ft (300 m) remnant of a 7 million year old volcano.

(image via: Outdoors Webshots)

You’d think Ball’s Pyramid would be a rock climber’s and BASE jumper’s idea of paradise, and indeed the pinnacle was successfully climbed to the summit for the first time in February of 1965. Climbing was banned entirely in 1982 though since 1990 applications may be made under special conditions, subject to approval by the Australian government.

Devon Island, Canada

(image via: Statistics Canada)

This list leaves out major and minor islands of the arctic and Antarctic as they do not remotely meet any conception of a “desert island”. Even so, we will give honorable mention to Devon Island, the world’s 27th largest island and the largest uninhabited island on the planet. Located in Canada’s arctic archipelago northwest of Baffin Island, Devon Island measures 21,331 square miles (55,247 km²) in size.

(images via: Canadian Museum of Nature and Atlas Obscura)

The brutally cold, dry climate and the existence of the 14 mile (23 km) wide Haughton Impact Crater has made Devon Island the perfect testing area for future Mars rovers and habitats. It ain’t the kind of place to raise your kids, as Elton John once sang, and as for those Desert Island Discs? Leave ‘em at home – you’ll have trouble finding an electrical outlet anyway.

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Tempe Town Lake, Arizona, USA

(images via: DesertUSA, ASU and GWilmore)

Tempe Town Lake is a 2-mile long artificial lake that runs through the center of Tempe, Arizona, USA. The lake sits within the bed of the Salt River, which is almost always dry due to diversion of the river’s water for agricultural use at various points upstream.

(image via: KAM-AZ)

The lake is only about 13 feet deep on average and is held in place by innovative inflatable dams at either end. The Dams allow the Salt River to flow along its natural course at times when storms and flooding create an unusually high level of water in the river bed.

On July 20, 2010, the west side of Tempe Town Lake’s outflow dam suffered (for want of a better term) a blowout that allowed most of the lake’s water to quickly drain into the Salt River. Most of the approximately 10,000 fish living in the lake were swept downstream and an alligator named Tuesday was released into the remaining pools of water to eat what fish remained.

Lake Delhi, Iowa, USA

(images via: CBS News and Vacation Rentals)

The Delhi Dam, on the Maquoketa River south of Delhi, Iowa, was built over a 7-year period from 1922 to 1929. Lake Delhi was created behind the dam and over the succeeding decades proved to be a much-desired location for recreational boating, fishing, and lakeside summer housing.

(images via: Washington Times, Des Moines Register and FOX News)

Call it a dammed shame, but many say the failure of the Delhi Dam was an accident waiting to happen. Flooding in 2008 had caused a half-million dollars worth of damage to the dam and exceptionally heavy rains (approximately 10 inches in 12 hours) caused the swollen lake to overtop its southern embankment on July 24, 2010.

(image via: Des Moines Register)

Rapid erosion of the embankment sped up the outflow and by the next day, Lake Delhi was no more. As the lake and the Delhi Dam were owned by the Lake Delhi Recreation Association, it’s uncertain whether state or federal funds will be used to help rebuild the dam and restore the lake. If not, those who invested in former lakefront property will be out of luck AND lake.

Lake Delton, Wisconsin, USA

(images via: FlyHighWi, RV.net and Wunderground)

If residents of Lake Delhi are searching for some hope, they may find it in Wisconsin’s Lake Delton. Like Lake Delhi, Lake Delton is a man-made lake created in the 1920s as a way to attract visitors to the Wisconsin Dells tourist and vacation area. The lake – more of a reservoir, actually – is only about 10 feet deep and has a surface area of around 260 acres… at least it did, until June 9th of 2008.

(images via: Howder Family)

Heavy rains had raised the level of Lake Delton and put tremendous pressure on the dikes that separated the lake from the Wisconsin River 800 feet away. The sudden collapse of a 400-ft section of County Highway A that ran on top of the containment dike caused a deluge that completely drained Lake Delton in a matter of hours. Several lakefront homes also collapsed though there was no loss of life. Here’s a short video showing the state of the former Lake Delton 2 weeks after the water drained out:

Empty Lake Delton, via TFHowder

(image via: Wikimedia)

Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle quickly announced the state would be repairing the lake and indeed, by Memorial Day of 2009 Lake Delton was re-opened with great fanfair.

Iceberg Lake, Alaska, USA

(images via: Far North Science and Stelia’s Guides)

Iceberg Lake, a glacial lake in the Wrangell-St. Elias Mountains area of Alaska, leads a precarious existence by regularly filing and draining, sometimes catastrophically as it did in 1999. The lake is also remarkably responsive to weather conditions as it is pinned between two glaciers whose level of annual advancement and melting decide the fate of the lake.

(image via: National Park Photo Tour)

Scientists exploring the exposed bottom of Iceberg Lake discovered that distinct layers of sediment deposited on after another provided them with a detailed record of the area’s climate that could be traced back to the year 442 AD. Among other findings, the researchers were able to discern the Iceberg Lake did not drain at all during the Medieval Warm Period, a several centuries long warm interlude that existed up until the advent of the Little Ice Age, which lasted from approximately 1600 to 1850 AD.

Lake Haramaya, Ethiopia

(images via: Road To Ethiopia and Adis Ababa University)

Lake Haramaya was a freshwater lake in Ethiopia that was around 30 feet deep and whose shoreline stretched for about 10 miles – not an especially large lake but one that provided residents of the city of Harar with drinking water and farmers & fisherman with livelihoods. The keyword is “was”… overuse by residents, farmers and commercial enterprises caused the lake to drain completely in roughly a decade.

(images via: Gadaa.com, Road To Ethiopia and The CLP)

Lake Haramaya is not the only lake in Africa’s volcanic Rift Valley to run dry, and human use (and abuse) is not the only factor involved. Climatologists have noted an increased frequency of droughts over the past several decades and it’s thought that increasing human exploitation of the lake in recent years was enough to tip the balance.

Scott Lake, Florida, USA

(image via: The Ledger and Democratic Underground)

Scott Lake is a 291-acre natural lake in Lakeland, Florida, 30 miles east of Tampa. Like Lake Delhi, Scott Lake is owned by the surrounding homeowners who are once again asking state authorities to refill the lake and preserve their property values. Yes, “once again” – Scott Lake has drained before, in the early 1970s, caused by sinkholes opening up in the porous limestone bedrock that lies beneath the lake.

(images via: Democratic Underground, Thomas.net and Death By 1000 Papercuts)

In June of 2006, as many as 4 sinkholes suddenly opened in the lakebed and before you could say “Great Scott!”, Scott Lake was drained. Since then a heated controversy has arisen over demands from wealthy owners of lakeside property that water from Florida’s freshwater aquifer be used to refill the lake. This wasn’t a problem in 1974 but today, water is in short supply as Florida’s population puts increasing strain on the state’s fresh water supplies.

White Lake, Russia

(images via: Above Top Secret, Free Republic and BBC)

In May of 2005, residents of the village of Bolotnikovo near Nizhni Novgorod, Russia, were shocked to find that most of the water in White Lake had mysteriously vanished. No explanation could be offered for the sudden and silent loss of roughly a million cubic meters of water. “It looks like somebody has pulled the plug out of a gigantic bath,” said a correspondent fr Russia’s NTV. Though an official from a nearby village speculated that the lake’s water flowed into an underground river, others had their own suspicions, believing that “outside forces” were responsible. One man was quoted as stating “I think that America got us here.” It seems that in rural Russia at least, the Cold War never really ended.

Lake Peigneur, Louisiana, USA

(images via: Troy McClure, Damn Interesting and WayMarking)

Lake located above a salt mine? Scary. Oil drilling in and around said lake? Crazy! But then, we all know that the right hands at big oil companies (we’re looking at you, BP) sometimes don’t know what their left hands are up to… or down to, and in the case of Texaco’s drilling rig in Louisiana’s Lake Peigneur, that would be down to 1,300-odd feet below the bottom of a 10-ft deep lake. When the 14-inch wide drill bit broke through the roof of the mine, the results were predictable yet still spectacular.

(images via: Circa71 and Ticklebooth)

Thirty years before the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, carelessness on an oil rig created a chain reaction of events that saw the 1,125 square acre lake (plus several barges, trees and 65 acres of shoreline land) quickly drain into the underlying Jefferson Island salt mine.

This video from The History Channel shows some of the events connected with the catastrophic drainage of Lake Peigneur, filmed by eye-witnesses at the time:

Lake Peigneur – Disappearing Lake, via The History Channel

So, what have we learned from the Lake Peigneur disaster? Considering the salt dome beneath the now saline lake is being used as a storage for pressurized natural gas while oil drilling continues in the area, the answer is “not much”.

Aral Sea, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan

(images via: Elgadfly and New Eurasia)

Once the 4th largest inland body of water in the world, the Aral Sea now ranks at just 10th – and falling. A victim of misguided agricultural policies enacted by a nation (the USSR) that is no more, the Aral Sea itself may soon be no more since its main inlet rivers have been dammed to provide water for cotton farms. As the lake shrinks, its waters become more and more saturated with salt , fertilizer and pesticides to the point that an estimated 75 million tons of toxic dust and salts are blown across Central Asia each year. Images of the Aral Sea’s shocking retreat taken from orbiting satellites and spacecraft are, in a word, tragic.

(image via: Econuz)

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are the successor states to the USSR in which the toxic Aral Sea now lies, and although no longer bound by decrees from the Kremlin, the 2 states cannot agree on how to preserve or even restore the Aral Sea. In the meantime, the loss of over 90 percent of the sea has caused the entire region’s climate to become more extreme, and exposure to poisonous, windblown dust from the exposed lake bed has created a health crisis of immense scope. The shocking image above dates from the summer of 2009.

(image via: Telegraph UK)

There is, however, new hope for the Aral Sea as the Kazakh government and the World Bank are working to restore the lake to at least a semblance of its former size. As the images above show (2004 on the left, 2010 on the right), the Aral Sea’s surface area has rebounded 30 percent and depths in some areas have grown from 98 feet to over 130 feet.

Lake Missoula, Northwestern USA

(images via: The Resilient Earth and Glacial Lake Missoula)

Picture a lake with a surface area of 3,000 square miles containing 500 square miles of water, blocked by an ice dam that is actually an arm of a retreating glacier. This precarious image once existed, in western Montana, about 13,000 years ago and is known today as Lake Missoula. When the ice dam was breached and the lake began to drain westward towards the Pacific Ocean, a flood of biblical proportions ensued.

(images via: NPS and Summit Realty)

Not only is it estimated that it took only about 48 hours for the lake to drain completely, this nightmarish scenario is thought to have taken place as many as 40 times over a 2,000 year period. The repeated series of cataclysmic floods scoured vast stretches of eastern Oregon and Washington states into the Channeled Scablands. The remains of an enormous waterfall three times the height and width of Niagara Falls can be seen above top.

(images via: Huge Floods and Pics Digger)

Gigantic potholes, gargantuan ripple marks, dry waterfalls and other large-scale geologic features state unequivocally the incalculable power of rushing water – and lots of it. These features show some similarities to features found on the planet Mars and it’s now thought that our neighboring planet was subject to massive flooding events in its younger, wetter days.

(image via: Wikimedia)

Lakes, especially larger lakes, seem to be permanent fixtures of the landscape they occupy. In the geological big picture, however, this isn’t necessarily so and when change comes, it often comes suddenly and strikingly. Water tends to seek its own level under the influence of gravity, that’s just the way nature is… and nature knows no timetable and acts without regard to the works or wishes of Mankind.

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Bob Dylan wasn’t referencing hail when he wrote “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” back in ’62 but as innumerable dimpled cars, flattened fields and fractured skulls can attest, hail is as hard as rain can get.

(images via: Brian Abbott and Flipped Out)

When the New York City General Post Office was being designed back in the 1890s, someone at the architectural firm McKim, Mead and White thought that the motto “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds” would make a great motto for the building’s exterior facade.

(image via: Arty Smokes)

Originally attributed to the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, the motto does NOT mention one of the most frightening and dangerous weather conditions postmen – or anyone else required to perform their duties outdoors – must deal with: hail.

(images via: NOAA and Weatherfreaks)

Hail, in its mildest form, superficially resembles sleet (a mix of snow and rain) but both the conception and the consequences of the former can be much more severe. That’s because hail is associated with thunderstorms and their massive, spectacularly high anvil-shaped clouds. Inside these supercells, updrafts roaring at up to 110 miles per hour (180 km/h) take water droplets and ice crystals on a rollercoaster ride spanning tens of thousands of feet.

(images via: Weathersavvy, NOAA and FindTarget)

During the course of repeated trips up and down through these ominous cumulonimbus clouds, a barely visible ice crystal can grow to astonishing sizes and often strange shapes. The process can be compared to the making of homemade candles: with each dip in hot wax, the candle adds another layer. Hailstones continue to grow until their sheer weight overcomes the strength of the storm’s updrafts.

(images via: Wikipedia, Sky-Chaser and UNL)

Hail can fall with little warning, especially when storm clouds are close and rain is already falling heavily. When visibility permits, however, it’s possible to discern certain features that are distinct to hailstorms. One of these is the so-called “hail shaft”, which indicates hail falling at a distance in a sharply defined swath. Another is more curious: hail clouds sometimes take on an odd, greenish shade.

(images via: WAOW and Ohio Storms)

A wide variety of terms are used to describe the size of hailstones, including pea-sized, dime-sized, golfball-sized and baseball-sized. While the size of hailstones is one factor in estimating the damage they may cause to objects on the ground, another is their speed, or terminal velocity. In general, as hailstones get bigger their speed increases – to over 100 miles per hour (160 k/ph) in some cases.

(images via: Strange Dangers, UCAR and TheWeatherPrediction.com)

How big can a hailstone get? The current champion hailed from (actually, on) Aurora, Nebraska, USA. This monster, which fell during a storm in 2003, was measured at 7 inches (17.78 cm) in diameter. “I looked outside, and it was raining volleyballs,” said Dale Obermeier, an Aurora farmer and National Weather Service spotter. Imagine what that bad boy and its brothers could do to your cornfield, not to mention your cabeza. Just below the Aurora hailstone is a cross-section of the previous record-holder, a 1.67 pound (0.75 kg) and 5.5 inch (13.75 cm) wide monster that fell (very loudly, most likely) near Coffeyville, Kansas, in 1970.

(images via: FEMA, Pangea and Weather New Mexico)

Thunderstorms, even those accompanied by huge supercells that unleash blistering downpours and swarms of tornadoes, don’t always include hail in their arsenal. Some regions of the world appear to be more prone to hail and hailstorms, with common contributing factors being nearby mountain ranges that can accentuate updrafts. In the United States, the area where the states of Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming meet is known colloquially as “Hail Alley.” Residents in this area may expect hail to fall 7 to 9 days each year.

(images via: Iowa Farmer Today, ISU, WSU and Notaviva Vineyards)

Hail has always been the bane of farmers, whose crops can be severely damaged by hail of even a modest size. Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent annually by American farmers on hail insurance – it may be said that hailstones are the locusts of the modern age.

(images via: Traditional Roofing Magazine and NOAA)

Property damage caused by hail is not a new issue but one growing in importance as cities and their infrastructure continue to expand. Hail is problematic for homeowners, corporations and governmental authorities because although damaging hailstorms are rather rare, when they do strike the effects can be severe. The above images show hail damage on different types of roofing materials. Even slate roofs can suffer a shocking amount of damage after being bombarded by large hailstones traveling at speed. Greenhouses have no chance at all.

(images via: Saqibsns, Laurie Kendrick and KLBJ-590)

Automobiles and aircraft are also extremely susceptible to hail damage, manifested in two main ways: dimpling of sheet metal and, in the case of larger hailstones, cracked or shattered windshields and sunroofs.

(images via: Rosebery Classics and Sydney Morning Herald)

The devastation above occurred in Sydney, Australia, during the course of an exceptionally vicious hailstorm that left cars, roofs, even patio furniture in tatters. The April 14th, 1999 hailstorm dropped approximately half a million tons of hail and was Australia’s most costly natural disaster.

(images via: Geoscience Australia, ASTHC and New South Wales SES)

The blue covers on the roofs above indicate were significant damage from hailstones occurred during the 1999 Sydney hailstorm. Considering the scope and cost of the damage it’s a wonder only a single person lost their life: a man who was struck by lightning while in his boat.

(image via: Wikimedia)

Sydney has seen severe hailstorms before – the above image was taken during a storm that struck the city and its environs in 1947. The image may remind some of a recent very popular (nearly 4 million views) YouTube video that recorded hundreds of large hailstones slamming into a swimming pool… here it is, if you haven’t seen it yet:

Hail Storm Oklahoma City, via Beatlesfanxxl

(images via: More Cool Pictures)

Damage to property is one thing, injuries to people, pets and livestock caught outdoors during a hailstorm can be horrific. Often no shelter is available when hailstones suddenly begin to fall: sheep or cattle grazing in meadows and joggers on open trails are prime examples – and easy targets.

(images via: Millennium Ark, ABC.net, BBC and Pundita)

The unfortunate person above was one of a group of 4 college students jogging in Grinnell (near Des Moines), Iowa. Golfball-sized hail driven by winds of up to 75 miles per hour (120 kp/h) left the boys with dozens of painful raised welts, suspected broken ribs and a quick trip to the hospital. In July of 1990, 47 people in Denver, Colorado suffered a variety of serious injuries when a power outage trapped them on an amusement park Ferris wheel, where they were bombarded by hailstones the size of softballs!

(images via: Bill Qualls, Geelong Advertiser and Guardian UK)

Hail can indeed be deadly – although records in the United States list only 5 fatalities (the most recent in the year 2000) that can be definitely ascribed to hail, other nations have been much more seriously affected. India, in particular, has a long history of deadly hailstorms with the most notable occurring in 1888 when 246 people lost their lives. It has recently been determined, however, that an even greater hail-caused tragedy occurred centuries earlier at Skeleton Lake in Roopkund, India.

(images via: Ashish Garg, Junglelure and Nick Fleming)

Roopkund is located 16,499 feet (5,029 meters) above sea level in northern India’s Uttarakhand state. The area is exceedingly barren and completely treeless. Sometime in the 9th century, a large religious procession was traversing the area when it was overtaken by a sudden, severe hailstorm.

(images via: Gyandotcom and GIO Adventures)

It’s not known how many of the pilgrims survived the terrifying icy onslaught but today the remains of as many as 600 people can be found scattered in and around Skeleton Lake – a glacial lake so named after park rangers stumbled upon the macabre scene while on patrol in 1942.

(image via: Passing Parade)

Judging by the injuries seen on human skulls found at Skeleton Lake, scientists determined that the deaths of the pilgrims could only have been caused by the deadly impact of large hailstones the size of cricket balls.

(image via: More Cool Pictures)

Hail’s effect on human history, society and culture is incalculable. Imagine being a Neanderthal swept up in a hailstorm while hunting mammoths, one of the poor pilgrims at Roopkund who trusted in the mercy of a capricious God, or a 21st century college kid out for a carefree weekend jog… look up and look out, ’cause you never know when The Iceman Cometh.

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When Indonesia’s Mount Tambora erupted in 1815, the world got an all too vivid glimpse at just how far-reaching the damage can be. The largest volcanic eruption in the earth’s history killed 100,000 people and caused ‘The Year Without a Summer‘, crop-killing summer snow and freezing temperatures in the United States and Europe. Today, Iceland’s Mount Eyjafjallajökull is far from the only one to worry about.There’s an unusual amount of seismic activity happening everywhere from Washington State to North Korea, with 12 deadly volcanoes nearing potential eruption.

Katla Volcano, Iceland

(image via: earth magazine)

If you thought Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull eruption was bad, you haven’t seen anything yet. Think of the Katla volcano as Eyjafjallajökull’s fiercer, angrier, more violent sister. A Katla volcano eruption would be ten times stronger and would shoot larger plumes of ash much higher in the air. Though experts feared that Katla might be set off by the eruption back in April, it hasn’t happened yet – but that doesn’t mean it won’t.

Mount Baekdu, North Korea

(image via: wikimedia commons)

Mount Baekdu is sacred to Koreans, deeply connected to their history – the legend goes that this volcanic mountain on the border between North Korea and China is the ancestral origin of their people. But it may soon be connected to a new, less positive legend; experts believe it’s going to erupt for the first time since 947 A.D. sometime between 2014 and 2015. Last time, the amount of ash created is estimated to have been 1,000 times that of the recent Iceland eruption.

Mayon Volcano, Philippines

(image via: wikimedia commons)

In December of 2009, residents of the central province in the Philippines got the warning: evacuate, because Mayon is going to blow any time now. Tens of thousands of people fled the area as Mount Mayon began to hiss steam and spew ash into the air and lava began to pour down the mountainside. Ultimately, the volcano didn’t erupt – not yet, at least. The warning level has been lowered since then, but experts say the danger is far from past, especially as volcanic earthquakes and rockfall events continue to occur.

Mount St. Helens, Washington, USA

(image via: wikimedia commons)

30 years ago, Mount St. Helens caused utter chaos in Washington State, killing dozens of people and decimating more than 200 square miles of forest. It erupted again in 2004 – much more mildly – but another eruption is just a matter of time, and there would be very little warning once it began. Scientists estimate that Mount St. Helens would send a plume of ash 30,000 feet into the sky within five minutes.

Yellowstone Volcano, Wyoming, USA

(images via: wikimedia commons)

When Iceland’s volcano erupted in April 2010, the most damage it did was to the airline industry as billions of dollars were lost to grounded flights. But, as CBS News puts it, “If the Yellowstone volcano has a major eruption, you won’t be thinking much about flying.” That’s because this gigantic little-known volcano, which lies under the surface of one of America’s most popular national parks, would level nearby towns and cover a huge portion of the central US with dozens of feet of ash if it erupted. Right now, the rock is about 5% molten, and it needs to reach 15% before an eruption – which could happen in a matter of days, but would have to be triggered by a major event about as likely as a mile-wide asteroid hitting the earth. The Yellowstone volcano is being carefully monitored by scientists, so we’ll likely know far ahead of time if this baby gets ready to blow.

Marsili Volcano, Italy

(image via: cnn.com)

As if Southern Italy didn’t have enough volcanic threats, there’s also the possibility of a nearby undersea volcano collapsing and causing a catastrophic tsunami. In that sense, the Marsili Volcano isn’t technically “about to blow” – but it could cause just as much damage. In fact, experts at the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology say that the volcano’s walls could crumble at any time, producing shock waves that could theoretically sink the whole of Southern Italy into the Mediterranean Sea.  It’s not a matter of if, but when – however, that ‘when’ may not occur for hundreds of years.

Glacier Peak, Washington, USA

(image via: herald net)

Compared to the majesty of nearby Mount Rainier and Mount Baker, Washington State’s Glacier Peak seems like a mole hill. But buy a home in Snohomish County, and you’ll be forced to sign a document acknowledging your awareness of the fact that you’ll be living within the volcano’s reach. Glacier Peak is one of 18 U.S. Volcanoes listed as “very high threat”, but it has only three siesmometers and no GPS monitoring stations. Its last major eruption was about 1800 years ago, and when it erupts again, it will be far more violent than the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens.

Mount Vesuvius, Italy

(image via: wikimedia commons)

The 1 million people who live at the base of Mt. Vesuvius don’t need to be reminded of the horrors that another eruption of that infamous volcano would bring – they know all too well. Pompeii, completely annihilated in the year 79 B.C.E., is just minutes from the bustling metropolis of Naples, Italy. Yet another eruption killed 4,000 people in 1631, while a 1944 eruption took the lives of 26. Vesuvius is now considered Italy’s “biggest public safety problem”, though no one can predict when it will next awaken. Luckily, the chance of another Pompeii-sized eruption is only around 1 percent.

Ischia Volcano, Italy

(image via: wikimedia commons)

Not far from Mount Vesuvius, just a few miles away off the coast of Southern Italy, lies yet another volcano that could potentially erupt at any time – and while it’s far less known than Vesuvius, it may be even more dangerous. Ischia last erupted 700 years ago, and scientists say that it’s experiencing a build-up of magma that may be a disturbing hint at coming events.

Mount Merapi, Indonesia

(image via: wikimedia commons)

It’s a beautiful sight, towering over the surrounding flat lands with their jumbles of bright-roofed buildings. But Mount Merapi is also deadly, and capable of meting out an incredible amount of destruction. It has earned its place among the world’s most active volcanoes, with mild eruptions occurring every 2-3 years, larger ones every 10-15 years and exceptionally lethal eruptions happening every 40-60 years.  In 1930, 1400 people lost their lives and 13 villages were destroyed; in 2006, the volcano threatened to blow but seismic activity calmed down within a couple weeks.

Nyiragongo, Democratic Republic of Congo

(image via: xinhuanet)

Just like its similarly volatile neighbor Nyamuragira, the volcano Nyiragongo – located in the Democratic Republic of Congo – is extremely active, having erupted at least 34 times since 1882. A major eruption in 2002 sent lava pouring into the streets of nearby towns. Another one is likely forthcoming: in June 2010, a massive plume of molten rock associated with volcanic activity was discovered heading toward the East African Rift upon which Nyiragongo sits.

Taal Volcano, Philippines

(image via: wikimedia commons)

In the Philippines, residents are on alert for a possible eruption of the Taal Volcano, which could blow for the first time since 1997. Located just 30 miles south of the densely populated capital city of Manila, Taal could cause significant upheaval in the region including fatalities. The volcano began hissing steam last year and many high-frequency volcanic earthquakes were detected in the third week of June 2010, with magma currently moving toward the surface.

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The Oldest

(images via: Daily Mail UK and Mahjoob)

There are several candidates for the Earth’s oldest rocks located in Greenland, South Africa and Australia but the Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt in northern Canada seems to be the reigning age champion.

(image via: The Pirate’s Cove)

These rocks date back approximately 4.28 billion years to the Hadean Eon, a hellish time when our planet’s crust was just beginning to cool, and meteorites and comets rained from the skies. It’s estimated that the impact of a Mars-sized proto-planet called Theia occurred several hundred million years earlier, adding to the earth’s mass and forming the Moon.

(images via: PopAstro and GalaxyWire)

The “oldest rock on Earth” may actually be a moon rock! The so-called Genesis Rock, picked up off the lunar surface by astronauts during the Apollo 15 mission, is estimated to be 4.5 billion years old and may have once been part of the Moon’s original crust.

The Rainiest

(images via: Tutunendo, Patatastraigo and Travelvista)

You might expect the rainiest place on Earth to be in a rainforest and you’d be right: the Colombian Department (province) of Chocó, bordering Panama, is widely recognized as being the wettest place in the world. How wet is Chocó? In 1974, the town of Tutunendo was drenched with an astounding 26,303 mm (86 ft, 3.5 inches) of rain! On average, Tutunendo receives 11,770 cm (463.4 inches, or 38 ft, 6 inches) of rain per year and 2/3 of the time the rain falls at night.

(images via: Plan Your Adventure and Hanaleikauai Activities)

Mount Wai-’ale’ale on the island of Kauai, Hawaii has the most rainy days per year: up to 350 rainy days annually. Keep that in mind before you book your next vacation to “sunny Hawaii”.

The Snowiest

(images via: Wikipedia, Dgrin and WS/DOTblog)

Extremely heavy snowfalls occur in parts of the world where tall mountains divert moisture-laden air masses upward, bringing them past their condensation points. Exceptionally heavy snowfalls can occur in some surprising places: on February 14, 1927, researchers measured the depth of the annual snowpack on Japan’s Mount Ibuki at 38.8 feet (11.82 m). The Cascade Mountains of America’s Pacific Northwest are the recorded snowfall champions, however.

(image via: Stone Creek Lodge)

Snow on Washington state’s Mount Rainier was measured at a record 93.5 feet (2,850 cm) in the winter of 1971–72. Mount Ranier’s record was broken over the winter of 1998-99 when 95 feet (2,896 cm) of snow fell on the nearby Mt. Baker Ski Area. We’ll assume the snow-making machines got a rest that winter.

(images via: Dark Roasted Blend, English Russia and France24)

While snowfall in upper mountain elevations rarely inconveniences anyone except skiers, heavy snowfalls can paralyze urban centers for days, sometimes weeks. The above images of towns in Russia and the Ukraine digging out from massive snowstorms show what a visit from General Winter can be like… foreign invaders, take heed (and snowshoes).

The Driest

(images via: Nunuk Photos, Up Overland and Run Further)

Chile’s Atacama Desert doesn’t get much rain at the best of times, and at the worst of times which is, actually, most of the time) it gets barely any. It’s been noted that at the town of Arica, no rain at all fell between October 1903 to January 1918 – longest recorded rainless period in the world! Some parts of the Atacama strongly resemble photos of the planet Mars, which is not really a surprise as it doesn’t rain there either.

(images via: GhostTowns, Petzlaff and Historic 66)

America’s Death Valley often makes lists of the hottest, lowest and driest places but the Mojave Desert can be just as hot and dry. Indeed, the longest recorded dry spell in the USA was at Bagdad, California (appropriate name, that) – 767 days, from October 3rd, 1912 to November 8th, 1914. I doubt they had a white Christmas then, and they won’t now: Bagdad’s been a ghost town since 1991.

The Windiest

(images via: 180782′s Blog, New Zealand Travel and State Library of NSW)

Commonwealth Bay is officially listed in the Guinness Book of World Records and the Eighth Edition of the National Geographic Atlas as being the windiest place on Earth – and to make matters even worse, it’s located in Antarctica. Forget about the occasional gust, the winds at Commonwealth Bay are strong, steady, and blow at 150 mph (240 km/h) – or more.

(image via: AAD)

Australian antarctic explorer Douglas Mawson established the main base of the 1912 Australasian Antarctic Expedition expedition at Cape Denison, at the mouth of Commonwealth Bay. Presumably he did this on a rare windless day; otherwise he must have been insane.

(images via: Home By The Sea and Brian A Small)

One of the windiest places on Earth’s northern hemisphere is Cape Blanco in southwestern Oregon, USA. Jutting into the Pacific Ocean near Coos Bay, Cape Blanco is both the westernmost point of Oregon and the contiguous United States. Severe winter storms often rake Cape Blanco with shrieking winds that gust up to 125 mph (200 km/h).

The Flattest

(images via: Rajie Manders, WikiTravel, Home of POI and Horolezec)

Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni was formed from several prehistoric lakes that converged and dried, leaving a salt pan several feet thick or more over a 4,086 sq mi (10,582 sq km) expanse. Think of Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats multiplied by 25 and you’ll get an idea of how large the Salar de Uyuni is.

(image via: Seaway Blog)

Certain rare elements are concentrated in the various salts that make up the Salar, especially the strategic metal Lithium – up to 70 percent of the world’s lithium reserves are locked in the Salar’s salts!

(images via: Gone For A Wander and Travel Bolivia)

Normally dry and virtually lifeless, the Salar de Uyuni comes alive each November when summer rains attract flocks of pink flamingos, who feed on red algae and brine shrimp. At these times, the Salar becomes even flatter – in effect, it becomes a virtual mirror orbiting satellites use to calibrate their distance measurements.

The Deepest Cave

(images via: Gilyn, The Horse and Rider and Karavi)

Located in the politically ambiguous Republic of Abkhazia, the Voronya Cave (Crows’ Cave, in Russian) plunges 7,188 feet (2,191 m) into the depths of the Arabika Massif, a limestone formation dating back to the Age of Dinosaurs. Also known as the Krubera cave (after Russian geographer Alexander Kruber), the cave was discovered in 1960 and has surpassed Austria’s Lamprechtsofen as the world’s deepest cave and the only known cave deeper than 2,000 meters (6,561.5 ft).

(image via: Avibo)

Credit must be given to the the Ukrainian Speleological Association for establishing a series of depth records in the Voronya Cave and its many subsidiary caves. Beginning in the early 1980s, the Ukr.S.A. began deliberately clearing blockages and expanding squeeze points so that cave explorers could penetrate ever deeper into the interconnected caves. The current record depth of 7,188 feet (2,191 m) was set in the autumn of 2007 but as the Ukr.S.A. mounts annual expeditions to the Voronya Cave system, it’s possible those figures could change.

The Most Remote Land

(images via: Stuff, Explorapoles and PolarIce)

A “pole of inaccessibility” is that point on a continent that is the greatest distance from any ocean in any direction – the North American PofA is in South Dakota. There’s a hierarchy among poles of inaccessibility, however, and the most inaccessible of all lies in the frigid wastelands of Antarctica.

(images via: N/US Traverse and Break Media)

In 1958 the Soviet Union established a base at the Antarctic Pole of Inaccessibility which they quickly abandoned. Before leaving the base, the Soviet team installed a golden bust (OK, it’s plastic) of Lenin to oversee the icy landscape and mark the USSR’s global reach. Lenin’s eyes gaze back wistfully in the direction of Moscow – on the bright side, he won’t be troubled by pigeons. Below the bust, nearly inundated by years of snow, is a small hut that contains a guest book for visitors to sign. I’m guessing it’s a very thin periodical.

The Most Remote Island

(images via: Wikimedia, Lo Incognito, Mappery and Hotel Club)

Our previous Extreme Places on the Planet article featured the Most Remote Inhabited Island, Tristan de Cunha. Though certainly remote, another uninhabited island holds the distinction of being the most remote, period. Bouvet Island is a small island in the South Atlantic Ocean that, oddly enough, is under Norwegian sovereignty. The nearest land is Antarctica’s Queen Maud Land nearly 1,000 miles (1,600 km) to the south. The nearest inhabited island is Tristan da Cunha, 1,404 miles (2,260 km) away and the nearest inhabited land is South Africa, which is 1,600 miles (2,580 km) to the northeast. Fun facts about Bouvet island: it served as the setting for the 2004 film Alien vs. Predator. Bouvet Island also has its own (unused) Internet country code top-level domain: bv.

(image via: Robin Muench)

Bouvet Island is 93 percent ice-covered with glaciers calving into the chill Southern Ocean. The island is only 19 square miles (49 sq km) in area and has no vegetation except for small outcrops of moss and lichen. Bouvet Island’s only claim to fame occurred in 1979 when an orbiting American spy satellite detected a double-flash of light near the island. Though never officially confirmed, the flash is believed by many to be the signature of a joint Israel-South Africa nuclear test.

(image via: Borders.com)

Extremes of weather, distance, geology and geography make our planet exceptional in many ways. Nothing interesting in your world today? Step out of your comfort zone sometime, going to extremes can have its own reward!

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