
View at dusk of the young Pu’u ‘O’o cinder-and-spatter cone. The fantastic fountain on Kilauea, Hawaii, is shooting up about 40 m high. Photo #1 by G.E. Ulrich/USGS
View at dusk of the young Pu’u ‘O’o cinder-and-spatter cone. The fantastic fountain on Kilauea, Hawaii, is shooting up about 40 m high. Photo #1 by G.E. Ulrich/USGS
Beyond the scorching sands of the desert lie the gates to hell. Welcome to hell, or at least a sandy version of Dante’s Inferno. Evil sand sculptures brought to you from master sand sculptors. Photo #1 by smo9monster at Skull Brain
An F/A-18C Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 113 breaks the sound barrier during an air power demonstration over the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson. U.S. Navy Photo #1 by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Travis K. Mendoza
Early morning in wonderful Machu Picchu, a pre-Columbian 15th-century Inca site located 2,430 meters (7,970 ft) above sea level. Most archaeologists think Machu Picchu was built around AD 1400 as “an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti” and is often referred to as the “Lost City of the Incas.” It is probably the most familiar icon of the Inca World. Around the time of the Spanish Conquest in 1572, the Incas abandoned their empire and the Peruvian jungle swallowed Machu Picchu. It wasn’t rediscovered until 1911 by American historian and explorer Hiram Bingham. There are about 140 structures or features, ranging from temples, to sanctuaries, parks, and residences, with more than 100 flights of stone steps carved from a single block of granite. Photo #1 by Pedro Szekely
A C-130 Hercules from the Air Force Reserve Command’s 440th Airlift Wing at General Mitchell Air Reserve Station, Wis., sits on the ramp during a 4th of July fireworks display taking place in a neighboring community. U.S. Air Force Photo #1 by Joe Oliva
Maple Glade Trail. It’s supposed to be a humbling experience to stand amidst such giants in the ancient forests of Olympic National Park. Photo #1 by rachel_thecat
Incredibly beauty to be found at the Marble Caverns on General Carrera Lake in Patagonia, Chile. Photo #1 by © Jorge Leon Cabello
Fall Colors of Black Forest. Imagine that beauty times 4,600 sq miles. Long ago, this forest was so thick that is was impenetrable to people and to sunlight. Photo #1 by Andreas Wonisch
A fisherman wades into the waters of Hyeopjae Beach on Jeju, S. Korea. As Korea’s most southern region, the weather on Jejudo Island is warmer than the mainland even during the cold winter months. Photo #1 by Brian Miller
Upper Antelope Canyon is at about 4,000 feet elevation. It is the most popular of the two canyons since the upper has a fairly flat ground which requires no climbing. Also because the glorious shafts of sunlight are most common here. The spectacular canyon walls rise 120 feet above the streambed. Throughout the year and depending upon the time of day, nature will surprise you in this amazing canyon with the changing masterpiece of color variations, sunbeams, and visible textures. Photo #1 by James Marvin Phelps
Titov Island overlooking Vietnam Ha Long Bay. Will this be crowned as one of the seven finalists in the “New 7 Wonders of Nature” competition? Photo #1 by Alex Stoen
Preikestolen cliff goes by many names. The massive cliff is 604 meters (1982 feet) above Lysefjorden, Norway. Photo #1 by Arjan Veen