It is hard, I think, to say what is interesting in this world. If you were to ask me that question, we would be stuck on that same list for hours, discussing all of the things in this world that I have come to believe are worthy of note. It is not just in the things that people build or construct that I can find wonder and beauty, but also in the things that the world has somehow built by chance. This world is full of spontaneous natural creation that inspires the most brilliant of arts. 

When thinking of great places in the world, many will turn their mind to the seven wonders of the world. But where do our minds turn when we think of the natural wonders that this Earth of ours has to provide? So after some searching and shifting, sorting out places of man-built beauties, I have found some that seem to fit the bill. One of these natural beauties that we can look at is the Dead Sea. Located between Jordan and Israel, the Dead Sea is less wonderful in its beauty, although it is indeed beautiful, but rather for the way that people that lay in its waters float. This is because of the high levels of salt within the Dead Sea. The salt within the sea raises the density of the water, allowing those who bathe in the waters to simply float without much struggle. Nearly all of the water from the Dead Sea originates from the Jordan River. Its name also comes from an influence of the salt levels, with the high amounts of the substance making it impossible for fish and other such life to survive for extended periods. Things such as algae and bacteria can still survive in its waters, however. 

While looking at the Dead Sea as a wonder that appeases the mind, there are plenty of places in the world that appease the eye. One such wonder in my mind has to be the Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological Park located in Gansu, China. The striped look on the rocks in this geological park was formed by the erosion of red sandstone over time to create the peaks song with the conditions of its location such as long-term desert conditions, freeze-thaw peeling, and wind and water erosion, coming together to also have an effect on the location’s appearance. It is believed that its topography is somehow linked to oceanic crust.

As humans, we have tapered with a lot of places in this world, but there are many that I am glad that we have yet to ruin. In a world such as this which creates its own beauty by pure chance, we can only elevate this brilliance with our own sense of design. Instead of destroying to place a part of ourselves in the wake, we should aim to simply add to nature’s beauty in a way that is non-destructive to the planet’s own natural wonders that we have been randomly gifted. 

Sources

• https://www.britannica.com/place/Dead-Sea
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea#:~:text=The%20sea%20is%20called%20%22dead,and%20microbial%20fungi%20are%20present.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhangye_National_Geopark