Pink Salt Lake
© Addictive Creative/Shutterstock
Pool of pink
Though it does lie at the base of a volcano, that's not a pool of lava we're seeing. Flanked by vast, dry salt pans below the volcanic cone that shares its name, Laguna Carachi Pampa is a hypersaline lake on the Puna de Atacama, an expansive, arid plateau in central South America that's often compared to the surface of Mars. Unlike the Red Planet, this place is known to support life: The lake's red-hot coloration comes from microorganisms it hosts in its hypersaline waters. Larger life also finds ways to thrive here, such as flamingos that use it as a breeding ground—how's that for color coordination?
Sediment-rich coastal estuaries, Kimberley Western Australia
Martian River Delta
Blue white salt desert hills
Abstract Watercolor River Delta
Huanglong travertine terraces, Sichuan, China
Turquoise Braided Tidal Bay
Color-splashed coastal path with red and white lighthouse and sea ice
Braided River Delta Reservoir
