View allAll Photos Tagged Solidified
Founded in 1130 by the local landowner Robert Giffard, St. Michael de Rupe church is the fourth smallest parish church in the UK, and is believed to be the highest working church in southern England.
Brent Tor is one of the most impressive rock outcrops in Dartmoor. It is unusual as it is one of the few on Dartmoor not to be made of granite. In fact, it is formed from basaltic lava which flowed some 350 million years ago into a shallow sea that covered the area during the Lower Carboniferous and Devonian periods. As the lavas flowed out into the sea some solidified into globular masses known as pillow lavas. Others were broken up by explosive contact with the sea water.
This lava formed a mound on the sea floor which was then eroded by sea currents with the resulting debris being washed down the slopes of the mound. Debris of this nature can still be seen loose on the southern slopes of the tor.
Macro Monday
Theme: Made Of Metal
Size: Less than 3x3 inches
I cut off a piece of an Aluminium foil pan and rolled it up.
I placed it on a mirror and use a thumb tack to represent its eye horn.
The yellow background is a plastic bag. A trail of water to represent the snail's slime complete the picture.
Natural light through the window and an LED torch light at 4 o'clock.
Aluminum foil is 98.5% aluminum with the balance primarily from iron and silicon to give strength and puncture resistance.
The molten alloy is rolled thin and solidified between large, water-cooled chill rollers.
Many thanks for your visit, comments and faves...it is always appreciated.
Peaceful MM
The Giant's Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption. It is located in County Antrim on the north coast of Northern Ireland, about three miles (5 km) northeast of the town of Bushmills.
It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986 and a national nature reserve by the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland in 1987. In a 2005 poll of Radio Times readers, the Giant's Causeway was named the fourth-greatest natural wonder in the United Kingdom.[6]
The tops of the columns form stepping stones that lead from the cliff foot and disappear under the sea. Most of the columns are hexagonal, although some have four, five, seven or eight sides.[7] The tallest are about 12 metres (39 ft) high, and the solidified lava in the cliffs is 28 metres (92 ft) thick in places.
According to legend, the columns are the remains of a causeway built by a giant. The story goes that the Irish giant Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn MacCool), from the Fenian Cycleof Gaelic mythology, was challenged to a fight by the Scottish giant Benandonner. Fionn accepted the challenge and built the causeway across the North Channel so that the two could meet.
Islas Canarias. Tenerife. Los guanches, aborígenes de las islas, se referían a estos acantilados como “la muralla del infierno”, pues creían que marcaban el fin del mundo…, además sus formas escarpadas recuerdan a figuras humanas lo que reforzaba esta idea. Su altura, en algunos puntos, supera los 600 metros !. El color oscuro de las paredes y las columnas de lava solidificada convierten a estos ‘gigantes’ en un paisaje natural único, realmente impresionante.
Canary Islands. Tenerife. Spain. The Guanches, aborigines of the islands, referred to these cliffs as "the wall of hell", as they believed that they marked the end of the world..., and their steep shapes are reminiscent of human figures, which reinforced this idea. Its height, at some points, exceeds 600 meters!. The dark colour of the walls and the columns of solidified lava make these 'giants' a unique, really impressive.
Algar do Carvāo is an unusual volcanic cave system. It is a volcanic pit or vent, also called a volcanic chimney that is about 80-90 meters (262 -295 ft.) deep. Secondary magma chambers open up on its sides. The vent first formed roughly 3,200 years ago during the eruption on the side of the Guilherme Moniz caldera. It lies near the intersection of 3 volcanic complexes: Santa Barbara to the west, Pico Alto to the north, and Guilherme Moniz, which is a short distance to the south. A second eruption, occurring in the same spot 1,200 years later. It created many of the magma chambers seen today. It is rare to find an open vent or chimney as they are usually blocked with solidified magma/lava.
Link to a cutaway of Cave System: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TER_ANG_pju_algarCarvao.png
More Info and Details on my blog
#decollabing
I AM SO excited to post this tomorrow! Here's what Callie and I have been up to!
As soon as Apple Fall SL and Dust Bunny announced these sets, we knew that we had to do them justice!
So we always see bloggers collaborating together for fashion posts, so why not decor? We got together and put together this amazing jungle getaway! It was such a fun way of collabing, having that second eye for decor really solidifies the scene.
It features both of these store's new sets now available at the mainstores!
The very thin fly-wing (not the cover-wing) of a grasshopper on a background of colors coming from the stress polarization in a burned and solidified disc ...
More Info and Details on my blog
#decollabing
I AM SO excited to post this tomorrow! Here's what Callie and I have been up to!
As soon as Apple Fall SL and Dust Bunny announced these sets, we knew that we had to do them justice!
So we always see bloggers collaborating together for fashion posts, so why not decor? We got together and put together this amazing jungle getaway! It was such a fun way of collabing, having that second eye for decor really solidifies the scene.
It features both of these store's new sets now available at the mainstores!
The Pancake Rocks can be found in the Putai area. Formed 30 million years ago from minute pieces of dead marine creatures and plants settling on the seabed about 2 km under the surface. The immense water pressure at this depth caused the fragments to solidify in hard and soft layers. Due to the seismic action in this area the limestone strata was lifted the above the seabed. Mildly acidic rain, wind and seawater slowly created the strange rock forms.
Tateiwa
立岩
It is a huge monolith with a height of 20m. 1,500 years ago, the magma that rose from the underground solidified and then eroded into this shape.
高さ20mの巨大な一枚岩です。1500年前、地下から上昇してきたマグマが固まり、その後の侵食によりこの形となった様です。
Kyotango city, Kyoto pref, Japan
Vladimir I Sviatoslavich or Volodymyr I Sviatoslavych. (958 – 15 July 1015), nicknamed the Great, was Prince of Novgorod, Grand Prince of Kiev, and ruler of Kievan Rus' from 980 to 1015.
Vladimir's father was Prince Sviatoslav I of Kiev of the Rurik dynasty. After the death of his father in 972, Vladimir, who was then prince of Novgorod, was forced to flee to Scandinavia in 976 after his brother Yaropolk murdered his other brother Oleg of Drelinia, becoming the sole ruler of Rus'. In Sweden, with the help of his relative Ladejarl Håkon Sigurdsson, ruler of Norway, he assembled a Varangian army and reconquered Novgorod from Yaropolk. By 980, Vladimir had consolidated the Rus' realm to the Baltic Sea and had solidified the frontiers against incursions of Bulgarians, Baltic tribes and Eastern nomads. Originally a follower of Slavic paganism, Vladimir converted to Christianity in 988 and Christianized the Kievan Rus'. Due to this act, which fundamentally altered the historical trajectory of the Rus' and led to his declaration as a saint in both Western Christianity and the Eastern Orthodox Church, Vladimir is thus also known as Saint Vladimir. Some scholars prefer Volodimer I or Volodimir I.
Фреска «Святий рівноапостольний князь Володимир. Північна стіна трансепту. Ліворуч. 1 ярус.
«Володимир I Святославич (960/963 — 15 липня 1015) — великий князь київський (979–1015), князь новгородський (970–988). Хреститель Русі. Представник варязької династії Рюриковичів. Наймолодший (позашлюбний) син київського князя Святослава Ігоровича від ключниці Малуші (імовірної дочки древлянського князя Мала). Онук київської княгині Ольги, батько київського князя Ярослава Мудрого. Молодший брат і наступник київського князя Ярополка Святославича. Захопив київський престол після міжусобної боротьби з братом (977–979). Приєднав до Київської Русі землі в'ятичів (982), ятвягів (983), радимичів (984), білих хорватів (981). Воював проти булгарів (985), греків (988), вірменів (1000), поляків (1001), печенігів (996, 1015). Охрестив Русь 988 року. Встановив Київську митрополію Константинопольського патріархату. Розширив межі столиці Києва, збудував Десятинну церкву (996). Першим із руських князів розпочав карбувати власну золоту монету. Заснував Володимир (988) та інші міста. Використовував особистий знак «тризуб», що став у ХХ столітті гербом України. Помер у Берестовському палаці за Києвом. Канонізований Католицькою і Православною церквами як рівноапостольний святий. Засновник династії Володимировичів. Національний герой України. Прізвиська — Великий, Святий, Хреститель, Красне-Сонечко тощо.» Вікіпедія.
Algar do Carvāo is an unusual volcanic cave system. As you can see that the opening is almost vertical. This photo was taken during a one on one photo tour with Juca from Azores Expeditions. He is responsible setting up this great shot of me inside the volcanic vent, also called a volcanic chimney. The cavern plunges to a depth of about 80-90 meters (262 -295 ft.). It opens up into secondary magma chambers on its sides. The vent first formed roughly 3,200 years ago during the eruption on the side of the Guilherme Moniz caldera. It is part of the same volcanic complex as Santa Barbara to the west, Pico Alto to the north, and Guilherme Moniz, which is a short distance to the south. A second eruption, occurred in the same spot 1,200 years after the first. It created many of the magma chambers seen today. It is rare to find an open vent or chimney as they are usually blocked with solidified magma/lava.
Link to a cutaway of Cave System: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TER_ANG_pju_algarCarvao.png
The mountain never ceases to amaze.. every time, it gives you a new experience, a new feeling, a new chance to appreciate the beauty of the nature, and this way solidifies its presence in your life.
Once you've experienced all of this, there's no turning back to the mechanical world that we as a society have become.. and for that I am really thankful!
Ceahlau massif, Romania
The Pancake Rocks are a heavily eroded limestone area where the sea bursts through several vertical blowholes.
The Pancake Rocks were formed 30 million years ago when minute fragments of dead marine creatures and plants landed on the seabed about 2 km below the surface.
Immense water pressure caused them to solidify into layers of more resistant limestone and softer, thin, mud-rich layers.
Gradually seismic action lifted the limestone above the seabed where water, wind and salt spray eroded the softer layers leaving a "pancake" like stack of harder limestone.
Here they were photographed at sunset when, under the setting sun, they become orangeish.
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Punakaiki, South Island, New Zealand
Smith Rock State Park is an American state park located in central Oregon's High Desert near the communities of Redmond and Terrebonne. Its sheer cliffs of tuff and basalt are ideal for rock climbing of all difficulty levels. Smith Rock is generally considered the birthplace of modern American sport climbing, and is host to cutting-edge climbing routes. It is popular for sport climbing. The geology of Smith Rocks is volcanic. It is made up of layers of recent basalt flows overlaying older Clarno ash and tuff formations. Approximately 30 million years ago, a large caldera was formed when overlying rock collapsed into an underground lava chamber. This created a huge amount of rock and ash debris that filled the caldera. That material solidified into rock, becoming Smith Rock tuff. A half million years ago, basalt lava flows from nearby volcanoes covered the older tuff. More recently, the Crooked River cut its way through the layers of rock to create today's geographic features. Smith Rock itself is a 3,200-foot (980 m)-high ridge (above sea level) with a sheer cliff-face overlooking a bend in the Crooked River (elev. 2600 ft), making the cliffs about 600 feet high.
Apolo
La mariposa se recuperaba después de una noche tormentosa.
Se trata de una hembra con el “sphragis” bien visible, cuyo tema ya he citado en alguna otra toma publicada.
En algunas especies, como Parnassius apollo y P. mnemosyne entre otras, los machos -tras la cópula- colocan a las hembras una sustancia que se solidifica denominada "sphragis", la cual tapa el acceso genital de la hembra de manera que impide el que se pueda aparear de nuevo con otro macho. Garantía de su estirpe?… En el momento de la puesta esa sustancia cede y permite la oviposición.
Abella - Laspaúles (Pirineo aragonés - España)
Muchas gracias por sus visitas, comentarios y favoritos.
Apollo.
The butterfly was recovering after a stormy night.
It is a female with the “sphragis” clearly visible, the subject of which I have already quoted in some other published shot.
In some species, such as Parnassius apollo and P. mnemosyne among others, the males - after the copulation - attach to the females a solidifying substance called "sphragis", which covers the female genital access in a way that prevents the can mate again with another male. Guarantee of its lineage?… At the time of laying this substance yields and allows oviposition.
Abella - Laspaúles (Aragonese Pyrenees - Spain)
Thank you very much for your visits, comments and faves.
Apollon.
Le papillon se remettait d'une nuit d'orage.
C'est une femelle avec les «sphragis» clairement visibles, dont j'ai déjà cité le sujet dans un autre plan publié.
Chez certaines espèces, comme Parnassius apollo et P. mnemosyne entre autres, les mâles - après la copulation - attachent aux femelles une substance solidifiante appelée "sphragis", qui recouvre l'accès génital féminin d'une manière qui empêche la peut s'accoupler à nouveau avec un autre mâle. Garantie de sa lignée?… Au moment de la ponte, cette substance cède et permet la ponte.
Abella - Laspaúles (Pyrénées aragonaises - Espagne)
Merci beaucoup pour vos visites, commentaires et favoris.
The imposing geology of the Giant's Causeway, Antrim, Northern Ireland.
The Giant's Causeway, located in County Antrim, on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland, is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. The tops of the columns form stepping stones that lead from the cliff foot and disappear under the sea. Most of the columns are hexagonal, although there are also some with four, five, seven and eight sides. The tallest are about 12 metres high, and the solidified lava in the cliffs is 28 metres thick in places.
Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) is a multipurpose development area in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The area is located around Jalan Ampang, Jalan P. Ramlee, Jalan Binjai, Jalan Kia Peng and Jalan Pinang. There are a number of shopping complexes such as Suria KLCC and Avenue K. There are also hotels within walking distance such as G Tower, Mandarin Oriental, Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur and InterContinental Kuala Lumpur hotel. Designed to be a city within a city, the 100-acre site hosts the tallest twin buildings in the world, a shopping mall, office buildings and several hotels. A public park and a mosque have also been built in the area and open to everyone. The whole project is cooled via district cooling located on the property. Constructed between 1993 and 1998, the Petronas Twin Towers were the tallest buildings in the world from 1 January 1998 to 31 December 2004. Currently, it still holds the record for the tallest twin buildings in the world. It is the headquarters of Petronas, a Fortune 100 state-owned oil company and also the largest company in Southeast Asia. The towers and the mall below were designed by Argentinian born architect César Pelli. Construction started in 1991 and was completed 7 years later, in the midst of Asian Financial Crisis and Reformasi movement. Due to the soil conditions of the site, the buildings were built on one of the deepest foundations in the world. The Building Services engineer contractor was Flack + Kurtz which is currently part of the WSP | Parsons Brinkerhoff Company. The 88-storey towers were built using mostly reinforced concrete, with steel-and-glass facades to resemble Islamic motifs which were intended to reflect the official and majority religion of Malaysia. The cross section of the tower resembles Rub el Hizb, which further solidifies the Islamic motif in the tower design. 19952
ESTACIÒN SAN PATRICIO
Esta estaciòn fue inaugurada el 5 de Agosto de 1865 por parte del Ferrocarril Buenos Aires al Pacífico, en el ramal Retiro-Junín. El paraje no llego a solidificarse como pueblo, hoy es parte de un hermoso paisaje rural. Su nombre se debe a un establecimiento cercano que pertenecio a Patricio y Lucia Adelina Rocha
This station was inaugurated on August 5, 1865 by the Buenos Aires Railroad to the Pacific, in the branch Retiro-Junín. The place did not come to solidify as a town, today it is part of a beautiful rural landscape. His name is due to a nearby establishment that belonged to Patricio and Lucia Adelina Rocha
A lava tunnel is formed when molten lava continues to flow from a volcano underneath a hardened outer surface of solidified lava. When the lava stops flowing, the tunnel drains and we are left with an empty tube. Cueva de Los Verdes (named after the family who originally owned it) conveyed lava away in a southeast direction from the 609 m high Corona volcano that erupted about 4000 years ago. (More information in the other Cueva de Los Verdes photos.)
This imposing feature is actually part of an island of rocks just off the shoreline in Lighthouse Bay. These dolerite rocks are evidence that the Tasmanian plateau was once forged in volcanic activity. All our volcanoes are now well extinct, but during the Jurassic period (160 million years ago) the sea would have been boiling with molten rock.
"The dolerite cooled from incredibly hot temperatures, solidified and contracted, producing the columnar jointing so often apparent today forming dolerite cliffs."
The "Druïdenstein" in the Westerwald, near the town Kirchen, is a basalt cone.
This is about 450 m. above sea level and 20 m. above its surroundings.
The age is estimated to be about 1 to 25 million years at the time of the Young Tertiary.
It got its unusual shape when lava worked its way through Devonian greywacke rock and then solidified.
Фрагмент ікони іконостасу центральної нави. Художник Віктор Михайлович Васнєцов. Це друга ікона з правої сторони іконостасу, рахуючи від Царської брами, Володимирський собор.
Vladimir I Sviatoslavich or Volodymyr I Sviatoslavych. (958 – 15 July 1015), nicknamed the Great, was Prince of Novgorod, Grand Prince of Kiev, and ruler of Kievan Rus' from 980 to 1015.
Vladimir's father was Prince Sviatoslav I of Kiev of the Rurik dynasty. After the death of his father in 972, Vladimir, who was then prince of Novgorod, was forced to flee to Scandinavia in 976 after his brother Yaropolk murdered his other brother Oleg of Drelinia, becoming the sole ruler of Rus'. In Sweden, with the help of his relative Ladejarl Håkon Sigurdsson, ruler of Norway, he assembled a Varangian army and reconquered Novgorod from Yaropolk. By 980, Vladimir had consolidated the Rus' realm to the Baltic Sea and had solidified the frontiers against incursions of Bulgarians, Baltic tribes and Eastern nomads. Originally a follower of Slavic paganism, Vladimir converted to Christianity in 988 and Christianized the Kievan Rus'. Due to this act, which fundamentally altered the historical trajectory of the Rus' and led to his declaration as a saint in both Western Christianity and the Eastern Orthodox Church, Vladimir is thus also known as Saint Vladimir. Some scholars prefer Volodimer I or Volodimir I.
«Володимир I Святославич (960/963 — 15 липня 1015) — великий князь київський (979–1015), князь новгородський (970–988). Хреститель Русі. Представник варязької династії Рюриковичів. Наймолодший (позашлюбний) син київського князя Святослава Ігоровича від ключниці Малуші (імовірної дочки древлянського князя Мала). Онук київської княгині Ольги, батько київського князя Ярослава Мудрого. Молодший брат і наступник київського князя Ярополка Святославича. Захопив київський престол після міжусобної боротьби з братом (977–979). Приєднав до Київської Русі землі в'ятичів (982), ятвягів (983), радимичів (984), білих хорватів (981). Воював проти булгарів (985), греків (988), вірменів (1000), поляків (1001), печенігів (996, 1015). Охрестив Русь 988 року. Встановив Київську митрополію Константинопольського патріархату. Розширив межі столиці Києва, збудував Десятинну церкву (996). Першим із руських князів розпочав карбувати власну золоту монету. Заснував Володимир (988) та інші міста. Використовував особистий знак «тризуб», що став у ХХ столітті гербом України. Помер у Берестовському палаці за Києвом. Канонізований Католицькою і Православною церквами як рівноапостольний святий. Засновник династії Володимировичів. Національний герой України. Прізвиська — Великий, Святий, Хреститель, Красне-Сонечко тощо.» Вікіпедія.
The Back Tusk is a stratovolcano, meaning it is made up of many layers of hardened lava, tephra, pumice, and volcanic ash. Centuries of erosion have stripped away its outer cone of bombs and ash, leaving behind solidified lava of its central conduit that new forms its narrow summit spire. The Black Tusk reaches 2,317 m (7,608 ft) above sea level. The mountain host two significant glaciers that start from approximately 2,100 m (6,890ft) Source: Whistler Museum
February 2nd (Illumination: 95%)
Because there is no atmosphere on the Moon that protects it from foreign impacts, the surface of the Moon is drilled with millions of impact craters.
Impact craters are the result of collisions between an asteroid, comet, or meteorite and the Moon at an average speed of about 30 kilometers per second.
These craters reach hundreds of kilometers in diameter and the largest ones have been filled with cooled and solidified lava which has finally become peculiar Seas.
Hastings, the place where nearby in 1066 a huge battle was formed to solidify the Norman conquest of England. There is intense tourism going on in this area to see the old harbour, old town and the site of the battle.
In this image you see the old funicular and some of the famous net huts.
Please, no invitations to award/forced comment groups or to those with large/animated comment codes.
A hidden gem where nature flourishes amidst the busy urban is located in the center of Dubai. Greetings from Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary, a sanctuary for both environment lovers and animal aficionados. Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary, which is situated at the mouth of the ecologically significant Dubai Creek, is essential to the restocking of the fishing grounds for the neighboring communities of Deira, Shindhaga, and Bur Dubai. This sanctuary was created in 1985 and was formally designated as a protected area in 1998. Its ecological significance has won it acclaim on a global scale.
In 2007, it was designated as a Ramsar Site under the Ramsar Convention, highlighting its importance on a global scale. Additionally, Birdlife International has identified it as a Globally Important Bird Area (IBA), further solidifying its status as an exceptional wetland within the UAE. (DubaiTourVisa.com)
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We had a two day layover in Dubai on our way home from New Zealand and Singapore. So of course, we went birding. This is the view from the Mangrove Hide, one of three luxurious hides situated at the Sanctuary. These hides are the only access points for viewing and are managed carefully to ensure that the birds are not disturbed. We saw 31 species in just one morning, including one lifer and many flamingoes. An easy visit for any birder with a few hours to spare when visiting Dubai.
This is a two-image panorama.
Dubai, UAE. March 2024.
A wider view of one of the impressive geological formations that is Smith Rock. Image taken from the top of the larger formation. The two are connected by a small ridge, hence one rock, even though each stands out individually.
Images of the bigger rock in comments.
"The geology of Smith Rocks is volcanic. It is made up of layers of recent basalt flows overlaying older Clarno ash and tuff formations. Approximately 30 million years ago, a large caldera was formed when overlying rock collapsed into an underground lava chamber. This created a huge amount of rock and ash debris that filled the caldera. That material solidified into rock, becoming Smith Rock tuff. A half million years ago, basalt lava flows from nearby volcanoes covered the older tuff.
More recently, the Crooked River cut its way through the layers of rock to create today's geographic features. Smith Rock itself is a 3,200-foot (980 m)-high ridge (above sea level) with a sheer cliff-face overlooking a bend in the Crooked River (elev. 2600 ft), making the cliffs about 600 feet high."
Wikipedia
Enjoy a wonderful Wednesday!
Cliffs line the road between Tower Falls & Mammoth at Yellowstone National Park USA, resemble the giant stony pipes of a cathedral organ.
Extremely volatile periods in Yellowstone’s history of volcanic activity were characterized by extensive lava flows. When the lava flows came to an end about 75,000 years ago, many of park’s spectacular sites, such as these basalt cliffs, were created.
The most common form of solidified lava, basalt is a darkigneus rock that was extruded to the Earth’s surface by volcanic action. Once deposited on the surface, the rock cooled, contracted & compressed into the familiar stacked-column formation.
This is a granitic batholith (magma chamber that has been solidified and exposed by erosion). The mottled appearance is due to the presence of two slightly different magmas that did not homogeniously mix, while still molten state.
Mission Espada was established by Franciscans in 1690 by Spain in east Texas. After devastating losses from epidemics and threats of hostile attacks, the mission relocated in 1731 to present-day San Antonio, Texas, in what was then known as northern New Spain. The purpose of the mission was to convert local Native Americans to Christianity and to solidify Spanish territorial claims in the New World. Today, the structure is one of four missions that comprise San Antonio Missions National Historical Park.
To grow food for the residents, the mission needed access to water, but the climate around San Antonio is quite arid. After the move to San Antonio in 1731, work began right away to divert water from the San Antonio River. The work, completed in 1745, included a dam and acequia (aqueduct) eventually irrigating 3,500 acres (14 square km) of land. The acequia still carries water today.
In 2015, along with The Alamo, Mission Espada became one of five missions along the San Antonio River designated a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
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Located on the ground floor of the Palazzo Vecchio, the Salone dei Cinquecento was built in 1494 to the designs of Simone del Pollaiolo and commissioned by Girolamo Savonarola, the friar who encouraged the French to take the city and who later became the spiritual leader of the newly established Republic of Florence. Initially designed to house the 1,000 citizens who were the members of the Great Council of the Republic and who met in two groups of 500 (hence the name), the Salone is a vast and imposing space that was later expanded to the designs of Giorgio Vasari to house the court of Grand Duke Cosimo I de' Medici once the Medici family had regained and solidified its political power in the city. Primarily used by the Duke for public ceremonies and as a visual centerpiece for his celebration of glory, it was when Cosimo began to utilize the space that it transformed into the incredible gem you see today.
The Salone was supposed to host two famous works by two incredibly talented artists, but in the end, they were sadly lost forever: Michelangelo's "Battle of Cascina" and Leonardo da Vinci's "Battle of Anghiari." The "Battle of Anghiari" fresco, like his iconic "Last Supper," fell victim to one of da Vinci's experiments in fresco techniques. Because the paint dried too slowly, the artist attempted to speed up the drying process by using hot coals in charcoal pans. This, of course, proved to be a disastrous idea and led to the work melting before the eyes of desperate viewers. Michelangelo, on the other hand, was commissioned to paint the Sistine Chapel before he could finish his fresco for the Salone, and his sketches were lost forever when a horde of wild young artists came to study these drawings and simply made off with pieces of them.
Yet, despite these not insignificant losses of what might have been some of the greatest works of art ever created, the Salone is not short of artistic gems today. In fact, it is often seen as the jewel of the Palazzo Vecchio, and this is due to the pieces that adorn the room today. There is a wonderful series of works in the Salone that were executed between 1555 and 1572 by Vasari, his assistants, and students. As the culmination of Mannerism, the room houses a decorative scheme that reaches its height (literally and physically) in the coffered ceiling, raised to a height of seven meters by Cosimo and decorated with 42 panels containing painted images of the glory of Florence and, in particular, of the Medici. The central panel depicts Cosimo in apotheosis; around it are allegories of the districts of Florence and Tuscany in an act of submission to the Duke, and there are also portraits of some of Vasari's collaborators. On the lower walls are six different scenes from the Pisan War and the Sienese War. In addition to the paintings on the walls and ceiling, we can also admire other works of art in the room, including statues of members of the Medici family and the two Medici popes, Leo X and Clement VII.
Felsengruppe Panská skála
Panská skála (Pańska Skała) lub Varhany (niem. Herrenhausfelsen) – charakterystyczne wzgórze z wychodnią bazaltu, w północnych Czechach, znajdujące się w okolicy Kamienickiego Szeniowa w Czechach, na terenie kraju libereckiego.
Pańska Skała to pagórek o wysokości 595 m n.p.m., zlokalizowany około 500 metrów na południe od szosy Kamenický Šenov – Nový Bor. Przy szosie, w rejonie wzniesienia, urządzony jest duży parking z zapleczem socjalnym (parkowanie płatne). Nazwa formacji pochodzi z dosłownego tłumaczenia dawnej nazwy niemieckiej – Herrenhausfelsen.
Bazalt powstał w trzeciorzędzie, około 30 milionów lat temu, w wyniku działalności wulkanicznej. Ocenia się, że lawa wypływała z komory wulkanicznej z głębokości większej niż 30 km. Prawdopodobnie nie dotarła do powierzchni ziemi, ale zastygła w kominie wulkanicznym. Później, w wyniku erozji i denudacji otaczających skał, został on wypreparowany w formie neku. W sztucznym odsłonięciu dawnego kamieniołomu bazaltu widać doskonale wykształcone słupy bazaltowe.
Pańska Skała jest najstarszym w Czechach rezerwatem geologicznym i jednocześnie jednym z najstarszych tego typu założeń w Europie. Pierwsze formy ochrony pojawiły się w 1878 r.
Źródło: pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panská_skála
The formation originated in the tertiary when the lava flow solidified. Below the rock is a small lake.
На краю света, где холодный арктический ветер с моря встречается с давно застывшей лавой, лежит этот причудливый берег. Летом солнце кружит по небу, не угасая ни на миг, окутывая побережье золотистыми лучами. И именно в эти бесконечные часы — когда начинается отлив и вода отступает, будто вздыхая, — пробуждается настоящая красота этого места. Камни, выступающие из воды, превращаются в фантастические формы, обнажающие слои, словно страницы гигантской книги. Из своих нор среди скал появляются лисы. Они бесшумно крадутся вдоль берега, принюхиваются, напрягают взгляд — охотятся или подбирают остатки, оставленные морскими птицами. Здесь время течет в своем особенном ритме, и даже когда солнце отказывается спать, мир внизу продолжает вращаться, охотиться, жить.
At the edge of the world, where the cold Arctic wind from the sea meets ancient, long-solidified lava, lies this whimsical shore. In summer, the sun circles endlessly across the sky, never dimming for even a moment, bathing the coastline in golden light. And it is precisely during these endless hours—when the tide begins to ebb and the water retreats as if sighing—that the true beauty of this place awakens.
Rocks jutting from the sea transform into fantastical shapes, revealing layers like pages of a giant book. From their dens among the cliffs, foxes emerge. Silently, they prowl along the shoreline, noses twitching, eyes alert—hunting or scavenging scraps left behind by seabirds.
Here time flows at its own pace, and even when the sun refuses to sleep, the world below keeps turning, hunting, and living.
Natural Bridges State Beach is a 65-acre (26 ha) California state park in Santa Cruz, California, in the United States. The park features a natural bridge across a section of the beach. It is also well known as a hotspot to see monarch butterfly migrations. The Monarch Butterfly Natural Preserve is home to up to 150,000 monarch butterflies from October through early February.
Natural Bridges State Beach is named for the naturally occurring mudstone bridges that were carved by the Pacific Ocean into cliffs that jutted out into the sea.
The arches formed over a million years ago when a combination of silt, clay and diatoms were solidified into a mixture of stone that formed the three original arches of the beach. Wave erosion carved the arches and then cut away the cliffs leaving only islands.
Of the three original arches only the middle one remains. The outermost arch fell sometime in 1905 or 1906, and the inner arch collapsed during a storm on the night of January 10, 1980. The middle arch is in danger of collapsing as well due to erosion by wind and waves. Visitors were formerly permitted to climb up, walk and even drive on the bridges. Now the arch is closed to public access.
(Wikipedia)
During my recent road trip to Eastern Canada, I left Quebec and ventured into New Brunswick (NB), one of Canada's maritime provinces. Driving eastward on the Trans-Canada Highway, I was greeted by wondrous sights such as these.
New Brunswick is possessed of a fascinating history. In 1604, Acadia, the first New France colony, was founded there, and for the next 150 years was of focus of constant warring between colonial England and France. (It is noteworthy that NB is an officially bilingual province, English and French.)
From 1755 to 1764, the British deported Acadians en masse, an event known as the Great Upheaval. This, along with the Treaty of Paris, solidified Acadia as British property. In 1784, following the arrival of many loyalists fleeing the American Revolution, the colony of New Brunswick was officially created, separating it from what is now Nova Scotia. The following year came the incorporation Saint John, the first city in what would become Canada.
As one explores the history of NB, the roles played by Acadians and Loyalists reverberate through the ages.
zentrales Hochland von La Gomera im Gemeindegebiet von San Sebastián de La Gomera, Roque de Agando, 1251 m üNN.
Wie die anderen Roques entstand auch der Roque de Agando, als im Vulkanschlot ein härteres vulkanisches Gestein (Phonolith) erstarrte. Die dieses Gestein umgebenderen weicheren Schichten des Vulkans wurden durch Erosion abgetragen, sodass nur der härtere Phonolith zurückblieb.
Central highlands of La Gomera in the municipal area of San Sebastián de La Gomera, approx. Roque de Agando, 1251 m above sea level.Like the other Roques, the Roque de Agando was formed when a harder volcanic rock (phonolite) solidified in the volcanic vent. The softer layers of the volcano surrounding this rock were removed by erosion, leaving only the harder phonolite
© all rights reserved by Mala Gosia.
"The land rises in broad, tilted terraces which form the Grand Staircase. From the south the terraces step up in great technicolor cliffs: Vermilion, White, Gray, Pink. Together these escarpments expose 200 million years of the earth's history in a dramatic geologic library.
The deep, brilliant red Moenkopi sandstone of the Vermilion Cliffs, with their flared bases of Chinle badlands, contain many fossils of fish and early dinosaurs from the Triassic Period. A step north, the nearly unbroken line of the White Cliffs is composed of Jurassic sand dunes solidified into Navajo sandstone.
Above the White Cliffs, the younger, shaley Gray Cliffs present a softer profile. Deposited when an ocean covered the land, they contain evidence of marine life: sea shells, shark's teeth, beds of coal from compressed swamp and marsh plants. At the top of the Grand Staircase, the limey siltstone Pink Cliffs were deposited by an ancient freshwater lake and now lie mostly in Bryce Canyon National Park." From: www.utah.com.