14 Most Unusual Landscapes in the World That Are Too Beautiful to Be Real

#8. The Moeraki Boulders of New Zealand

The Moeraki Boulders are geological marvels, exposed by erosion of sedimentary rocks laid down from 65 to 13 million years ago. They are formed by the gradual precipitation of calcite in mudstone over 4 million years. These spherical concretions are internationally significant for their scientific value and are a popular tourist attraction.

These unusually large and spherical boulders lies along a stretch of Koekohe Beach on the wave-cut Otago coast of New Zealand between Moeraki and Hampden. They occur scattered either as isolated or clusters of boulders within a stretch of beach where they have been protected in a scientific reserve.

Originally from the ocean floor, these gigantic boulders have been coursed through the shoreline due to erosion.

#7. Chocolate Hills of Bohol, Philippines

The Chocolate Hills are a geological formation in Bohol Province, Philippines. There are at least 1,260 hills but there may be as many as 1,776 hills spread over an area of more than 50 square kilometres (20 sq mi). They are covered in green grass that turns brown (like chocolate) during the dry season, hence the name.

Archeologists claimed that the Chocolate Hills was formed through metamorphic process. They said that thousand of years ago, the island of Bohol was entirely covered by sea. A series of volcanic eruptions caused irregularities at some areas of the sea beds. Water current affected the irregularities giving them their conical shape.

When the island emerged above the water, it retained the irregular surface. This theory has recently been strengthened by excavations which unearthed fossils of marine life embedded in rocks.

#6. The sliding stones of Death Valley, California

One of the most interesting mysteries of Death Valley National Park is the sliding rocks at Racetrack Playa (a playa is a dry lake bed). These rocks can be found on the floor of the playa with long trails behind them. Somehow these rocks slide across the playa, cutting a furrow in the sediment as they move.

First documented by miners back in the 1900s, these rocks range from pebbles to 600-pound (272-kilogram) boulders and seem to move of their own accord. The only evidence of their activity is a series of long, perplexing trails left in the valley’s dried mud.

For a century, these eerie rocks and their long, graceful trails have stumped visitors and scientists. The boulders of black dolomite appear to move on their own, sliding uphill across the playa’s flat lakebed. No one has ever seen them set sail, until researches finally solved the mystery by using GPS.