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Lake Natron in northern Tanzania. The lake takes its name from natron, a naturally occurring compound made mainly of sodium carbonate, with a bit of baking soda, from volcanic ash, accumulated from the Great Rift valley. Animals that become immersed in the water die and are calcified, although there are others adapted to live there, including many flamingos. In this photo, the photographer did pose an already deceased bird.

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Lake Natron has a crusty pink surface and a pH of 12+.

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Giant eruption of Mount Sinabung volcano in Indonesia.

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Mount Sinabung is an active stratovolcano, and erupts incredibly often, spewing lava and ash throughout the surrounding area.

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Ash plume more than three miles high.

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Locals harvest their potatoes as Mount Sinabung spews volcanic ash, Indonesia.

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The Skeleton Coast in Namibia, looking beautiful and creepy all at once.

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There are many shipwrecks around the Skeleton Coast. Due to the harsh climate, most people stranded here do not survive.

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The Darvaza gas crater is a burning natural gas field collapsed into a cavern near Darvaza, Turkmenistan. It is 230 feet wide, and has been burning since 1971.

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Oymyakon, Russia, is the coldest inhabited place on Earth. The avg winter temp is around -60 F.

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Lake Nyos is a crater lake in the Northwest Region of Cameroon. The lake has been known to have lethal limnic eruptions, and in 1986, an unexpected launch of carbon dioxide from the lake suffocated almost 2,000 people, and plenty of livestock. The risk of another eruption is imminent.

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