One of the most beautiful and unusual places Middle Urals, which will delight any photographer. Unusual landscapes, reminiscent of Martian or lunar, arose on the site of clay quarries.
Officially, this place is called the Poldnevsky section of the Troitsko-Bainovsky refractory clay deposit. The deposit is stretched in a strip for 20 kilometers to the south of the Bogdanovich station and covers an area of about 75 sq. km. In terms of reserves, it is the largest in the Middle Urals.
It began to be developed in small volumes even before the revolution. The Troitsko-Bainovskoye field consists of several sections. The most interesting is the Poldnevskaya deposit. This development is the largest in area.
The deposit became the main base for the Bogdanovichi Refractory Plant, the construction of which began in 1930. Refractory bricks from here went, among other things, to the construction of the domain of the Ural industrial giant - the Magnitogorsk Metallurgical Plant.
Clays have a color from white and light gray to black-carbonaceous with spots and smears of iron oxides and humic matter. Fire resistance ranges from 1610 to 1760º C. Clays consist mainly of kaolinite and contain to a greater or lesser extent quartz sand, pyrite, spherosiderite, mica and plant residues. Of the minerals found: tourmaline, rutile, zircon, disthene, feldspars.
The clays of the deposit are very diverse. This also explains the significant differences appearance local quarries.
Clay hills appear in the form of ridges of various sizes. Water erodes the clay, creating canyons and crevices. There are also internal dumps on the territory.
Walking here is like being on another planet. The Urals have the opportunity to simply go to Mars on a day off.
In some places the landscape resembles a Martian, in some places lunar. Perfect for shooting science fiction films about other planets or about the post-apocalypse. Photos will be impressive.
In some places, the dried clay has cracked and resembles an intricate mosaic.
There are several lakes with water of an eerie brown-red color. This color is due to the presence of pyrite. Swimming in such lakes is dangerous for health.
One of the lakes was chosen by seagulls. There are dozens of them here. This is where the chicks are brought out. The most amazing thing is that they get food from somewhere. Apparently there are fish here. This is also evidenced by fish bones of impressive size found along the banks. It is possible that they fish in the neighboring flooded quarries located to the northeast. The water is clearer and bluer in color.
It is better to admire alien landscapes in dry weather in closed shoes that protect against clay and sand getting inside. Be careful: wet clay is dangerous and unpredictable. A hard-looking surface can suddenly engulf your feet and make it difficult to get out.
On October 11, 1951, a Li-2 aircraft of the Ural Civil Air Fleet Administration crashed near the Poldnevsky section of the field.
Near Bogdanovich, it is also worth visiting the picturesque Seven-Colored Lakes, Baynovsky Falls, Kashinskoye Settlement. You can drive to the caves near Sukhoi Log or turn on the way to the Asbestovsky quarry.
How to get to the "Martian" landscapes near Bogdanovich
This place is located south of the city of Bogdanovich ( Sverdlovsk region), near the village of Poldneva.
By car, you need to go along the Tyumen highway to Bogdanovich, in the city (near the bus station) turn to the village of Troitskoye, drive along main road and go to the neighboring village of Bayny. At the crossroads around railway you need to turn right and go to the village of Poldneva. After passing Poldnevoy, after about a couple of kilometers, look at the dirt road to the left. It is better to leave the car on the side of the road and take a walk.
GPS coordinates: N 56º37.421´; E 62º05.002´ (for smartphones: 56.623683º N 62.083367º E). The distance from Yekaterinburg is 115 kilometers.
Mysterious and beautiful planet The earth holds many secrets. Our planet is believed to have formed about 4.54 billion years ago from a large cloud of interstellar dust and gas.
Planet Earth is the only known to man on the this moment an object in the universe inhabited by living organisms. The earth is home to millions of different kinds of living beings, including humans. At present, science cannot give an unambiguous answer about the existence of life on other planets.
It is possible that we will never reveal all the secrets of our and other planets. But there are places on Earth that would definitely appeal to the inhabitants of other worlds.
See unearthly landscapes of our amazing planet.
9 PHOTOS
1. Shark Bay in Western Australia.
85% of the entire history of the existence of the planet Earth was inhabited only by microbes. The only evidence of this is the products of the activity of cyanobacteria - stromatolites. Most often, stromatolites can be found in extremely saline waters. And live specimens that have survived to this day can be found precisely in Shark Bay.
2. Shark Bay, due to its unique ecosystem, is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. 
3. Yellowstone national park. What makes the color of the water in this hot spring so beautiful? Life, that's what!
Water takes on such an unusual color under the influence of extremophiles. These are living beings that require extreme environmental conditions to live or are well adapted to them.
4. Lassen Volcanic National Park in California. Hell on Earth or Bumpass Hell is a hydrothermal site, the underground waters of which are heated by hot magma to very high temperatures. Despite this, some microorganisms live in the water. The Spirit rover has discovered minerals on Mars that indicate that the same hydrothermal environment existed on the red planet as in Bumpass Hell.
5. Tinto River in southwestern Spain. The increased acidity of the waters and the high content of iron oxides in it gave the river such an unearthly, Martian look. For most organisms, such an environment is deadly, but living microorganisms live in the river - extremophiles, including algae and fungi.
6. Lake Simba is located at an altitude of 5872 m in the Chilean Andes. Volcanic lakes still remain the most mysterious objects on Earth. The red color of the lake is given by algae floating close to the surface of the water. They contain special pigments to protect against high UV radiation. Scientists believe that similar lakes existed on Mars 3.5 billion years ago.
7. Mono Lake in California. The water in it is 2-3 times saltier than in the ocean, and the high content of calcium carbonate gave the lake a mystical otherworldly look.
8. Glacier on Ellesmere Island in Canada. The water that flows from the top of the glacier is like a chemical mixture with a high sulfur content. However, living microorganisms were also found in it. Research on these glaciers is used by astrobiologists to study potential life on Jupiter's moons.
9. Underwater cave or " blue hole" on the Bahamas. It is believed that for more than a billion years the oceans of the Earth did not contain oxygen. IN sea rocks, which are billions of years old, fossil remains of purple bacteria have been preserved, which, in the process of photosynthesis, do not emit oxygen, like modern plants, but sulfur. Astrobiologists are currently studying these bacteria.
At the beginning of the era of space exploration, it seemed that very soon it would be possible to pack up and move to Pluto or fly to the moon for a couple of weeks on vacation. Fantasists predicted villages on Venus, trees on Mars and contacts with extraterrestrial civilizations. Half a century later, it became clear that the predictions were wrong: instead of the stellar world, humanity began to master the virtual one. It already seems that you can not leave the house - everything is at hand. But no, no, yes, and there will be a desire to find out what it is like to find yourself in a completely alien environment, in another world. Forbes chose ten unique places, being in which, it is impossible to believe that all this is on the familiar planet Earth.
Socotra Archipelago, Yemen
Approximately 6 million years ago, a small piece of land broke away from Africa, which moved towards the Arabian Peninsula. A piece that fell apart on the way to four islands managed to escape only a couple of hundred kilometers from its parent. But the past 6 million years was enough for the emergence of a unique ecosystem here: more than a third of plant species, 90% of reptile species and almost all types of mollusks are found nowhere else in the world. Here, of course, there are no eight-armed five-eyes communicating in the language of clicks. But there is a dragon tree, similar to a nuclear mushroom, from which, moreover, “blood” flows every year, a cucumber tree is a shapeless smooth white trunk, on top of which “cucumbers” are cheerfully green, or the Socotran desert rose is also a tree, and in appearance funny and repulsive at the same time.
Despite its isolation, the archipelago, as it recently turned out, was inhabited as early as 1.5 million years ago. In 2008, Russian archaeologist Valery Zhukov discovered stone tools of the Olduvai culture (2.7-1 million years ago) here. The sensation of the find lies in the fact that it is not entirely clear how the representative of this era got here - homo habilis, "a skilled man." But it will not be difficult for a modern person to visit Socotra - even by plane, even by sea. It is better to go in February and March: the rest of the time, especially from May to September, Socotra has rather severe and unpleasant weather with endless rains and knocking winds.
Mount Roraima, Venezuela
In 1839, the expedition of the German traveler and explorer Robert Schomburgk in British Guiana literally ran into a wall that went beyond the clouds. It was a mountain, but an unusual mountain - as if someone had cut off its top with a huge knife, leaving a giant flat platform. Schomburgk's account of the journey caught the eye of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, whose imagination immediately placed on the plateau the Lost World miraculously preserved from prehistoric times.
In fact, what is happening on top of Mount Roraima - one of the tepui, South American mesas, the remnant of a huge sandstone plateau that existed when South America and Africa were one continent, more like the fantasy writers of the 1950s about Venus: eternal rain watering a completely unearthly landscape. "Tepui" in the language of the local Indians means "house of the gods." But this house is rather uncomfortable: the rains wash away the nutrients from the soil, leaving no chance for normal life. And those representatives of flora and fauna that nevertheless took root here are completely unique. It is no coincidence that the creators of the cartoon "Up" (also about a trip to lost World) went to Roraima in search of inspiration. And director Pete Docter later admitted that they used what they saw only in general terms: “It is so far from reality that the viewer simply would not believe it.”
Uyuni Salt Flat, Bolivia
Some call this place "the border of heaven and earth", but this expression is not entirely true. Rather, it is a place where the sky is both above and below, and you can walk on it: it is the largest mirror on Earth, so large that it goes beyond the horizon.
The Uyuni salt marsh is the largest in the world. In the bowels of a dried-up salt lake, a reserve of natural substances and minerals is stored for many thousands of years to come. Such a specific composition and natural conditions have turned this place into the most unique point on the planet. Firstly, the height difference in an area of more than ten thousand square kilometers does not exceed one meter. Secondly, in the dry season it is the brightest white plain, and when it rains, it is an impeccably detailed reflection of the sky. At the same time, the depth of the lake in most places does not exceed a few centimeters, so you can freely walk along it, watching the clouds under your feet. In addition, every November, hordes of flamingos of rare species and colors arrive here. But those wishing to visit the Uyuni salt marsh should take into account that it is located at an altitude of 3500 m above sea level, so it will take some time to acclimatize.
Wave Gallery, USA
A striking formation of sand and stone called "Wave" is located on the border of the US states of Utah and Arizona. For 200 million years, mighty winds have carved these undulating formations with unexpected and eye-pleasing geometry. Once they were sand dunes, under the pressure of time and natural conditions turned into ribbed multi-colored hills; now it is one of the main draws for landscape photographers from all over the world. Interest in the Arizona sandstone gallery is so high that local authorities are forced to limit the flow of those wishing to take a look at this miracle of nature at least from the corner of their eye. Therefore, only twenty vouchers are issued per day. Moreover, ten of them are played in the lottery four months before the intended visit, and the other ten - the day before the trip. And if in low season If there are high chances of winning permission in two or three days, then in the high season - from March to November - the probability drops below 50%. But if you can’t get a permit in Arizona, you can look at similar formations in Utah as a consolation: they are not as popular as the Wave, and less impressive, but more accessible.
Dry Valleys, Antarctica
Most dry place on Earth - this is by no means the Sahara or the Gobi, as one might assume, but a place in Antarctica with the telling name Dry Valleys: in some places there has not been water in them for 2 million years! This piece of land is surrounded by mountains, from which, under the influence of gravity, cold dense air descends at a tremendous speed (about 300 km / h), taking with it everything that comes along the way, including water, snow and ice. If we compare these conditions with what happens on the planets of the solar system, then they will be closest to the Martian ones. What was the joy of scientists when, even in such harsh conditions, life was discovered - a bacterium, which is enough for the existence of those droplets of moisture that manage to hide from the winds in the uneven surfaces of the rocks.
Even more interesting is another bacterium, a neighbor living under the Taylor Glacier, which also belongs to the Dry Valleys. This anaerobic bacterium processes sulfur and iron, and the result of such vital activity, along with water, flows to the surface - this is how the Bloody Falls is formed. The iron oxide-colored water against the white background of the glacier looks eerie, as if blood is gushing from a huge non-healing wound.
Tinto River, Spain
Even the ancient peoples of the Iberians and Tartessians began the development of minerals in the mountains of the Sierra Morena - where the Tinto River originates. Iron, copper, silver, gold, manganese - what has not been mined here for 5000 years! All this inevitably fell into the slowly flowing waters of the local river and spread throughout the surroundings. It would seem that nothing alive, except for people in overalls and helmets, can not be here. But nature disposed of in its own way and settled here the relatives of extremophile bacteria from the Bloody Falls in Antarctica. They gladly began to process substances that are poisonous to any normal organism. As a result, Tinto and its surroundings were painted in all shades of red and yellow, and scientists received another hope for the existence of life outside the Earth.
Local conditions are similar to those on Mars and to what happens under the icy shell of Europa, Jupiter's moon. The best thing is that you can safely see it with your own eyes: although industrial developments continue here to this day, most sections of the river are free to visit.
Lake Kliluk, Canada
Spotted Kliluk Lake is one of the strangest places on Earth - unlike any other planet we know of. Due to the high concentration of salts (the highest among terrestrial lakes) and the special climate of Kliluk during the hot season, it is a collection of small lakes, between which you can safely walk. It sounds rather boring, but it looks unforgettable.
Thanks to salts, the local waters have healing properties, and this feature at one time became the cause of a fierce confrontation between local Indians and European colonists. For the natives, Kliluk is a sacred place, many legends and tales are associated with it, it is an integral part of the local culture. And when in 1979 Ernest Smith, the de jure owner of these lands, decided to arrange a medical resort, this caused an uproar among the indigenous population. The Indians fought for the right to keep the reserved land intact for more than twenty years, and only in 2001 they bought it for $720,000. Since then, access to the lake has been limited and you can visit it only with permission from the elders. Although it is not easy, it is possible, and in extreme cases, you can admire the view of Kliluk from the highway nearby.
Moon Valley, Brazil
Moon Valley is located in the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park in Brazil. The plateau on which the park stands was formed about 1.8 billion years ago. Local rocks are the oldest on Earth: they are only two and a half times younger than the Moon. For many millennia, the waters of the San Miguel River have ground the natural quartz that makes up the local rocks to the most bizarre and unnatural forms. The surroundings of the valley will also be remembered for a long time: in addition to the fossilized remains of ancient plants and animals, their prosperous descendants are abundant here: orchids, palm trees, pepper trees, anteaters, tapirs, capybaras, nandu, etc. In 2001, the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park was included to the list of objects world heritage UNESCO. And the only thing that can confuse this decision is why it was made only forty years after the discovery of the valley.
Tsingy du Bemarha, Madagascar
The unpronounceable name of this reserve comes from the even more complex word mitsingitsignia, which in Malagasy means "to walk on tiptoe." Indeed, when looking at the local landscape, the thought of any other form of transportation does not even come to mind.
Famous stone forest formed as a result of erosion of calcareous rocks: instead of ordinary mountains, a palisade of sharp stone peaks soars up here. Among them, rare (in both senses of the word) trees make their way, equally rare animals - lemurs - rush about, and no less rare birds flicker. Below, at the foot, you won’t get bored either: there are forest canyons, mysterious caves and the dark waters of the Manambolo River.
The reserve here was organized in 1927 in order to preserve natural conditions, and some parts of it are still closed to the public. But even those that are available still seem to have been brought here from somewhere outside the Earth.
Dallol Volcano, Ethiopia
The crater of this volcano quite plausibly demonstrates what is happening on Jupiter's moon Io: a lot of gurgling geysers, fantastic colors and a persistent smell of sulfur. Located below all other volcanoes in the world - minus 48 m from sea level - Dallol is still active, thanks to which the surrounding area is constantly bubbling and boiling. But the last major eruption occurred in 1926 - it was then that an "extraterrestrial" lake was formed, which is a bizarre salt formation framed by puddles of green and purple liquid.
The Dallola Crater is the hottest place on Earth, with an average annual temperature of 34 degrees Celsius. In such a heat and such an aggressive environment, no form of life is able to exist, except for bacteria. It is they who provide vivid colorful memories to every visitor to this inhospitable place.
Getting to Dallol is not so easy - despite the apparent abundance natural resources, there are no roads. This place is regularly visited only by camel caravans, on the humps of which they take out the salt mined here.
The modern viewer is quite sophisticated in terms of the scenery for science fiction films - and after all, even 30 years ago, people looked with rapture at the blue jungles of other worlds painted with spray cans or sand quarries inhabited by stuffed monsters, shot through color filters. Today, directors prefer natural shooting with subsequent digital processing - fortunately, both the diversity of the planet's landscapes and the level of graphic editors allow this. And we will make a trip to those wonders of nature that are immortalized in several famous science fiction films.Avatar - part 1
After watching "Avatar" by James Cameron, many people, shocked by the beauty of the planet Pandora, began to dream of visiting " fabulous places". Of course, you can meet the unearthly jungle only on the screen - but it is quite realistic to get closer to their prototypes live. The forests inhabited by the Navi people were filmed in reserves and national parks in different corners planets - on the island of Borneo, Costa Rica, in the rainforests of the Brazilian Amazon. Of course, there are no stunning phosphorescent flowers, but still nature is really magnificent, and will give unforgettable impressions to tourists.
The most sought-after place among the fans of the film is the "Soaring Mountains" of Pandora, where the pilot Trudy flew in the clouds through the UPC ("watch where you go"). They were filmed on the quartz rocks of Wulingyuan in national park Zhangjiajie (China, Hunan Province). These incredible geological formations are about 800 meters high, and the highest peaks of Wulingyuan reach 3000 meters above sea level. And they really “soar” when fog rises above the tropical forests at their foot. True, in the "Avatar" added computer graphics, showing that the rocks just hung in the air.
The largest stone pillars, covered with centuries-old pines, received names in the traditional Chinese spirit: “Rabbit looking at the Moon”, “Abode of the Gods”, etc. This geological reserve is also botanical garden and a natural zoo, and there is also an extensive network of caves, powerful deep rivers and waterfalls. Stunning landscapes open up from the peaks, so not a single person has regretted his journey to Wulingyuan yet.
Avatar - part 2
As you know, work on the next part of the picture that has already become a legend is in full swing (and we expect the fruits of these labors by 2014). James Cameron decided that the action would unfold in the depths of the waters of Pandora, and for realistic shooting he chose not anything, but Mariana Trench. The director's passion for deep-sea diving has been haunting him for a very long time: he has already filmed the psychedelic science fiction film The Abyss (1989) under water, and besides, one cannot help but recall the sunken Titanic. Australian engineers, on his instructions, mounted a deep-sea vehicle with special 3D cameras designed personally by the famous director, so the quality of the video material promises to be impeccable.
By the way, before Cameron at the very deep depression The world's oceans descended only once - to a depth of 11,000 meters, the passengers-scientists of the Trieste apparatus descended in May 1960, and stayed there for only about a third of an hour. Cameron said that he will populate the Pandorian Ocean with incredible creatures, as realistic as anything we saw in the first part of the blockbuster. And, what is even more pleasant, at the initiative of the director, the profit from the film goes to environmental protection, restoration of tropical forests and other major eco-actions.
Star Wars
“Episode One: The Phantom Menace” was remembered by many: it was the best science fiction of the turn of the millennium (1999), which captivated the public with high-speed flying car races, from which young Skywalker emerged victorious. According to the plot, the action takes place on the home planet of Anaken - hot and deserted Tatooine.
The filming of this fragment of the film, as it turned out, took place in the Serpent Canyon (Tunisia), which is included in the mandatory program local excursions. Also in the film, during the competition, the Atlas Mountains flicker in the background, however, also in computer processing.
The one-story clay town on Tatooine, where the Skywalkers and their slave owner lived, was also not a pavilion shooting: the scenery was specially preserved there for fans of the film who come to see the living legend with their own eyes. Some scenes were also filmed on the island of Djerba, and two local cities gave the names of the Star Wars story planets - Tatooine and Naboo (Nabeul). Older, earlier parts of the film were also partially filmed in Tunisia - in the 1500-year-old Berber cave city of Matmata, on the El Jerid salt marsh, on an oasis in the city of Nefta. The rebel base from episode 4 was filmed in the 2500-year-old ruins of the Mayan temple of Tikal (northern Guatemala).
Travel to Mars
Generally speaking, there are many fantastic films about Mars, and all can be divided into two groups: those that were shot through red filters, making the actors look like boiled crayfish, and those that were shot in a natural way. Where on Earth to take the Martian landscape?
Turns out we have one too! We are talking about rare red sand dunes the Namib Desert in Namibia. The name from the local dialect translates as "There is nothing" - and indeed, this area has not seen rain since the time of the dinosaurs.
But here you can meet Bushmen with children - similar to aliens, and accompanied by tamed wild cats - cheetahs, lions and caracals.
Superman
… And also all his numerous remakes (which can be watched without tears of tenderness and sarcasm) contain one key point: an ice fortress, a copy of the palaces of the planet Krypton.
It turns out that in Mexico there is a cave of crystals "Cueva de los Cristales", consisting of the world's largest 11-meter ice "rods", converging with each other to form domes and walls. The unique micro-climatic conditions of the cave have shaped these giant crystals over many millennia. Of course, filming never took place here - however, it was this cave that served as a prototype for pavilion models, so fans of the red and blue superhero often visit this attraction.
