■ The 15 most amazing landscapes and rock formations Shaped and sculpted over millions of years , these stunning landscapes and rock formations hold invaluable clues to Earth ' s past and futureBy Shreya Dasgupta 5 February 2015 Fairy chimneys ( Credit : Benh Lieu Song , CC by 3 . 0 ) Fairy Chimneys , TurkeyThese strange conical spires are found in the Cappadocia region of Turkey . Several million years ago , active volcanoes spewed volcanic ash that covered the ground . Rainwater and wind eroded the soft compressed volcanic ash , leaving behind the harder overlying basalts , forming the fairy chimneys . Ha Long Bay , Vietnam ( Credit : Peter Adams Photography Ltd / Alamy ) Ha Long Bay , VietnamThis spectacular landscape is dotted with limestone pillars , arches and caves . The rocks have been shaped by the repeated rise and fall of the sea over 500 million years . The bay also includes over 1600 islands and islets , most of them uninhabited . According to legends , dragons created the islands and rocks to keep invaders out of Vietnam . The Eye of the Sahara ( Credit : NASA / JPL / NIMA ) Eye of the Sahara , MauritaniaFormally known as the Richat Structure , the Eye of the Sahara looks like a bullseye from above . Located in the Sahara desert , it is a dome - shaped rock structure about 50 km across . once thought to have been caused by a meteorite impact , it is now believed to have formed from uplifted rock that was later eroded . The Great Blue Hole ( Credit : Ian Bottle / Alamy ) The Great Blue Hole , BelizeThis underwater sinkhole is 320 m wide and 125 m deep , and a major scuba diving attraction . It is part of the Belize Barrier Reef , which is in turn part of the Mesoamerican Reef . This hole is believed to have formed during the recent ice ages , when a submerged limestone cave system collapsed due to changes in the sea level . Huge stalactites and stalagmites are found in the hole , which contain records of past climates . Moeraki boulders ( Credit : Rowy , CC by 2 . 5 ) Moeraki Boulders , New ZealandResembling giant turtle shells , these spherical boulders lie strewn on New Zealand ' s Koekohe Beach . These boulders started forming in sediments on the sea floor over 60 million years ago . Carbonates built up around a central core , similar to the way pearls form around a speck of grit . According to Maori legends , the boulders are remnants of gourds and eel baskets , washed ashore from the wreck of a sailing canoe . Danxia landforms ( Credit : View Stock / Alamy ) Zhangye Danxia , ChinaThese rainbow mountains look like something out of a painting . The Danxia landforms , found in China ' s Gansu Province , are made of strips of red sandstone that were deposited over millions of years , like slices of a layered cake . But a word of caution : many online pictures of these hills are probably the result of image manipulation . The Stone Forest in China ( Credit : Udayan Dasgupta ) Stone Forest , ChinaBlade - like columns of limestone , many over 10 m tall , form a landscape that resembles a forest of stones . The region is a UNESCO World Heritage Site . The stone forests formed some 270 million years ago in what was once a shallow sea . Sandstone and limestone accumulated in the basin , and was eventually pushed up into the air . The rocks were then shaped by wind and water to create these spectacular stone pillars . The " Submarine " formation in the Valley of the Moon ( Credit : AHLN , CC by 2 . 0 ) Valley of the Moon , ArgentinaArid and rugged , this barren landscape looks like – you guessed it - the surface of the Moon . But it is actually a fossil graveyard . The site contains undisturbed deposits from 250 - 200 million years ago . Fossils of some of the oldest dinosaurs , fish , amphibians , reptiles and over 100 species of plants have been found . There are also huge petrified tree trunks . Wave Rock ( Credit : cardboardbird , CC by 3 . 0 ) Wave Rock , AustraliaThis concave rock is 14 m high and 110 m long . It is part of the northern side of Hyden Rock , a giant granite outcrop over 2 . 7 billion years old , located in Hyden Wildlife Park in Western Australia . The wave is believed to have formed by the action of running water on granite . The colourful streaks on its face are made of minerals left behind by rainwater run - off . The Chocolate Hills ( Credit : LOOK Die Bildagentur der Fotografen GmbH / Alamy ) Chocolate Hills , the PhilippinesThere are about 1500 of these limestone mounds in Bohol province in the Philippines . They are normally covered by grass , but turn a deep - brown colour during the dry season . In 1988 , the Chocolate Hills were declared the Philippines ' third National Geological Monument . The Giant ' s Causeway in Northern Ireland ( Credit : Stephen Emerson / Alamy ) Giant ' s Causeway , Northern IrelandThese massive hexagonal black basalt columns rise like steps and interlock neatly . There are over 40 , 000 . They probably formed after volcanic activity 50 - 60 million years ago . The sizes of the columns were most likely determined by the speed at which the erupted lava cooled . Bryce Canyon ( Credit : Luca Galuzzi , CC by 2 . 5 ) Bryce Canyon National Park , UtahLocated on the Colorado Plateau , the Bryce Canyon in southern Utah is a natural amphitheatre filled with spires and hoodoos . The Paiute Native Americans called it " red rocks standing like men in a bowl - shaped canyon ". The hoodoos were formed when water repeatedly froze and melted in the vertical cracks of sedimentary rocks . Some hoodoos are taller than a 10 - storey building . The Wave , Vermillion Cliffs National Monument ( Credit : Paul Kordwig , CC by 3 . 0 ) Vermillion Cliffs National Monument , ArizonaPopular among hikers , Vermillion Cliffs is a treasure trove of deep canyons and steep cliffs . It is also home to " The Wave " ( pictured ) , which is made up of undulating sandstone . The Monument is located on the Colorado Plateau , and gets its rich reddish hues from the sandstone that formed the landscape . The colours of the site change as the day progresses . The Crystal Cave in the Naica Mine ( Credit : Alexander Van Driessche , CC by 3 . 0 ) Cave of the Crystals , MexicoThis cave contains gigantic , sword - like gypsum crystals . It is 300 m underground in the Naica Mine in the Mexican state of Chihuahua . It was discovered by two brothers drilling for lead and silver . The enormous crystals are believed to have formed when gypsum - saturated groundwater flowed through the caves , and was heated and cooled by hot magma below . Some of the largest crystals may be over 500 , 000 years old . The San Andreas Fault in California ( Credit : Kevin Schafer / Alamy ) San Andreas Fault , CaliforniaThis is one giant fracture on the earth ' s crust , nearly 1 , 300 km long . The fault line began forming over 30 million years ago when two massive tectonic plates – the Pacific and North American – collided . A major earthquake may well strike the San Andreas Fault in the coming decades . / by Copyright © 2017 BBC . The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites .