The most alien (human-made) landscapes on Earth

By On August 7, 2009 · 15 Comments
A few weeks ago, Trips brought you photos of The Most Alien Landscapes on Earth. Now, a sequel, focusing this time on scenes shaped by the hand of man.

The Door to Hell, Darvaza, Turkmenistan

The collapse of a natural gas cavern in 1971 created this crater in a small Turkmenistan village. Officials made the call to ignite the noxious fumes...which have yet to stop burning. Photographer: minifastcar33

Windfarm, San Gorgonio Pass, California, USA

Modern wind turbines and an eerie moonrise conspire to create this otherworldly scene.Photographer: Caveman 92223

Sedan Crater, Nevada, USA

In the early '60s, the U.S. government experimented with using nuclear bombs in massive construction works. Among other results was this, one of the world's largest human-made craters.Photographer: itjournalist

Libyan crop circles

Not all crop circles are made by aliens. These plots in Saharan Libya are created by nothing more mysterious than pivot irrigation.Photographer: futureatlas.com

Burgan Field, Kuwait, 1991

During the Gulf War, parts of Kuwait's vast Burgan Oil Field were set ablaze.Photographer: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Coal mine in Germany

The process of mining for coal alters the face of the landscape. Garzweiler, Germany (above) and Estercuel, Spain (below) are two of many examples.Photographer: BK59

Coal mine in Spain

Photographer: Jen SFO-BCN

Rio Tinto, Spain

Leached iron and other heavy metals (another result of mining) give Spain's Rio Tinto its name.Photographer: Serafin-Sanchez

Route 61, Centralia Mine Fire, Pennsylvania, USA

Another ignited mine that just won't quit, the fire smoldering under Centralia has forced the evacuation of pretty much the entire town. Photographer: jesiehart

Ground Zero, New York City

Photographer: slagheap

Oil slicks

It doesn't take a headline-grabbing oil spill for petroleum to hit the water. Day-to-day extraction and processing operations leak plenty, as shown in these NASA images of Venezuela's Lake Maracaibo (above) and the Arabian Sea (below).Photographer: Visible Earth, NASA

Satellite image of the Arabian Sea

Photographer: Visible Earth, NASA
Galleries

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania • Maracaibo, Venezuela • New York, United States • Germany (general) (region), Germany • Spain (general) (region), Spain • California (region), United States • Nevada (region), United States • Pennsylvania (region), United States • Kuwait • Libya • Turkmenistan

 

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About The Author

Hal Amen

Hal Amen is a managing editor for Matador. His personal travel blog is at WayWorded.

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  • http://www.paul-sullivan.com Paul Sullivan

    Depressing yet thought-provoking. Great essay even if I am now going to spend the weekend being ashamed of being human.

  • http://musictravelwrite.wordpress.com Michelle

    I had no idea number 9 was what it is until I read the title…what a striking photo. The reflection in 5 is amazing.

  • Kathy

    Burning since 1971? That was the year I graduated from college, for perspective.

    Nukes for construction? How did such an idea get off the drawing board?

    Incredible photos and really interesting (if depressing) factoids. Where do you find this stuff? 8-)

  • http://meganahill.wordpress.com Megan Hill

    Wow. It’s amazing the power we have to alter our landscapes (for better or worse)

  • http://www.collazoprojects.com Julie

    Impossible to choose which of these images I find most disturbing.

  • Christine

    I have to say that the pic of Rio Tinto is beautiful in a way.

    I don’t know if the windfarm in Cali is the one I’ve driven by many times heading toward I-5, but either way, they are kinda freaky, though mostly good for the environment (except for the birds, of course).

    • http://matadortrips.com/ Hal Amen

      I love the “windmills kill birds” argument. There’s such a slim chance of one of those blades actually hitting a bird, but how many are killed from the burning of fossil fuels and habitat loss due to drilling/mining?

      • http://thelonglayover.blogspot.com Carlo Alcos

        Not to mention airplanes.

        Fab pics. Very disturbing.

  • joshywashington

    the ground zero pick looks like they are in some crumbling gothic cathedral.

    another great photo essay!

  • Nick

    Hal you rock! It’s interesting how some things that are so wrong can appear so beautiful.

    I love the Libyan photo!

  • http://matadortrips.com/ Hal Amen

    Thanks all. Glad you enjoyed it. Stay tuned next week for some sweet shots from a trek in Nepal.

  • Millie

    Depressing!! Man has destroyed what God has created! Sad very sad! 8(

  • http://www.adventurerob.com AdventureRob

    I totally want to visit a door to hell now, surely it would be a good idea to turn that into a small geothermal station though, seems a waste of energy sitting there like that.

  • http://www.pestrepeller.info Audrey Phillips

    the oil spill in Mexico would surely be one of the greatest environmental disasters for this year.,”;

  • Anis Salvesen

    Wow! I came across this photo essay through a blog post on Tripping (http://www.tripping.com), and I’m so glad I did. I had no idea most of these places existed.

    What struck me most, other than the sheer impact of the photos, was the insights I got into the humans that created these alien-like landscapes. For example, I was very surprised (at least initially) by #3. I can’t believe that in the ’60s, the U.S. government experimented with NUCLEAR BOMBS for use in massive construction projects.

    I also wonder if future generations will look back at some of these humans creations like we look at Machu Pichu and wonder how we lived. I can just hear the narrator on a show about us, speaking in his British or Australian accent: “These early humans were strange creatures. It seems they enjoyed destroying their planet. Scientists are still trying to determine why….”
    .

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