Seven Wonders of the Geological World
Testing characters, editors. From Antarctica to Alaska, New Zealand to the Rockies, the geological world teems with wonders. Then there are the hidden marvels of the submarine world - immense canyons, volcanic pinnacles, an abyss that could swallow Mount Everest.

And the editor asks me to choose seven, just seven.

I can see why, of course: seven is the magic number for such assemblages and my choice is certain to be disputed which always makes articles more interesting. I consult colleagues around the world and although some suggestions are repeated on several lists, there is little clear consensus.

In the end I choose seven, all on land, and reasonably easy to get at.

With one possible exception, the chosen seven will be wonderful for very much longer than the artificial masterpieces counted as the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Only one of those survives today - the Pyramids of Egypt. The rest had all been destroyed or reduced to ruins by the time Columbus set out for the New World (ironically, four fell victim to geological upheavals in the form of earthquakes).

My seven are on five continents, intentionally, and as different in scale and geological origin as Ayers Rock and the Andes. Collectively, they illustrate the two great themes of geology - construction and destruction.  Chris Morrissey

 

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