The Nature Wonder Journal

Subscribe via RSS

New dispatches land every few days — a wonder, a phenomenon, or a slice of the natural world, explained and appreciated.

Danakil Depression, Afar Region, northeastern Ethiopia

Latest dispatch

Where the Earth is being born: the drama of rift valleys

In a few places, you can stand where the planet is literally tearing apart — the slow birth of new oceans, written in lava lakes, salt flats, and sinking seas.

· Nature Wonder Editors · 1 min read

Nature's palette: why some landscapes burn with colour

A river that runs crimson, a salt flat that mirrors the sky, a mountain striped like a rainbow — the most colourful landscapes on Earth, and the science behind their hues.

· 1 min read

sciencecolourgeology

Islands of evolution: why isolation breeds wonders

The Galápagos shaped Darwin's biggest idea, and islands everywhere — from the Maldives to Borneo's peaks — show how isolation turns life into something found nowhere else.

· 1 min read

evolutionislandsscience

Africa's living plains: the greatest show on Earth

From the Serengeti's million-strong migration to the flooded Okavango, Africa's great grasslands and wetlands host wildlife on a scale found nowhere else. What makes them work?

· 1 min read

africawildlifeecology

The wild Philippines: beyond the postcard beaches

The Philippines is far more than white sand. Venture past the resorts and you find pygmy forests, whale-shark bays, and rock formations pounded by the open Pacific.

· 1 min read

philippineswildlifeconservation

Fire and ice: how Iceland became a country of both

Iceland sits on a tear in the Earth's crust, which is why it can be steaming and frozen at once. A short tour of the forces that make the island so alive.

· 1 min read

geologyicelandeurope

Reefs are cities: how to read a coral reef

A coral reef is a living metropolis built by tiny animals over thousands of years. Here's what you're actually looking at when you float above one — and why the Coral Triangle's reefs are the richest of all.

· 1 min read

oceansscienceconservation