How much of the natural world we admire today, is a testament to the effects of climate change?
As it was the case in my previous story on the rainbow mountains in Peru, these beautiful caves in the Patagonia region of Chile share a similar story.
These marble caves have formed over the last 6000+ years as the water melted from the nearby General Carrera Lake, a remote glacial lake that spans the Chile-Argentina border.
The waves washing up against these solid rocks have slowly carved out intricate caverns, columns, and tunnel systems.
Over thousands of years, this mineral-rich glacier water also changed the color and shape of the Marble Cave formations to beautiful hues of blues, greens, blacks, and yellows.
The swirling pattern on the cave interiors is a reflection of the lake’s azure waters, which change depending on the water levels dictated by weather and season.
In early spring, the shallow waters are turquoise and create a crystalline shimmer against the caves’ swirling walls. Come summer, the water levels increase and create a deep blue hue which gives the cave a unique unearthly shade.
While undoubtedly beautiful, we should not lose sight of the fact that this “unnatural” beauty results from an imbalance in nature, signaling a bigger issue.
So we should keep uncovering these beauties and start a conversation to learn and inspire action for change.
- Gaia
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