The Champagne Pool (Wai-o-tapo Geothermal Region)- The remnants of an old explosion crater that have filled with water from a source deep underground. The water is heated underground (up to 230° C) but cools as it rises in the steeply sided crater, creating a sinter (silica) lined pool with colorful deposits of arsenic and antimony sulfur compounds, as well as gold and silver (inset) as the dissolved minerals precipitate out. Named the Champagne pool because of the constant “fizz” on the surface of the pool as carbon dioxide bubbles vent from deep below the water surface inside the pool.
Bergshrund (Mt. Cook, New Zealand Southern Alps. Seen here from the Southeastern Side): A bergshrund is an initial crack in an ice sheet where it breaks away from the underlying bedrock. It is a characteristic feature found on all glaciers, and is an indicator of flow in the body of ice. Several smaller bergshrunds are visible here as horizontal cracks in the thick ice patches near the peak of Mt. Cook, but have not developed into full on glaciers as of yet. More precipitation, or colder temperatures are needed before these smaller ice patches can extend into recognized glaciers.
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