THE TRAVERTINE POOLS
OF PAMUKKALE
1. PAMUKKALE - TURKEY
The strange and weirdly beautiful terraced pools of
Pamukkale have been
appreciated for over two millennia and yet still remain a
little known wonder
of the world. Thousands of years ago earthquakes, which are
common in
Turkey, created fractures that allowed powerful hot springs
to bring water rich
in calcium carbonate to the surface.As the water evaporated
the chalky material
condensed and formed layer-upon-layer of Travertine and thus
slowly built up
the walls over time in the same way that a stalactite forms
in a cave. Apparently
Pammakale means Castle of Cotton but the Greco-Romans built
a town above it