00:00Hello and welcome to the Dark Mystery Lounge.
00:02Last time we took a look at 10 places you can't visit because they no longer exist,
00:08but those were man-made structures.
00:10Today we're going to do the same thing, but these places were natural landmarks.
00:14Structures that are hundreds if not thousands of years old.
00:17For one reason or another, met their demise and are now just a footnote in history.
00:22So let's take a look at 10 places you can't visit because they no longer exist, part 2.
00:30Mucarab, also known as the Finger of God, was a remarkable sandstone rock formation located near Asim in Nambia.
00:45This natural wonder stood 12 meters high and 4.5 meters wide and weighing around 450 tons.
00:53What made Mucarab truly special was its narrow base,
00:57which was only 3 meters long and 1.5 meters wide, making it appear as if it was defying gravity.
01:04Mucarab was part of the West Strand Plateau, before 50,000 years of erosion isolated it from the rest of the plateau.
01:13The formation was well known to the Nama people and inspired many legends.
01:17One such legend involved the rivalry between Nama and Herero people,
01:23where the Nama claimed their superiority as long as the Mucarab stood tall.
01:28Unfortunately, Mucarab collapsed on the night of December 7th, 1988.
01:33The exact cause of the collapse remains unknown,
01:37but it is believed that a rainstorm and a Spittak earthquake in Armenia,
01:42which registered heavily in Nambia, may have contributed to its demise.
01:46Before its collapse, Mucarab was a major tourist attraction
01:50and had been given national monument status in 1955.
01:55Despite its collapse, Mucarab remains an iconic symbol in Nambian history and culture.
02:03The Tree of Teneri was a solitary acacia tree
02:07located in the Teneri region of the Sahara Desert in northeast Niger.
02:12It was considered the most isolated tree on Earth,
02:15with the nearest tree being over 250 miles away.
02:19This tree was a vital landmark for caravan routes through the desert
02:23and was revered by the local Tuareg tribesmen.
02:27The tree's routes reached an impressive depth of 108 to 118 feet
02:32to access the water table.
02:34Despite its harsh environment, the tree thrived for centuries,
02:38until, in 1973, it was tragically knocked down by a Libyan truck driver
02:43who was reportedly drunk.
02:45A metal sculpture now stands in its place as a tribute to this remarkable tree.
02:52The Waimangu geyser, located in New Zealand,
02:56was once the most powerful geyser in the world.
02:58It began erupting in 1900,
03:01likely due to the 1886 eruption of Mount Torawera.
03:05The geyser's eruptions were spectacular,
03:07reaching heights of up to 1,500 feet
03:10and attracting worldwide attention.
03:12The name Waimangu means black waters in the Maori language,
03:17referring to black sand, mud, and rocks expelled during the eruption.
03:21The geyser erupted on a cycle of about 36 hours,
03:25with each eruption lasting five to six hours.
03:28Unfortunately, in 1903,
03:30a tragic eruption claimed the lives of four people
03:33who ventured too close.
03:35The geyser's activity began to decline in mid-1904,
03:39and ceased entirely by 1908.
03:42It has remained dormant ever since.
03:47Guero Falls were a series of immense waterfalls
03:49on the Parana River along the border between Paraguay and Brazil.
03:53The falls were renowned for their incredible flow rate,
03:57which was among the greatest of any falls on Earth.
04:00The falls consisted of 18 cataract clusters in seven groups,
04:04hence the Portuguese name,
04:05Set Cadets, or Seven Falls.
04:08The total height of the falls
04:09was approximately 375 feet,
04:12with the longest individual cataract being 130 feet high.
04:17The roar of the plunging waters
04:19could be heard from 20 miles away.
04:21Unfortunately, Guero Falls ceased to exist in 1982,
04:26when they were submerged by a reservoir
04:28created by the Itapo Dam.
04:30The construction of the Itapo Dam,
04:32authorized by the 1973 bilateral agreement
04:35between Paraguay and Brazil,
04:38marked a new era of cooperation between the two countries.
04:41Despite the loss of the falls,
04:43the Itapo Dam is now one of the world's largest
04:46hydroelectric plants.
04:47The Wabona Tunnel Tree
04:52was a famous giant sequoia
04:54located in Yosemite National Park, California.
04:58This majestic tree stood at a height of 227 feet
05:02and had a diameter of 26 feet at its base.
05:07In 1881, a tunnel was cut through the tree
05:10to create a tourist attraction,
05:12making it possible for visitors to drive through the tree.
05:15The tunnel was 7 feet wide by 9 feet high
05:19and 26 feet long at the base.
05:22The Wabona tree became the iconic symbol of Yosemite
05:25and was widely photographed and visited.
05:28Unfortunately, the Wabona tree fell
05:31during a severe winter storm in February 1969
05:35under the weight of heavy snow.
05:38The tree was estimated to be around 2,300 years old
05:41at the time of its fall.
05:43Today, the fallen tree remains
05:45in Mariposa Grove
05:47as a reminder of its historical significance.
05:53I know this one really isn't natural,
05:56but it's pretty old and interesting.
05:58We all know the story of Jonah
05:59from Christian, Muslim, and Jewish tradition.
06:03According to the Book of Jonah
06:04and the Old Testament of the Bible,
06:06God gave instructions to Jonah
06:08to go preach to the city of Nineveh.
06:11He sought to escape the divine command
06:13by boarding a ship that will take him away.
06:16But in the middle of a storm,
06:18a large whale devoured Jonah.
06:20He lived three days inside the stomach of the whale
06:22who spit him out on the dry land
06:24so that he could obey the will of God.
06:27There are many places
06:28where Jonah is believed to have been buried.
06:30However, the most recognized
06:32was the city of Mosul in Iraq
06:34in the providence of Nineveh,
06:36the city where the prophet
06:37fulfilled his divine mandate.
06:40The site, called Nabi Yunus,
06:42just inspired hundreds of Muslims and Christians
06:44to annually pilgrim and pray
06:47under the same roof.
06:48On July 24, 2014,
06:51the tomb was destroyed by ISIS,
06:53who targeted it due to the status as a shrine.
06:57The destruction of the tomb
06:58led to the discovery of the remains
07:00of a palace from the 7th century BCE.
07:03Built by the Assyrian king, Sennacherib.
07:07This unexpected find,
07:08including mud brick walls,
07:10fragments of statues,
07:11stone reliefs,
07:13pottery,
07:13and cuneiform inscriptions.
07:16Despite the tragic loss of the tomb,
07:18the site continues to hold
07:19historical and cultural significance,
07:22revealing more about the ancient Assyrian empire
07:25and its interaction with the kingdom
07:27of Israel and Judah.
07:29So, in a way,
07:30ISIS's plan backfired.
07:33The Eye of the Needle was a natural sandstone arch
07:38located along the Missouri River
07:40near Fort Benton, Montana.
07:42This unique formation stood about 11 feet high
07:45and resembled an inverted V
07:47with an oval-shaped opening underneath.
07:50It looked like a gateway
07:51or a doorway to an ancient portal.
07:54It was a notable landmark
07:55described by Meriwether Lewis
07:57during the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1805.
08:00Unfortunately, the Eye of the Needle
08:02experienced significant damage
08:04on May 27, 1997.
08:06The top four feet of the arch had fallen,
08:08leaving two pillars.
08:10While initial reports suggest vandalism
08:12due to beer bottles and other trash
08:14at the bottom of the arch,
08:16later investigations proposed
08:17that natural erosion and weathering
08:20might have been the cause.
08:21The monument was over 10,000 years old,
08:24yet no one was ever caught.
08:25Today, the Eye of the Needle
08:27serves as a reminder
08:28of the importance of preserving
08:30our natural and historical landmarks.
08:35The Old Man of the Mountain,
08:37also known as the Great Stone Face,
08:39was a series of five granite cliff ledges
08:41on Cannon Mountain
08:42in Franconia, New Hampshire.
08:45When viewed from the north,
08:47these ledges appeared to form
08:48a jagged profile of a human face.
08:50The formation stood 40 feet tall
08:53and 25 feet wide,
08:55perched 1,200 feet above Profile Lake.
08:59The Old Man of the Mountain
09:00was first recorded by surveying teams
09:02in 1805 and quickly became
09:05a cultural icon and symbol
09:06for the state of New Hampshire.
09:09Unfortunately, the formation collapsed
09:11on May 3, 2003,
09:13due to natural erosion
09:14and the freeze-thaw cycle.
09:17Despite its collapse,
09:18the Old Man of the Mountain
09:20remains a cherished symbol
09:21and is still featured
09:22on New Hampshire's license plates
09:24and other state emblems.
09:26There is a memorial below
09:28where the rock formation used to be.
09:33Wall Arch is a natural sandstone arch
09:35in the Arches National Park
09:37in southeastern Utah.
09:39It was ranked 12th in size
09:41among the park's over 2,000 arches.
09:44At its largest,
09:45the opening underneath the span
09:47was 71 feet wide
09:49by 33.5 feet high.
09:52Wall Arch collapsed
09:53during the night
09:53of August 4, 2008.
09:56The collapse was likely due
09:57to natural erosion
09:58and weathering.
10:00Fortunately,
10:01no one was injured
10:01as the collapse occurred at night.
10:04The remnants of the Wall Arch
10:05can still be seen
10:06along the Devil's Garden Trail.
10:09It is noted
10:10that all arches are temporary.
10:11They will all eventually succumb
10:13to erosion and gravity.
10:14So if you ever get to see one,
10:16consider yourself lucky.
10:20The Mayan Pyramid of Namo
10:22is an archaeological site
10:24located on the eastern Yucatan Peninsula
10:26in what is today
10:28northern Belize.
10:29Built around 250 BC,
10:32the pyramid stood 56 feet tall
10:34and was made from limestone.
10:36It is the most important Mayan site
10:38in northern Belize.
10:39On May 13, 2013,
10:42the pyramid was almost
10:43completely destroyed.
10:45Contractors used excavators
10:47and bulldozers
10:48to remove large portions
10:49of the central pyramid
10:51for its limestone content
10:52to fill roads
10:54in nearby Douglas Village
10:55with gravel.
10:57Even though it was
10:58on private land,
10:59all pre-Columbian sites
11:01are under national government
11:02protection in Belize.
11:04There was no excuse
11:05for the destruction
11:06of a pyramid
11:06that stood for over
11:082,500 years.
11:09The four individuals
11:11responsible,
11:12along with the company,
11:13were charged
11:14and found guilty
11:15of two charges,
11:16removing Earth
11:17from an ancient monument
11:18without permission
11:19and willfully damaging
11:21an ancient monument.
11:22Each of them
11:23had to pay heavy fines
11:24as well as
11:25the company itself.
11:27No explanation was given,
11:28just an apology
11:29never to do it again.
11:31To me,
11:32I feel like it's
11:32just sheer laziness.
11:34It's too little too late.
11:36We can't get it back.
11:37Ancient structures
11:38like that
11:39should be cherished
11:40and protected.
11:41If you enjoyed this video,
11:43please smash that like button.
11:45Subscribe if you are new
11:46to the channel.
11:47Thank you for hanging out
11:48with me in the Dark Mystery Lounge.
11:50This is Phoenix,
11:51signing out.
11:52Have a good evening
11:52and stay safe.
Comments