Seven colored earth
The Seven Colored Earths ( fr. Terres des Sept Couleurs ; . English Seven Colored Earths ) is a natural phenomenon near the village of Chamarel in the southwest of the island of Mauritius . It is a tourist attraction and is privately owned.
Emergence
The hilly landscape, like the whole island, is of volcanic origin. The colors come about through the transformation of basalt lava into clay minerals . All components soluble in water under tropical weathering conditions such as B. Silicas are washed away, all that remains is the reddish / black iron oxide Fe 2 O 3 and aluminum oxide , which produce colors from blue to violet-blue to blue-green. The different colors come in different compositions.
tourism
The area is developed for tourism and is one of the main tourist attractions. Admission is required for the visit. Due to the relatively remote location, the journey is primarily made by bus or taxi. It is collected in front of the only parking and turning opportunity. The buses and taxis park in a large parking lot just a few meters away from the Seven Colored Earth and the associated tourist infrastructure. Entering the rock surface is prohibited.
The Seven Colored Earth can be viewed from the air as part of an Air Mauritius helicopter flight and is an integral part of the one-hour Mauritius flight.
The Cascade Chamarel waterfall, which is also privately owned and developed for tourists, is in the immediate vicinity .
Trivia
Many tourists are told that the hills are made of sand that miraculously does not mix even with rain. However, this is wrong because it is lava rock. A "sample" of the sand is sold in the souvenir shops on the island and in the ticket booth at the entrance to the site.
Impressions
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Marco Polo Travel Guide Mauritius , ISBN 3-8297-0491-7 , page 68
- ↑ Andy Carvin's travelogue with the anecdote of immiscible sand, accessed on August 31, 2010
- ^ Ulrich Quack: Mauritius / La Réunion , travel book publisher Iwanowski, 11th edition 2006, ISBN 3-923975-20-1 , page 284
Coordinates: 20 ° 26 ′ 25.1 ″ S , 57 ° 22 ′ 24.4 ″ E