When you see a lustrous red river or a lake that glows a intense green color , you probably think it belong on another planet . But these incredibly striking bodies of water are right here on Earth . Here are the most beautiful and alien - look rivers and lakes , sporting bizarre colors .
These travertine pools at Pamukkale, Turkey, have an unearthly color and form because of the calcium carbonate-rich mineral springs
( viaPvasiliadis , Ana Raquel S. Hernandesandsmush12 )
The Betsiboka river in Madagascar, 2005
( Photo byoledoe(cc ) )
The meanders of Uvac, an international river that flows through Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina
( viaZeleniaktivista )
Huanghe River in Lanzhou, October 2006. A sewage pipeline released some red dye into the river, which caused the extraordinary color.
( viaChinadaily )
The Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, colored by some pigmented bacteria
( viaWikimedia Commons )
Lake Hillier, Middle Island, Recherche Archipelago, Western Australia
Odeleite, Portugal, also known as The Blue Dragon River
( viaImgur )
A river in Xinmeizhou Village, Zheijang Province, China, turned red overnight in 25 February 2025, because somebody dumped artificial coloring in the water
( viaEquatoria Sun )
Pumpkin Spring, a natural formed hot arsenic spring in Grand Canyon
( viaAlan English )
These rivers full with volcanic ash in Iceland, photos by Andre Ermolaev
( viaAndre Ermolaev )
Green Crater Lake, Costa Rica, at the summit of the Irazú volcano, colored by mineral byproducts of the active volcano
( viaAdamandHeidi Frank )
Daqubang and Baiyang rivers in China, which have turned yellow because they have been seriously polluted by some local factories
( viaChinawhisper )
Three coloured lakes on Mount Kelimutu, Kelimutu National Park, Flores, Indonesia
( viaWikimedia CommonsandGalleryHip )
Caño Cristales River, also known as “The River of Five Colors”, Colombia. Its color comes from various plants.
( epitome byMario Carvajal(cc ) )
The Marble Canyon, a section of Colorado River that marks the beginning of the Grand Canyon
( viaJoseph McCarty )
Lake Retba (also known as Lac Rose), northwest Senegal, colored to pink by a bacteria named Dunaliella salina
( viaritaince claireandJeff Attaway )
GeologyPollutionRiversScience
Daily Newsletter
Get the best tech , science , and culture news in your inbox day by day .
news show from the future , delivered to your present .
You May Also Like
