Top 9 in Top 10 incredible surreal places on Earth.
From the hobby of childhood snowman to craft stone sculptor, the activity of shaping snow and ice into many beautiful forms has been around for a while and doesn't seem to be going anywhere. However, what happens when the Earth itself decides to participate in the fun?
Travel to different areas in Chile, and you will find miniature icy forests. . . but exactly no snow or ice in the surrounding area. First discovered in 1835, these "penitentes" can be as high as 5 meters (16 ft) tall.
They are the direct result of sublimation, a chemical process by which a heat source converts a solid into a gas without first melting it. In a process that only builds on itself, the formation of smaller spikes concentrates sunlight. This speeds up the sublimation until the entire forest of these thorns will cross over the landscape.