Issue link: https://owlkids.uberflip.com/i/1536420
BLUE LAKE CAVE True-Blue Hues WHERE? Brazil Unlike many other ancient landforms, the Blue Lake Cave in Brazil was discovered only 100 years ago! This underground water-filled chamber was hollowed out when ice on the land began to melt. The groundwater that flows through Blue Lake Cave carries mineral deposits, which collect and form stalactites and stalagmites (the rocky "icicles" that hang down from above or stand up from the floor). Each morning from September to February, something magical happens here. Inside the entrance of the cave, the lake becomes a brighter blue for a short time. The Sun is at exactly the right angle to bring out the vibrant colours from mineral deposits in the water. If you want to visit Blue Lake Cave, be prepared to descend 300 steps to get underground! The cave has been protected ever since fossilized bones were discovered in the lake, including those of sabre-toothed tigers! A pingo looks like a huge upside-down bowl in the middle of the Arctic! It comes from an Inuktitut word meaning "little hill." Pingos grow over hundreds of years. They are created when underground ice expands and pushes up, forming a bulge in the frozen earth. Pingos can act as landmarks to help people find their way around—just as those living in towns and cities might use familiar trees or buildings to figure out which way to go! Canada has the second tallest pingo in the world. Ibyuk (say: IB-bee-ook) Pingo, on the coast of the Arctic Ocean, is 49 m (161 ft.) high. That's about the height of a 16-storey building! WHERE? Canada's Northwest Territories (and other areas with permafrost— where the ground never thaws—such as Alaska, Greenland, and northern Russia) PINGO A Mound in the Ground The tallest pingo in the world is Kadleroshilik Pingo, located near Prudhoe Bay in Alaska, US. It stands about 54 m (177 ft.) high, making it slightly taller than Ibyuk Pingo in Canada's Northwest Territories. This magical place is called Gruta do Lago Azul in Portuguese! gruta = cave lago = lake azul = blue Insider 14 OWL May 2025