Why did the recent volcanic eruption in Iceland create so much ash? Although the large ash plume was not unparalleled in its abundance, its location was particularly noticeable because it drifted across such well populated areas.

The Eyjafjallajökull volcano in southern Iceland began erupting on March 20, with a second eruption starting under the center of a small glacier on April 14.
Neither eruption was unusually powerful. The second eruption, however, melted a large amount of glacial ice which then cooled and fragmented lava into gritty glass particles that were carried up with the rising volcanic plume.

Pictured below from early this week, lightning bolts illuminate ash pouring out of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano.

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Sought after since the beginning of recorded history, gold remains a highly valued metal, reaching record highs recently, climbing over 135% in value in the past year alone.

The recent rise in the price of gold comes just as annual worldwide mine production has decreased – down by nearly 8% since 2001.

In human history, only 161,000 tons of gold have been mined – more than half of that extracted in just the past 50 years. Collected here are a handful of recent photographs of people searching for, mining, rediscovering, celebrating, buying and selling gold.

View 37 interesting photos of Gold

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While traveling on a business trip in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Dubai, one Russian traveler and photographer decided not to spare a chance and made a helicopter trip around the center of the city to make a photo-story.

To say that the city is rich means not to say anything. Dubai literally shines with luxury, mile-high skyscrapers and hi-tech facilities. These photos will carry you to the world of an incredible beauty with its fairy-like views.

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This morning, temperatures were at 35 below zero. The high today was 27 below zero.

The main attractions in the North Pole are The Santa Claus House and “Christmas in Ice.” The Santa Claus House was founded in 1952 and has been the center of the community.

The streets in and around The Santa Claus house have very appropriate names. Such as, Santa Claus Lane, St. Nickolas Drive, Mistletoe Lane and Blitzen Drive.

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Animal photography is one of the most challenging and rewarding form of photography.

Stalking wildlife animal to take pictures of them is quite difficult, because in any moment your subject could run or worst attack you.
You need patience and time when photographing animals, especially if you are want a particular position and scene. Even as animal images can be taken using basic equipment, excellent animal photography needs special equipment, such as macro lenses for insects, underwater cameras for marine life and long focal length lenses for birds.

From land based animals, marine mammals, and birds, here are 28 stunning animal images with excellent wildlife photography.

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