3 - The Cornfield Mystery: Paricutin Volcano

Local cornfield farmer Dionisio Pulido was working hard in his field on February 20th, 1943 when he felt the ground shake and heard a rumbling sound. He then watched as the ground began to swell upward, forming a fissure that later developed into a small crater. The volcano had appeared out of nowhere, and yet it continued to grow. By the end of the week it was about 125 meters high.

This volcano came to be known as Paricutin Volcano, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Found in Michoacán, Mexico, it is considered the youngest and most recent volcano in the Western Hemisphere. It is a cinder cone volcano, which means that the volcano grows through ejecting lava which lands at the base of the volcano and continues to build up.

The volcano was most active in its first year, growing to most of its final 424 meter height. With each following year, the volcano became less active, until it became dormant in 1952. By this time, Paricutin had done lots of damage by depositing 233 square kilometers of volcanic stone, ash, and lava, and killing almost all of the surrounding vegetation. It also buried two towns and affected three others. Many people in the area were forced to move to new locations.

However, not everything the volcano did was bad. The eruption of Paricutin allowed scientists to study the birth, life, and death of a volcano, something they had never been able to do before.

The volcano is now currently considered to be extinct, which means that it is dormant and unlikely to erupt again. It has become a popular tourist attraction. People can climb the volcano and visit the lava-covered ruins of buildings.

Despite the volcano being extinct, Paricutin is still hot, and rainwater that falls onto it can cause steam to be emitted. The ground around Paricutin is also very unstable, and a series of earthquakes have occurred in the area since it's eruption.

2 - Let's Fly: The Cave of Swallows

Our second stop is the largest known cave shaft (vertical rather than horizontal cave) in the world. This cave is located in San Lois Potosi, Mexico. Known as the "Basement of Swallows" (Sotano de las Golondrinas) in Spanish, the cave is deep enough that it could fit the Eiffel Tower inside of it. It's depth reaches approximately 370 meters measured from the high edge, but can reach as low as 519 meters with its floor pits included.

The cave got its name from the many birds that live in holes and crevices in the rock walls. Most of the birds are actually green parakeets and white-collared swifts, and swallows are rarely found here despite the name. In the evenings, large circles of these birds exit the entrance and circle around it before free-falling back in to the height of their nests. Temperatures in the cave are quite low. Lots of vegetation grows around the entrance, while the bottom is covered in debris and guano.

The Cave of Swallows has become a very popular destination for BASE jumpers. A person without a parachute would take about 10 seconds to reach the bottom of the cave from it's mouth. Using a winch, BASE jumpers are able to get back out in approximately 10 minutes.

1 - First Stop: Antelope Canyon!

Antelope Canyon is a "slot canyon" found near Page, Arizona, United States on Navajo land. Slot canyons are formed when water runs through cracks in rocks and creates channels.

In this case, flash floods and rain created two separate channels, referred to as "The Crack" (Upper Antelope Canyon) and "The Corkscrew" (Lower Antelope Canyon).

The Crack is the most visited due to its flat topography and it's sandstone walls that are often illuminated by the sun. It is a flat 183 meter stretch. The Corkscrew is less popular due to its challenging terrain and less visually appealing landscape. Visitors must climb down into the lower section using built in ladders and stairs, and less sun reaches it. The Corkscrew is over 800 meters long and contains spiral rock arches.

Neither section of Antelope Canyon can be accessed by the general public freely. In order to visit the Canyon, individuals must be guided by a trained professional from the Navajo Tribe. This is due to the danger of flash floods during monsoon season. Rain does not have to fall on or near the Canyon for flash flooding to occur. Rain falling from many miles away can funnel into the Canyon without notice or expectation. Precautions have been taken inside the Canyon to ensure visitor safety, including alarms horns, safety nets, and secure ladders.