Seven Coloured Earths, a photo from Black River, South

Photographer's Note

The Seven Coloured Earth(s) are a geological formation and prominent tourist attraction found in the Chamarel plain of the Rivière Noire District in south-western Mauritius. It is a relatively small area of sand dunes comprising sand of seven distinct colours (approximately red, brown, violet, green, blue, purple and yellow). The main feature of the place is that since these differently coloured sands spontaneously settle in different layers, dunes acquire a surrealistic, striped colouring. This phenomenon can also be observed, on a smaller scale, if one takes a handful of sands of different colours and mixes them together, as they'll eventually separate into a layered spectrum.Another interesting feature of Chamarel's Coloured Earths is that the dunes seemingly never erode, in spite of Mauritius' torrential, tropical rains.
The sands have formed from the decomposition of volcanic rock (basalt) gullies into clay, further transformed into ferralitic soil by total hydrolysis; the two main elements of the resulting soil, iron and aluminium, are responsible for red/anthracite and blue/purplish colours respectively. The different shades of colour are believed to be a consequence of the molten volcanic rock cooling down at different external temperatures (hence rates), but the causes of their consistent spontaneous separation are yet to be fully clarified.
The place has become one of Mauritius' main tourist attractions since the 1960s. Nowadays, the dunes are protected by a wooden fence and visitors are not allowed to climb on them, although they can look at the scenery from observation outposts placed along the fence.

LE TERRE COLORATE DI CHAMAREL

Le Terre Colorate di Chamarel sono la prova tangibile di come la natura sia bizzarra ed inspiegabile, nonchè della bellezza indescrivibile che deriva dalle prodezze e degli incantesimi di Madre Natura, che alle Isole Mauritius ha sicuramente dato il meglio di se..
La particolarità di questo luogo è infatti unica al mondo: i sette strati di terra contraddistinti ciascuno da un colore diverso e profondo, che insieme costituiscono un paesaggio inconfondibile e suggestivo, se mescolati, dopo poco giorni riappaiono inspiegabilmente nuovamente separati..
Un mistero e una magia cha attraggono ogni anno numerosi turisti increduli, che di fronte a tale spettacolo sono però costretti a ricredersi, e a lasciarsi trasportare da questo meraviglioso incantesimo che non potrà che rapire anche il vostro cuore..
Una lunga tavolozza colorata che scompare dietro l'orizzonte portando con se il suo luccichio e il suo arcobaleno variopinto, una cornice verde e rigogliosa che scompare di fronte a tale spettacolo naturale, e un effetto Mauritius terre colorate-cromatico che sotto il sole risplende di gioia e semplicità, sono infatti solo alcune delle sfumature che fanno delle Sette Terre Colorate una delle sceneggiature più intriganti e mozzafiato delle Isole Mauritius..
Inoltre, la fusione di minerali, metalli e tonalità diverse non si presenterà mai uguale, dopo ogni pioggia infatti, Madre Natura si sbizzarrisce in un altro quadro, rimescolando l'argilla e la sabbia in maniera ogni volta imprevedibile..

emilbo, tyro, ChrisJ, macjake, jjcordier, ikeharel, ktanska, papagolf21, snunney, timecapturer, Subhogen, Gigidusud, jhm, chrislo, holmertz, jacquest, Silvio1953, mirosu, Romano46, ourania, shevchenko, danos, imageme, RhodieIke, rychem, PaulVDV, Mics, Didi, fritzi007, mcmtanyel, mkamionka, dip has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

emilbo (22616) 2014-02-15 16:18

Allô Luciano!
Une photo très intéressante de cet étrange phénomène devant un beau fond de verdure. J'aime beaucoup la formation des dunes qui vont d'une couleur à l'autre. Une présentation de qualité accompagnée d'une excellente note.
Bravo mon ami!… et bon dimanche,
Emilius

npecanhuk (79329) 2014-02-15 16:37

Ciao Luciano!
Very interesting details!
Truly attractive picture, with special regards to the chosen pov, composition, dof, colors and exposure!
TFS - congrats,
Buona Domenica,
Neyvan

tyro (30513) 2014-02-15 16:58

Ciao caro Luciano,

What a fascinating note and what a delightful picture to illustrate it!

Isn't it amazing what wonders this World has for us? You have captured this scene very well indeed and you were fortunate to have such lovely light on these colourful dunes at the time. The contrasts between the reddish dunes and the green trees in the background is delightful, your exposure is perfect and the details and sharpness are exquisite.

Beautiful!

Kind Regards,

John.

chris04stop (6805) 2014-02-15 17:42

Splendida immagine, Luciano! Come morbide pieghe di un corpo femminile misterioso del quale hai voglia di conoscere tutto!

ChrisJ (171396) 2014-02-15 18:55

Ciao Luciano!

Good warm vs cold color contrasts between the blue magenta and pink with the people at the back providing scale. Excellent sharpness and well framed & composed. Good repetition of the eroded patterns with superb textural and tonal details. Have a nice Sunday!

macjake (98262) 2014-02-15 18:56

Hey Luciano
I have never seen this before from Mauritius, this is downright cool! It seems so un-natural, but its actually 100% Natural!
very very unique formations of color and form.
glad you posted it
cheers
craig

jadesgran (5433) 2014-02-15 22:53

Hello Luciano
The colours in the sand dunes are really amazing.Set in front of the rich greens of the trees make them look even more amazing Best Wishes Gladys.

emka (157304) 2014-02-15 23:10

Ciao Luciano,

What an amazing rock! incredible piece of art of Mother Nature. Wonderful dunes. it would be fun to go on it but it is good that they are protected.

WArm regrads MAlgo

dta (98848) 2014-02-15 23:30

Ciao Luciano ,
Sans la verdure à l'arrière plan , on aurait pu se croire dans les "Painted Hills" , en Amérique du Nord ...
Un bel et intéressant endroit qui semble bien aménagé pour les touristes .
Amicalement

jjcordier (79299) 2014-02-15 23:40

Luciano
D'étonnantes formations géologiques que tu as superbement photographiées.Les couleurs sont vraiment surprenantes.
Amicalement
JJ

SWEETFREEDOM (24623) 2014-02-15 23:45

Ciao Luciano,
fenomeno naturale interessante ed affascinate allo stesso tempo. bella anche la sinuosita'del terreno che ne esalta maggiormente le differenti tonalita'
ciao
Alessandro

ikeharel (112583) 2014-02-16 0:47

An amazing nature, Luciano, outstanding texture of earth.
Iron residu colored beautifully the soil, and you very well rendered this on image.
The walkway with a wooden fence on far side, people/tourists stroll along gave superb scale to appreciate this location.
Fine photojob on an intriguing phenomena.
Ike

Nicou (193806) 2014-02-16 1:16

Hello

quelle compo et vue sueprbe captage quel rendu et forme et cette couleur ces formes c'est merveilleux très intéressant.
Bravo et amitié
Nciou

ktanska (44492) 2014-02-16 1:45

Hi Luciano,
Wavy patterns and all those colours look very special! Wide angle gives strong perspective on this. Funny that someone has counted those colours, while of course it is a continuos palette of countless shades.
Kari

papagolf21 (152607) 2014-02-16 1:59

Bonjour, cher Luciano,
Infatigable voyageur pour notre plus grand plaisir. Je découvre avec intérêt chaque image, je les savoure et en apprécie le sujet.
Très bonne journée.
Amitiés.
Philippe

timecapturer (49288) 2014-02-16 2:27

Hi Luciano
a nature as the artist shot this. Love the variations in colours and organic elements here, it makes for a fascinating and beautifully original image. Well done!

Have a great Sunday - B.

snunney (130967) 2014-02-16 2:29

Hello Luciano,
A fine composition featuring this fascinating and colourful landscape. I like how you have retained the strip of green along the top edge of the crop, it makes a great contrasting frame for the dunes with their multi-tones. The sympathetic ambient light helps bring a 3-D effect to the scene.

Subhogen (4067) 2014-02-16 2:32

Hello Luciano,
Great artwork by the greatest artist. Very unique view of nature. I have never seen so many colours in such a small place. It seems someone has played Holi (an Indian festival of colours) over here. There is no end to learning from nature. Thanks a lot for sharing this.
Regards,
Subho

Gigidusud (21679) 2014-02-16 3:07

Bonjour Luciano,
Très jolie photo de nature avec un beau contraste de couleurs et une texture impressionnante sur ces formations sableuses. Bravo!
Bon dimanche mon ami.
Gigi

jhm (211734) 2014-02-16 3:31

Ciao Luciano,

I have never seen this type sand with all these different colours
A nice nature picture with an excellent sharpness and clarity.
Nice depth and perspective with these nice picture.
Excellent composition, good presentation.
Very well done, TFS.

Have a nice Sunday,
John.

chrislo (4099) 2014-02-16 3:40

Ciao Luciano,
Une très belle photo de ces dunes aux couleurs fantastiques. J'aime beaucoup les mouvements qu'elles dessinent, on dirait presque une formation rocheuse de lave solidifiée. J'aime aussi la barrière au sommet qui forme comme un diadème couronnant le manteau de la dune. Le vert des arbres offre un excellent contraste de couleur. Superbe !
Bon dimanche.
Christian

holmertz (102116) 2014-02-16 3:42

Hello Luciano,
A spectacular view and a very interesting note. This is a new experience for me, so today I have once again learned something about the world through TE. The colours and shapes of the dunes are amazing and the contrast with the green screen of trees is very attractive.
Kind regards,
Gert

pajaran (115089) 2014-02-16 4:24

Dobar dan.
Interesantan i dobar tekst o mestu, sa opisom ...
Dobar snimak, ostrina, kontrast i perspektiva, lepo pokazano mesto, lepe boje.
Lepo popodne i sve najbolje.
Paja.

Good afternoon.
An interesting and good article on the place, with a description ...
Good shot, sharpness, contrast and perspective, nice place indicated, beautiful colors.
Nice afternoon and all the best.
Paja.

Sergiom (117241) 2014-02-16 4:29

Ciao Luciano

Un très beau phénomène pris sous l'angle idéal. On dirait des vagues rouges. L'arrière plan très vert offre un très beau contraste.

Bon dimanche

Serge

jacquest (19269) 2014-02-16 4:51

Hello Luciano,

Thank you for sharing this local natural phenomenon and your POV shows very well the dunes and their irrular forms together with the different colors. The strong green background with the walkway adss perspective.

Best regards

Jacques

Silvio1953 (220779) 2014-02-16 5:25

Ciao Luciano grande magia di madre natura e favolosa foto, splendido il contrasto tra il colore cangiante della formazione rocciosa in primo piano e il verde brillante della foresta, bravissimo, ciao Silvio

mirosu (16313) 2014-02-16 5:32

Ciao Luciano,
Many thanks for very interesting note. You are lucky man, after Prague, Paris beautiful Mauritius. Excellent photo with very nice natural forms. The light is very good, the colors very well balanced.
Nice contrast against green backdrop.
Very well done.
Greetings,
Miro

Romano46 (18472) 2014-02-16 5:56

Cioa Luciano
su questa meriti un applauso per l'originalità del soggetto e la cura della ripresa.
Ottima la composizione e soprattutto bello il contrasto di colori.
Complimenti
Ciao e buona domenica
Romano

No_One (4) 2014-02-16 6:31

Hi Luciano,
Brilliant educational post, I had never heard of this effect before, so I am a little more knowledgable now thanks to you :) I would have believed this to be really smooth rock without your excellent note, as it does look very volcanic. The colors are amazing and testament to teheran never ending beauty of nature. Beautiful view and a really excellent check of angle to shoot from too.
Thanks as always
Noel

jurek1951 (42198) 2014-02-16 10:11

Ciao Luciano,
a splendid view with spectacular composition and details, great colours and lights, superb place,
Georg

Fis2 (169921) 2014-02-16 11:21

Witaj Luciano!
A very interesting place.
Coloured Earths are impressive!
Good POV and composition.
Well done.
Good night
Krzysztof

ourania (51103) 2014-02-16 11:48

Ciao Luciano,
un paesaggio davvero strano ed affascinante, la tua nota ci fa apprezzarlo ancor di piu' perche' spiega le tonalita' diverse e le forme che cambiano ogni tanto. E' incantevole il pensiero che la tua composizione solida e profonda ci offre una vista effimera del luogo meraviglioso. Tessiture e colori fanno un spettacolo superbo e la cornice verde offre contrasto ed aggiunge contesto ed interesse. Complimenti e grazie!
Tanti saluti e buona serata,
Ourania

rbassin (27472) 2014-02-16 11:57

ciao Luciano
une photo extraordinaire de ce site géologique.
C'est absolument magnfique.
Bonne soirée
Roland

willperrett (14195) 2014-02-16 12:06

Hello Luciano
Good, discreet naturalistic tones here: given the subject matter, it must have been tempting to jump on the saturation pedal, but you have sensibly resisted, or done so gently! Remarkable formation, which reminds me of the coloured cliffs of Alum Bay on the Isle of Wight.
Regards
Will

carlo62 (81265) 2014-02-16 13:24

Ciao Luciano
non conoscevo questa particolarità, molto interessante e avvincente, un vero mistero, ma del resto, la natura, è fatta di bellezza e mistero.
Spelndida foto e bella condivisione.
Buona domenica
Carlo

shevchenko (20560) 2014-02-16 20:09

Hi Luciano,
Nice to see painted land at this site too, it is good contrast to the greenery clump at background, interesting composition, and informative note to introduce the unique geographical feature too, distinct photo, good shoot.
Ally

Kamilutka (8107) 2014-02-17 1:44

Hello Luciano,
this is truly amazing place. I read your note with interest. Very well captured not only the colors but also the unusual structure of the earths. The greenery frames the image neatly and naturally and also adds contrasting color for the main subject.
Great contrast and sharpness, very good quality overall.
Thanks for sharing and enjoy your day
Kamila

subhendu_bagchi (26091) 2014-02-17 2:02

namaste Luciano,
here is an interesting one indeed. I like the colours of the earth along with its beautiful textures. Great presentation with that greeneries at back. Excellent one. Tfs.
S

danos (110407) 2014-02-17 2:22

Ciao Luciano,
very nice the view as the presentation of the colourful tints of the rocks with the opposite greenery to completes perfect the beauty of the image.Excellent the light management as enhance the variety of the colours of the rock.

Have a good day,Danos

Graal (103040) 2014-02-17 2:38

Ciao Luciano,
good title and unusual view. Amazing colourful the fragment of our planet. Interesting place and presentation. I like it.
Have a nice week.
Aleksander

COSTANTINO (115699) 2014-02-17 6:43

Ciao Luciano
molo interesane foto e nota
ottimi colori
e bel POV
Cari saluti
Costantino

imageme (1790) 2014-02-17 14:12

Hi Luciano, What an art the Mother Nature had created here. Marvelous colourful dunes formation in different forms and shapes. The lush vegetation in the BG just framed the composition perfectly. Awesome light and tones. Super POV and DOF. Thank for the detail note to show how these colourful earths formed. Best regards
Anna

jmdias (114424) 2014-02-17 16:49

Luciano

an interesting image, not usual. I liked the contrast between the greens and the reds here. excellent framing catching well the beauty of the area. TFS this part of the world, no so known.

hugs

jorge

delpeoples (60342) 2014-02-18 0:00

Caro Luciano

Bellissima questa cosa unquotidiana. Adoro il texture ed i colori ricchi. Il taglio stretto ha creato un'inquadratura quasi astratta. Molto artistica e particolare. Il cornice di bianco ha accentuate i toni pastelli. Interessante, affascinante e bella. Complimentoni.

Un abbraccio
Lisa

abmdsudi (95869) 2014-02-18 4:26

Hi Luciano
What a geological find there, a beautiful exposure, composition and good to see the striking contrast in colour amongst the green environment. A fabulous scene of nature wonder with its intricacy and this makes it refreshingly different and beautiful. Great stuff so finely shot, Congrats and TFS
Warm regards

claudeD (47754) 2014-02-18 6:25

Hello Luciano,

very fine picture from Mauritius showing this very interesting location.Very good and informative note.I like the view very much.TFS.

With regards from Luxembourg

JC

photographer_sg (6059) 2014-02-18 7:34

Hi Luciano
Spectacular view with lovely colours. beautiful contrast with the warm colour fringed by the green foliage. thanks for sharing and have a nice evening. best regards
Satya

RhodieIke (11752) 2014-02-19 1:26

Hi Luciano,

Very interesting and colourful image of this place in Mauritius.
Fantastic colours and textures, for some obscure reason it reminds me of a Hippo's skin ha ha.

Wonderful,

Cheers, Iain.

ciakgiak (30) 2014-02-19 11:37

Ciao Luciano,
vale il precedente commento, non una sbavatura, colori e qualità sono al top!!!
Un caro abbraccio

Giorgio

Cricri (176) 2014-02-20 9:52

Ciao Luciano
Surprenante formation, j'aime le POV et le contraste avec le fond vert,une image sensationnelle, bravo
Belle soirée
cricri

rychem (72187) 2014-02-21 8:49

This here is a "Wow" landscape, great photo of fantastic rocks, simply splendid photo
Regards
Ryszard

PaulVDV (62810) 2014-02-21 9:28

Hello Luciano,
It's good that you explain that what we see are sanddunes because I had the impression it were rocks.
It's indeed a very particularly natural phenomenon. I like the contrast they make with the green tropical forest at the top of the picture.
Also very good that you've included the walkway and the people because they give a a much better idea of the scale.
Best regards, Paul

Mics (1020) 2014-02-23 21:08

Hello Luciano,
What an incredible work of nature! The colors are indeed attractive and at the same time fascinating as the sand dunes spontaneously settle in different layers, it has this mysterious appeal that science can only explain. Wonderful capture of this amazing place :-)

Kind regards,
Michelle

Didi (61589) 2014-02-25 7:24

Ciao Luciano
La nature a créé une merveilleuse recette de cuisine pour donner cette intéressante et étrange purée colorée
C'est fantastique
J'aurais bien fait un crop pour montrer un gros plan de la partie centrale
Sincères amitiés

fritzi007 (14698) 2014-02-25 12:05

Hello Luciano,
it is no wonder if that is a tourist attraction, your photo and comment is the proof, very good work
regards
Wolfgang

mkamionka (73584) 2014-03-03 8:31

Ciao Luciano,
I like it very much. Colorful ground, sand dunes, it must have been very impressive to see it with your own eyes. I was very excited when I had a chance to see a comparable wonders of nature in American Southwest. I would love to visit this one as well. Very interesting composition. The fence allows to imagine the scale of this place. Great colors, the red contrasts originally with the lush green vegetation.
Excellent work,
M

dip (21408) 2014-03-04 14:09

Ciao Luciano,
what a wonderful image but also an interesting and informative note
it's really very fascinating!
well done!
thanks for sharing,
Dimitris.

eldancer1 (36343) 2014-03-29 10:12

Beautiful! I've seen formation like this but not in the jungle. Love the colors of the earth. Good dof with nice details. Well done, tfs.

Miguel82 (47110) 2014-09-10 19:15

That geological formation really worthes a visit Luciano, unusual hues, beautiful patterns, high definition