And we arrived at the Smoking Hills in the cool dawn light when the sky was many shades of smoky blue. We were up, fed and in the zodiacs by 8 o’clock. What an amazing experience approaching this phenomenal site. It is so beautiful, so unexpected, like being on the edge of a lava flow almost. You can guess at the number of photos and videos I fired off. Here are just a few for you to get a small taste this amazing vista, a land which has been burning fuelled by oil shales for centuries, millennia - I simply don’t know. They are located in Canada’s Northwest Territories next to the Arctic Ocean.
Heading out to cruise the smoking cliffs
Interesting strata - this hill has been squeezed from both side to create this pattern
These mountains are featureless except for the landslides, the snatches of vegetation growing in protected patches, and the glowing face of the burning ‘rock’ and soil. These deposits are made of lignite (brown coal) and high concentrations of sulfuric substances, which ignite when they come into contact with oxygen.
The colours were stunning
Watch out for bobbing heads and hands in this video, there was a bit of a swell. But isn’t this stunning. Every now and then we’d see chunks carve off and tumble down the slopes. The difference in ‘burning’ temperatures turns the rocks red, black, brown, yellow, and white. One could catch whiffs of sulphur as we approached. It’s quite glorious and reminiscent of volcanoes and the deposits our artesian bores create. Amazing nature.
It was a chilly afternoon (our second trip out that day) so our lovely captain, Captain Artem, organised for some of the E team to bring us some hot chocolate (a splash of brandy in it would have been good!). He drove this floating beverage boat. What a sweetie.
'The beverage boat'
Captain Artem at the tiller.
Time to return to the ship after a wonderful day
On our way back to the ship we did some citizen science with Annette - a cloud survey; others joined the photograph zodiac - but everyone without exception went out that day, some like us twice. Our survey was interesting as the sea was a bit choppy but we n=managed to keep upright when we stood.
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