FROM ICE bubbles to boiling lava, these photographs highlight the stunning shapes and patterns found in nature. The series of extraordinary images were taken by German software engineer Thorsten Scheuermann after he decided to examine his surroundings. A trip to the city of Kalapana in Hawaii, home to the Kilauea Volcano, provided Thorsten with the setting for his lava picture, while a visit to the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon offered him the opportunity to photograph ice bubbles up-close. The 37-year-old, now of Washington, USA, said: 'These are sights that can gain greater significance and have their beauty exposed when excluding everything else around them.'
SWIMMING in unison, millions of silverside fish dwarf the divers .
At least three people have been killed and more than 100 injured, some seriously, in two explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon .
A photographer has travelled the length of the UK capturing lighthouses and their picturesque surroundings .
An adorable orangutan named Pongo celebrates his first birthday at Zoo Atlanta, Georgia, America .
If you had to scrape the snow off your car this morning or slip-slide your way into work over icy pavements spare a thought for these little critters .
AT first glance these images could easily be mistaken for photographs, but they are in-fact real life drawings created using nothing but coloured pencils .
PUCKERING up and enjoying some quality time, these are the most lovable monkeys on the planet .
A diver looks like a minnow as she swims alongside a gigantic whale shark, the largest species of fish on the planet .
TRYING their best to wriggle away, three adorable tiger cubs receive their health checks at Chester Zoo .
Jostling their quills into the noses of some unlucky cubs, this is the moment two feisty porcupines ALMOST defeat a pride of seven lions .
A quiet Himalayan mountain village springs to life for a colourful Buddhist festival designed to expel evil spirits and bring happiness .
