These spectacular landscapes may look like something from another planet – but they are in fact colorful salt ponds which stretch for miles. Despite being better known for tech companies and expensive property – San Francisco, California is also home to this vibrant quilt of color spanning the South Bay Area. From eerie green pools to gothic shades of red the surreal landscapes are caused by the organisms or micro-algae living within them. Photo: Aerial view of the salt ponds in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Cris Benton/Caters News)

An unidentified elderly woman, who was knocked over during the melee after a shot was fired in the direction of President Ford, is comforted by a passerby in San Francisco, September 23, 1975. (Photo by AP Photo)

Dozens of contestants attend the “Bring Your Own Big Wheel” Race on Easter Sunday at Potrero Hill in San Francisco, California, United States on April 20, 2025. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

In advance of Fleet Week performances, U.S. Navy Blue Angels fly above San Francisco with Team Oracle aerobatics pilots Sean D. Tucker and Jessy Panzer on Thursday, October 10, 2019. (Photo by Noah Berger/AP Photo)

Los Angeles Rams cheerleaders celebrate on the field with the confetti after the Rams 20-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in a NFC championship football game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Sunday, January 30, 2022. (Photo by Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports)

A man rides a horse through a bonfire as part of a ritual in honor of Saint Anthony the Abbot, the patron saint of domestic animals, in San Bartolome de Pinares, Spain, Saturday, January 16, 2016. On the eve of Saint Anthony's Day, dozens ride their horses through the narrow cobblestone streets of the small village of San Bartolome during the “Luminarias”, a tradition that dates back 500 years and is meant to purify the animals with the smoke of the bonfires and protect them for the year to come. (Photo by Francisco Seco/AP Photo)

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer (L) shakes hands with Skype CEO Tony Bates during a news conference on May 10, 2011 in San Francisco, California. Microsoft has agreed to buy Skype for $8.5 billion. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

An African Penguin holds a Valentine's Day card at the California Academy of Sciences on February 13, 2013 in San Francisco, California. In honor of Valentine's Day, the colony of African Penguins at the California Academy of Sciences received heart-shaped red valentines with hand written messages from Academy visitors. (Photo by Justin Sullivan)