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Badab Surt () is a natural site in the Mazandaran Province in northern Iran, south-east of the city of Sari, and east of the village Orost. It comprises a range of stepped travertine terrace formations that have been created over thousands of years as flowing water from two mineral hot springs cooled and deposited carbonate minerals on the mountainside.
Badab Surt's terraces are made of travertine, a sedimentary rock deposited by flowing water from the two distinct mineral springs; they were formed during Pleistocene and Pliocene geological periods. When the water, supersaturated with calcium carbonate and iron carbonate, reaches the surface, carbon dioxide degases from it, and mineral carbonates are deposited. The depositing continues until the carbon dioxide in the water balances the carbon dioxide in the air. Iron carbonate and calcium carbonate are deposited by the water as soft jellies, but they eventually harden into travertine.
As a result, over thousands of years, water from two springs emerging from the mountain range has combined to form a series of orange-, red-, and yellow-colored pools shaped like a naturally formed staircase. The surrounding vegetation varies by direction: to the north are pine forests; to the east, mainly short trees and shrubs; and to the west, rock quarries are visible.
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