Unusual phenomena of nature

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Unusual natural phenomena never cease to amaze people. Sometimes it seems that these phenomena occur on some other planet, and not near us.

Green sunsets and sunrises

This rare photo is an illustration of a meteorological phenomenon that occurs for a couple of seconds during sunset and sunrise. The conditions for this must be ideal for light to refract in the atmosphere and the sun turns green.

Gate to Hell, Turkmenistan

From the crater of the volcano Darvaza, also called "the gate to hell", gas enters the surface of the Earth. A bright fire has been burning since 1971, when it was lit. A similar fire burned in Iraq for 4000 years, which was even mentioned in the Old Testament.

Volcanic thunderstorm

This phenomenon in nature is similar to an ordinary thunderstorm, accompanied by volcanic eruptions. It sounds intimidating, but it's an amazing sight.

Round Mountain, New Zealand

Moeraki Boulders are huge round rock fragments that can be seen on the banks of the Koekohe. At first, the stones were given such a shape by sand under water, then, 60 million years later, as a result of soil corrosion, stones were born.

Eternal Thunderstorm, Venezuela

At the mouth of the Catatumbo River in Venezuela, you can observe a rare accumulation of thunderclouds, which form such a phenomenon as the Catatumbo Thunderstorm. Here, thunderstorms and lightning can be enjoyed about 180 nights a year, 10 hours a day.

Great Blue Hole, Belize

Huge underwater holes were formed during the Ice Age, when sea levels were much lower than today and the sea floor was exposed to the elements. The huge holes were created by erosion, but the holes stopped growing after filling them with water.

Steam Towers, Iceland

The area around Hvevir is extremely active. Ghostly towers of steam rise from hot gullies in swamps and on the surface of the earth. In combination with the northern lights, it all looks like the landscapes of an alien planet.

Ice caves

Ice caves are structures that form at the edges of a glacier when exposed to water. The cave is washed out with water. The thick layer of perennial ice contains too little air and does not transmit any light other than blue, which gives the ice such a unique hue.

Basalt columns

These columns are so perfect that one can hardly believe that they are not the work of human hands. Millions of years ago, everything here was flooded with lava, which cooled down over time and began to split off, so today we can contemplate this amazing phenomenon.

Fiery rainbow

A fiery rainbow can be observed when light is reflected in ice crystals in clouds at high altitudes. This phenomenon can be so extensive that it often stretches along the entire horizon.

Endless wave

Pororoca is a wave that runs along the coast of the Amazon for 800 kilometers. Usually it is 3 to 4 meters high. The longest wave in the world comes twice a year, in February or March, when the tides of the Atlantic Ocean reach the mouth of the Amazon. The Brazilian surfer set a record by riding 13 kilometers on his board in 37 minutes.

Migration of butterflies, USA and Mexico

Monarch butterflies are usually beautiful, black and orange creatures, but when they start migrating, miracles begin to happen in the sky. As temperatures begin to drop in October, the monarchs set off on their journey to Mexico. They have to overcome about 4000 kilometers. Butterflies can cover trees with a whole layer during their journey.

Nacreous clouds, Arctic

These unique clouds are very rare, as there is usually not enough moisture in the stratosphere to form clouds. But during extremely cold winters, enough moisture accumulates, so that clouds can form at an altitude of about 20 km.

Sardine run, South Africa

Sardines take their turn every year from May to July. Billions of cold-water fish swim from Cape Point to the east coast of South Africa. The schools of fish are so gigantic that they can be seen from a satellite. Shoals 8 km long, one and a half kilometers wide and 30 meters deep are not uncommon.

Blooming Desert, Chile

Every other year, the Atacama Desert blooms. A magnificent transformation can be seen after heavy rains that awaken the plant seeds deep under the sand.

Lenticular clouds over mountains

Clouds of this shape form in humid air in the mountains. Because of their shape, they are often confused with UFOs.

Migration of crabs, Christmas Island

In October and November, crabs that live on Christmas Island begin their journey to the ocean for mating. For about 18 days, traffic on the island stops, because all the streets are covered with a red carpet of crabs.

Kliluk, Spotted Lake, Canada

When the water rises in this lake, which is located near the Canadian town of Osoyo (British Columbia), the minerals form bizarre round shapes and the lake looks absolutely incredible. Each circle has its own color, which depends on the amount of minerals in the lake.

Underwater circles, Japan

These strange shapes are found at the bottom of the sea, not in the fields. They are approximately 2 meters wide and cover the bottom of the Sea of Japan. Each circle has its own shape. Until recently, the reason for the appearance of these circles was unknown, but, surprisingly, the puffer fish was to blame for everything. Puffer males, despite their size (no more than 13 cm), draw such fields to attract females.

Frozen methane bubbles

Methane bubbles result from the decomposition of various organisms at the bottom of a reservoir. Methane rises upward and freezes below the surface. However, you should not play with matches if such a bubble is opened.

Witch's circles, Namibia

Witch's circles are called spots on sandy soil that appear on the pastures of Africa. If you fly from Angola to South Africa, you can observe thousands of such spots up to 9 meters in diameter. Scientists believe that this is the fault of the termites living under the mountains and eating the roots of plants.

Spider web fields

“Yes, it's a spider web. Yes, there is a lot of it. Such fields arise, for example, in Australia during the migration of spiders. Typically, these fields form when spiders try to hide from the tide.

Fluorescent Waves, Vaadu, Maldives

The shine of the waves is given by phytoplankton, which glows in the dark. The Milky Way along the beach is simply incomparable.

Udder clouds

Similar clouds form under normal clouds. This rare phenomenon occurs as a result of the mixing of air and clouds with different humidity, with heavier clouds hanging under lighter ones.

Underwater rivers

Similar underwater rivers as in Cenote Angelita arise when heavier masses (for example, hydrogen sulfide) penetrate the water, sink to the bottom and turn into a separate river.

Salt lakes

Some lakes are so salty that animals caught in the water are covered with a layer of lime, freeze and turn to stone.

Undulating clouds

Undulatus asperatus (undulating clouds) are so rare that they were only classified in 2009. We know little about them, in fact, what they fascinate.

Fire Falls Horsetail Fall

Horsetail Fall is a seasonal waterfall on Mount El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. And the fiery waterfall is a very rare phenomenon that can be seen only for a few days in February, when the temperature and weather are suitable for this phenomenon. The sun is reflected in the water and this is a glowing orange effect.

Rainbow Eucalyptus, Hawaii

Rainbow eucalyptus trees have their own special color, as if the artist painted them in different colors: green, orange, purple, blue, brown. In fact, the reason is simple: the tree loses its bark at different times of the year. The bark-free parts age in different ways, which is what causes the color.

Striped icebergs, Antarctica

Beautiful blue stripes on icebergs occur when a crack in an iceberg fills with water and it has time to freeze without bubbles. The green stripes are made up of algae that adhere to the iceberg in the water. Brown, yellow and black stripes are various kinds of deposits, "trapped" by the iceberg on its way.

Snow colors, Arctic

These unusual flower fields form on a thin layer of sea ice, when the air in the atmosphere is much colder than sea ice. When warmer and more humid air interacts with cold air, such beautiful crystals are obtained.

Snow chimneys, Arctic

Mofetts are called vents through which the vapor of the volcano comes to the surface. Once the vapor leaves the vent, it freezes and forms like massive pipes around the vent.

Glowing pillars, Russia

These pillars can be enjoyed in the extremely cold regions of Russia. They are of natural origin, formed by the light of the moon or the sun. Light reflects off very flat and smooth ice crystals.

Moving stones, Death Valley, USA

These stones weighing up to 350 kg move through the dry desert without human or animal interference. Only recently have they found an explanation for this phenomenon. During the winter, the stones are surrounded by a layer of ice, and when the soil gets wet, the stones begin to slip and leave impressive footprints.

Heavenly hole

Heavenly holes are large holes in the middle of the clouds. They form when ice crystals in clouds begin to melt.

Supercell

Supercells are the rarest and most dangerous of thunderstorms. They originate like a normal storm, but due to the vertical rotation of the updraft, supercells can “live” much longer.

Maelstrom Maelstrom

These gigantic eddies occur when two sea currents meet. The current is so strong it can drown small boats, let alone swimmers. The largest whirlpool is called "Saltstraumen" and is located off the coast of Norway.

Icy hair

This strange ice is soft and, as the name suggests, looks like hair that grows from plants. The bacterium "Pseudomonas syringae" is the cause of this rare phenomenon. It raises the freezing point of the water inside the plants and when the water leaves the plant and meets the cold air, this ice-cold hair occurs.