Rare natural phenomena. Amazing in nature

Planet Earth is an amazing place filled with a mass of strange and interesting natural phenomena. Some of them are easy to explain from a scientific point of view, some are a real mystery of nature. Below are the most unusual natural phenomena which not only intrigue, but also fascinate.

The natural phenomenon, which has long been called the "Fires of St. Elmo", was a real thunderstorm for sailors. It looked like small, but rather bright balls of yellow-orange color. During bad weather, a storm or a storm, they appeared on the sharp ends of the masts or the spiers of lighthouses. They frightened and delighted at the same time, seemed interesting and alluring.

It was believed that these lights promise a lost ship hope for salvation, bring good luck in distant wanderings and the protection of the gods.

Elmo's fires were small point charges that were concentrated on the edges of sharp objects. They did not burn and were absolutely safe. It is quite difficult to see these lights at the present time, because modern high-tech ships have smoother shapes.

Stones that can crawl

Once in a few years in Death Valley, a national park in California, USA, you can follow a strange natural phenomenon - crawling stones. Remarkable is the fact that the movement of boulders has not yet been able to be recorded on film. Traces left on the surface of the dried-up Lake Racetrack Playa clearly confirm this mysterious natural phenomenon.

There are a lot of versions and conjectures regarding its origin. According to one of the most interesting, boulders fall from the nearby hills, which reach a height of about 250 meters. The clay soil of the lake at times slows down the inertial movement on a flat surface, but it still happens. As a result, boulders leave behind even traces up to 3 cm deep and tens of meters long.

Green ray of the setting sun

The stunningly beautiful spectacle of the emergence of a green ray at sunset should also be attributed to inexplicable natural phenomena. To see it, you must meet only 3 conditions: find an open horizon, a cloudless sky and clean air.

A strange optical effect lasts only a few seconds (rarely minutes), it is a greenish-emerald flash in the sky at the moment the sun disappears below the horizon.

Researcher William Cohn tried to explain the appearance of the green beam as follows. When oxygen atoms pass to the normal state from the metastable state, they are emitted. It is expressed in a light wave, which tints the horizon green. This conjecture has not yet been confirmed scientifically.

Mystical mirages of the desert

Anomalous natural phenomena are not uncommon for endless sandy areas. Often in the desert you can observe the appearance of mirages. Strange and interesting, inexplicable and incomprehensible, they are illusions and images floating in the air.

There are many conjectures and explanations for their occurrence:

• the whim of the gods;
• tribute to the past;
• secrets of science.

According to ancient Egyptian beliefs, mirages are a reminder of the past, the appearance of objects, people, even cities that no longer exist. According to one of the legends of England, Fata Morgana was considered the ruler of mirages, who deceived sailors with ghostly visions.

From a scientific point of view, mirages are the consequences of temperature overheating of the air, the creation of the so-called "air lens". Quite interesting is the fact that the clearest mirages appear not in sandy deserts, but in icy ones. So, in Alaska, the centuries-old cold enhances light inhomogeneities and leads to the emergence of stunningly bright air illusions.

Electric lightning extravaganza Catatumbo

The real attraction of Venezuela is the Catatumbo River, or rather, the place where it flows into Lake Maracaibo. Here you can quite often observe a strange and bewitching phenomenon of nature - a huge concentration of electric charges in the atmosphere. Catatumbo lightning appears up to 150 times a year and continues to sparkle up to 10 hours in a row. This phenomenon is not accompanied by any sound effects.

All this allowed the Venezuelan municipality of Catatumbo to proclaim its territory the Capital of Lightning. This rather interesting phenomenon has been known since the time of ancient navigators: lightning discharges, which were visible for 400 km, served as a kind of beacon for them, were used for navigation.

To date, the phenomenon of the multiplicity of Catatumbo lightning is explained quite simply. Several unique natural factors came together:

• The Andes cut off wind access to the lake;
• evaporated water forms massive clouds;
• electrical discharges occur in the clouds.

As a result of all this, unusually beautiful and high lightning occurs, and a huge amount of ozone is released into the atmosphere.

Cellular clouds - storm harbingers

Another exciting natural phenomenon is cellular, also called biconvex, clouds. They were discovered quite recently, no more than 40 years ago. It belongs to the category of cumulonimbus clouds. Their structure is quite interesting, reminiscent of a kind of convex honeycomb. The elements hanging down are tinted with dark gray. In the case of a low location of the sun above the horizon, they can acquire pinkish, golden, bluish hues.

They are found mainly in the United States, with their appearance they portend the imminent approach of a storm or hurricane. Strange cloudiness is especially recommended to be avoided by airplanes and helicopters, since ball lightning often occurs in cellular clouds, frequent and sharp changes in the wind occur. Biconvex clouds are also unique in that they form on descending rather than ascending air currents.

miraculous aurora borealis

One of the most strange and mysterious wonders of nature is the northern lights. A stunning sight can be seen in clear, calm weather near the Earth's magnetic poles. The duration of the northern lights varies from 1-2 hours to several days and depends on solar activity.

In itself, this phenomenon represents the glow of the upper atmospheric layer of our planet, which is formed as a result of its interaction with the flow of the hydrogen-helium plasma of the Sun. When the particles collide with each other, the molecules and gases of the atmosphere are activated. Their radiation appears before us in the form of a magnificent and interesting phenomenon- northern lights. Its color palette glows purple when nitrogen is activated, scarlet and emerald when oxygen is excited.

The latest discovery of scientists who conducted research on this natural phenomenon was the confirmation of the sound effect of the aurora. A research team from Aalto University, Helsinki, made an audio recording of the light flashes. Numerous legends about the "voices of the luminous sky" were confirmed.

In nature, there are a huge number of interesting and beautiful natural phenomena, some of them can be dangerous for humans, but this does not prevent them from being beautiful.

Perhaps one of the most unusual and spectacular phenomena on our planet is the aurora borealis. This phenomenon occurs due to the fact that the Earth has a magnetosphere. When the solar wind hits the planet's upper atmosphere, the north and south poles can be seen as bright, dancing lights of different colors.

• Auroras are also found on other planets that have a magnetosphere, planets such as Saturn and Jupiter can also boast of this phenomenon.

Volcanic lightning

This phenomenon occurs during the strongest volcanic eruptions. Until today, the origin of volcanic lightning remains a mystery to scientists. There are only two types of volcanic lightning. In the first case, these are small lightnings that occur near the crater, in the second, huge and powerful lightnings that can be observed high in the ash cloud. Scientists believe that the two types of lightning have different origins.

It is believed that the nature of small lightning is electrical processes in magma. When it comes to large lightning high in the sky, it is generally accepted that their nature is similar to ordinary lightning during a thunderstorm.

• There are two terms that characterize rocks and pieces of lava flying from a volcano during an eruption.

1. Lapilli(from lat. lapillus - pebble)- this is the name of small pebbles and pieces of lava thrown out during the eruption and then frozen in the air.

2. Volcanic bomb- in fact, the same as lapilli, only much larger.

unusual clouds

In nature, there are clouds that are very reminiscent of sea waves, they are called “Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds”.

It is impossible not to talk about the beautiful clouds of Glory.

These clouds are formed in several pieces one after another and have many kilometers in length. Until now, scientists have not been able to explain the origin of this type of clouds.

In addition to undulating and roll-shaped clouds, there are Jacques Cousteau's lenticular or lenticular clouds.

Perhaps the most unusual and interesting clouds are those of Asperatus.

• Asperatus clouds are so rare that they were only classified in 2009.

Red crab migrations in Australia

This phenomenon can be observed on Christmas Island - 120 million crabs migrate to the Indian Ocean to breed.

The whole process has its own specific cycle. At the very beginning, the males dig special holes for mating, after mating, the males leave the females and start their way back. Two weeks later, the females begin spawning, after which they also begin to move in the opposite direction.

In order not to have a bad effect on the red crab population, Australia has adopted a special program to block roads during the necessary period.

natural geysers

By themselves, geysers are quite a rare event, there are about 1000 of them in total. The eruption of hot water with hot steam is difficult to describe, as it is a very exciting natural phenomenon.

This is how a geyser erupts

Monarch butterfly migration

No need to argue to say that the monarch butterfly migration is one of the most beautiful phenomena on the planet.

To achieve the goal, the butterfly needs to overcome 3200 km, but none of these butterflies can do this, therefore, butterflies overcome this distance in several generations.

The 10 most unique natural phenomena that are included in the top of this list are ten wonderful wonders created by nature, biology, physics, chemistry and other fields. You can personally see and experience all these wonders. To do this, you just need to go to a specific area of ​​\u200b\u200bour beautiful planet, which is called Earth.

In our world there is a huge number of miracles created in natural conditions, some of which can cause an ocean of positive emotions and admiration. 10 natural phenomena and events spread all over the world create an unsurpassed atmosphere, immersed in which, a person experiences great pleasure from the world around him.

(10 photos of natural phenomena and phenomena + video)

One of the most spectacular and unique natural phenomena that can be observed near the North and South Poles (around the Arctic and the Antarctic Circle) is the Northern Lights. It arises from charged atoms and particles in the upper atmosphere, which predominantly originate in these areas of the Earth. Simply put, this phenomenon occurs when the solar wind comes into contact with the Earth's magnetic field. Undoubtedly, one of the best places to observe this beautiful phenomenon is Lapland (Northern Finland). In this place you will encounter wild nature, uninhabited areas where clear transparent skies, devoid of city lighting, air pollution and telecommunication signals, create unique conditions for observing this natural phenomenon. The Aurora Borealis is a romantic marvel as it originates at high altitude and is a multicolored (yellow, green, blue, red and purple) river flowing among countless stars.

If you want to plunge into the world of illusions and dreams, feel a sense of inspiration, tubular clouds of an unusual shape will help you with this. The unique shape of these clouds is somewhat like huge pipes with different shades (from white to darker). The color of such clouds depends on their thickness. Tubular clouds can be observed in many places where thunderstorms begin to form. Their indescribable beauty is especially noticeable at sunset, when they are formed into groups of balls with a smooth structure.

The most beautiful creature on Earth is by far the Monarch Butterfly. They can only evoke feelings of love and admiration. These butterflies will show you the bright weaves of black and orange. Most often they are found in Mexico, the USA and Melanesia (northeast Australia). The best place to observe Monarch butterflies is the United States during the time when they migrate from Canada to Mexico and back. Walking through the parks of California, you can witness when the leaves and branches of the trees are painted in black and orange colors, as Monarch butterflies are completely dotted.

Have you ever observed strange formations of snow and ice, which are pillars up to 2 meters high? These amazing pillars are called penitentes. They can be observed in the region of the most elevated places (up to 4,000 meters high) of the central Andes in the territory between Argentina and Chile. You can see these wonderful natural phenomena while hiking in the mountains. Excursions of this kind will help you learn more and explore the peculiar phenomenon of the Andes - penitentes.

In the National Park called "Death Valley" in California, you can observe such a natural phenomenon as moving stones. In this park, among the unusual mountain landscape, you can see one of the most mystical and picturesque dry lakes of Racetrack Playa. The main feature of this lake is the stones moving along its dry bottom. Traces of stones are clearly visible on the surface of the desert. This phenomenon is one of the geological mysteries, which, according to scientists, is created by winds and other natural factors. If you managed to visit this unusual place, surrounded by dramatic mountain peaks, over which shapeless clouds float, you can consider that you are really lucky.

No less striking are the Supercell clouds. These storm clouds can appear almost anywhere where there is a humid climate characterized by frequent thunderstorms. Some of the most famous places to see super clouds are in the central states of the United States, which are part of Tornado Alley. The plains of Nebraska and Dakota will allow you to fully appreciate this natural phenomenon. The natural variation of daylight will enchant you as you watch the Supercells at sunset. Pay attention to a selection of beautiful photographs that reveal the wonderful world of these clouds.

The most beautiful and graceful fiery phenomenon, which is created with the help of vertical whirlwinds, is a fiery tornado. However, do not forget that the amazing beauty of this natural phenomenon is simultaneously fraught with danger and destruction. This natural phenomenon can be observed in a fire or a burning forest, where a tornado is born, the wind speed of which is over 160 kilometers per hour. This is a rather rare phenomenon, which is both magnificent and tragic. The fiery tornado is an attraction for photographers and extreme enthusiasts.

A natural phenomenon like sandstorms is quite typical for some areas of the Earth. Sandstorms are created by strong winds and storms that prevail in dusty areas with arid climates. During such storms, sand particles are picked up by strong winds, which accelerate their movement in the atmosphere. Some of the most famous places where such natural phenomena can be observed are in northern Africa (Sahara Desert), as well as deserts in Asia. This phenomenon can be called surprising without exaggeration. However, fierce storms are quite dangerous, since small particles of sand penetrate almost everywhere. It is impossible to imagine a more inspiring landscape than watching sandstorms in the area of ​​the Great Pyramids of Egypt.

A natural phenomenon - a rainbow is able to give everyone colorful emotions. Rainbow is one of the most common natural phenomena, which can consist of small arcs with thin multi-colored layers, as well as huge arcs stretching for hundreds of kilometers. The double arched rainbow is majestic and inspiring at the same time. optical illusion. This natural phenomenon occurs due to small tiny particles of water and the rays of the sun and is most often observed after rain, when water evaporates under the bright rays of the sun. Most often, this natural phenomenon can be observed in the area of ​​​​water basins - lakes, rivers and other reservoirs.

- gas crater in Turkmenistan. Locals and travelers call it the "Door to the Underworld", or the "Gates of Hell". It was lit by scientists in 1971 and has never stopped burning since.

It is located 90 km from the village of Erbent. The diameter of the crater is approximately 60 meters, the depth is about 20 meters.

2. Black Sun of Denmark- more than a million European starlings gather in huge flocks, creating unusual patterns in the air and practically blocking the sun. This amazing phenomenon can be observed in Denmark in early spring - everywhere in the swampy, western part of the country. However, the largest flocks of starlings gather in the south of Jutland. Aerial bird ballet can be seen at sunset.

3. In Morocco, you can see trees "decorated" with live goats, like Christmas decorations. The dry and hot climate, as well as the sparse vegetation of these places, make the goats, showing miracles of acrobatics, skillfully balance on the branches and collect the fruits of the trees.

4. Lifeless landscapes of Lake Natron in northern Tanzania resemble surreal alien landscapes. A lake covered with a crust of salt can change color throughout the year. As a result of the vital activity of microorganisms - halophilic cyanobacteria living in Natron - the water acquires rich reddish and pinkish shades several times a year. When the temperature rises, the bacteria release a red pigment, coloring the lake.

5. Tidal waves (or Bor) in the Amazon in Brazil and the Severn in England, this is a phenomenon in which the leading edge of the tide forms a wave that rises up the river against the current. Surfers often use the boron to ride their board.

6. Lenticular (lenticular) clouds is a unique natural phenomenon. These clouds usually form around hills and mountains. They look very peculiar and look like giant flying saucers or a stack of pancakes. Many famous mountains around the world are often photographed with these clouds, including Mount Shasta and Mount Fuji.

The lenticular clouds look completely still, as if frozen in time. Actually it is not. Clouds appear to be stationary as a stream of moist air constantly replenishes the clouds on the windward side, while moisture evaporates and disappears on the leeward side, leaving clouds with a characteristic lenticular shape.

7. Frosty Flowers are ice crystals that form on young ice in cold waters. Typically, they are formed low temperatures and almost at total absence wind.

8. Rishat (Guel-er-Rishat, also known as the Eye of the Sahara)- a geological formation located in the Mauritanian part of the Sahara desert. The diameter of the structure is 50 km.

There are many different opinions about the origin of this amazing natural phenomenon. According to one version, the “eye” was formed as a result of a meteorite fall. Some scientists believe that it arose as a result of underground nuclear explosions. However, it is worth noting that for the formation of such a funnel, the explosion must be a gigaton power. Currently, no country in the world possesses weapons of such incredible destructive power.

9. Lightning Catatumbo- a natural phenomenon that occurs over the confluence of the Catatumbo River into Lake Maracaibo (this is the largest salt lake in Venezuela). The phenomenon is expressed in the appearance of a glow at an altitude of about five kilometers without accompanying acoustic effects. Lightning appears at night (140-160 times a year), the discharges last about 10 hours. Lightning flashes up to 280 times per hour. In total, about 1.2 million discharges per year are obtained.

10. Mysterious circles under water, discovered in 1995 near the Japanese island of Amamioshima in the East China Sea, look like something alien. The creator of these drawings is the puffer fish, which creates them for the sake of attracting a female.

11. Very rarely, one can observe a striking type of cloud in the sky, the unofficial name of which sounds like undulatus asperatus (from Latin - “wavy-hilly”; also asperatus, asperatus). In 2009, it was proposed to classify them as the new kind clouds, but this was impossible to do, because even today they are still insufficiently studied. Despite their formidable appearance, they are by no means harbingers of a storm.

12. Blooming Chile's Atacama Desert. Usually in this desert there is almost no rainfall all year round. However, this year saw a historically record-breaking downpour through the region. The precipitation was so intense that catastrophic flooding began. The rains brought to life flower seeds that had been dormant for many years. Such flowering is very rare and occurs approximately once every 5-10 years.

13. Circum-horizontal arc or near-horizontal arc- an optical phenomenon resulting from the fact that sunlight passes through ice crystals in the upper cirrus clouds. This is a fairly rare occurrence, but it happens mostly on a summer day when the Sun is high in the sky. This creates a rainbow effect directly in the clouds filled with ice crystals.

14. Crawling or moving stones- a geological phenomenon discovered on the dry lake Racetrack Playa in Death Valley in the United States. Stones move without any participation of a person or animals, however, no one has ever seen or recorded the movement itself on camera.

15. Eternal Flame Falls in the heart of Chestnut Ridge Park in New York. You can always see a burning fire inside the waterfall. The phenomenon of this phenomenon is explained by the fact that there is a natural gas leak under the waterfall, and fire is always burning at this point. The fire is not actually "eternal", that is, it goes out periodically. It is often relit by some tourist who discovers that the flame has gone out.

16. Magic circles in the Namibian desert are one of the greatest mysteries of nature. In the north, circles reach a diameter of 50 meters, in the south - up to three. At first, they talked about UFOs, then they “blamed” the termites for everything, which supposedly eat the roots of plants underground. However, the evidence was never presented.

Some scientists claim that the circles are due to the self-organization of the grass. This hypothesis was proved based on a similar phenomenon discovered in Western Australia.

17. Giant's Path (Giant's Path) in Northern Ireland- a natural monument of about 40,000 interconnected basalt (rarely andesitic) columns, formed as a result of an ancient volcanic eruption.

18. Large blue hole off the coast of Belize It is a round karst funnel with a diameter of 305 meters, going to a depth of 120 meters.

The Blue Hole became famous thanks to the French explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, who included it in the list of the 10 best places in the world for diving.

Previously, people could not explain many natural phenomena, and therefore believed in their divine origin. Now, from a scientific point of view, almost any phenomenon can be explained, but many of them still remain very mysterious, majestic and insanely beautiful. Photos of such phenomena, as well as the most unusual places on earth, are waiting for you further.

Vymeobraznye clouds. Such clouds are rare, mainly in tropical latitudes, and are associated with the formation of tropical cyclones.

Magic Circles in Namibia. Researchers of the mysterious phenomenon suggest that it is the work of sand termites.

Road of the Giants. As a result of the eruption of an ancient volcano in Northern Ireland, an area appeared that is covered with 40,000 basalt pillars tightly adjacent to each other.

Lenticular clouds. Clouds in the north of the state of Georgia in the USA are a rather rare natural phenomenon.

Lightning Catatumbo. Sparkling flashes over water occur for 140-160 nights a year, 10 hours per night and up to 280 times in one hour.

Red crabs of Christmas Island. Every year, about 43 million land crabs move en masse to the shore of the ocean to lay their eggs. Local authorities block most of the island's roads for a week so as not to interfere with migration.

Great Blue Hole. The gigantic underwater karst funnel off the coast of Belize has a diameter of more than 300 meters and a depth of 124 meters.

Asperatus clouds. Undulatus asperatus, or rough-hilly waves. This type of clouds, which have a rather mystical image, was introduced into the classification relatively recently by the decision of the head of the Society of Cloud Researchers.

Tanzanian Lake Natron. The salt lake, which is fed by hot springs, is the only permanent breeding ground for the lesser flamingo.

Spotted lake. Canada's Lake Kliluk is the world's greatest reserve of magnesium sulfate, calcium and sodium.

"Gates of hell" in Turkmenistan. The fire at the gas mine, which broke out due to the awkward actions of researchers in 1971, has not subsided to this day.

Spherical boulders of New Zealand. Under the influence of erosion, boulders with regular rounded outlines emerge from the argillic rocks of the shore.

Flammable ice bubbles. Trapped in the ice of Abraham Lake in Canada, methane bubbles.

Frozen flowers. On the calm waters of lakes and seas, when the surface is just seized by a light crust of ice, in conditions of sharp cooling (about -22 Celsius), crystals appear fresh ice marvelous form.

Mud storms. Mud storms occur when lightning appears in a volcanic plume.

Moving stones of Death Valley. In a deserted American valley, a unique geological phenomenon is observed: fragments of rocks move unaided over smooth soil, leaving long trails behind them.

underwater circles. Off the coast of Japan, dexterous male puffer fish create perfectly even circles with openwork edges. These works of art are designed to charm and attract females.

Migration of monarch butterflies. Covering thousands of kilometers, dense flocks of butterflies move briskly from Canada towards the southern United States.

Black Sun. Up to 50 thousand starlings huddle in the sky in huge chirping flocks. This phenomenon is also called "murmuring".

Blooming desert. In the years when the rains in Chile are more abundant than usual, the Atacama Desert is covered with flowers and herbs.

Bioluminescent waves on the Maldivian beaches. Some species of phytoplankton have the ability to luminesce.

Rainbow eucalyptus. This is because the eucalyptus sheds its bark in chunks. Each piece of the trunk successively turns blue, purple, orange, and then maroon.

Sardine move. From May to July, schools of billions of sardines move north along the east coast of South Africa.