Weird and Wonderful Natural Phenomena Around the World

WEIRD AND WONDERFUL NATURAL PHENOMENA Sailing Stones Death Valley, USA Manannan's Cloak Namibia's Fairy Circles Isle of Man Namibia Thick sea fog occasionally covers Originally thought by the Himba people to be caused by the Gods, Rocks move along the valley floor with no intervention. A mystery the islands lowland - named after the island's ancient Sea God who in modern times the sand termite for decades, it has recently been was believed to swath his and competition between plant species has also been blamed. found to be caused by ice sheets that are driven by light winds. kingdom in mist in order to prevent intruders from entering. The Giant's Causeway Kjeragbolten Boulder Bioluminescent Waves Northern Island Norway Vaadhoo Island, Maldives Legend states that the columns A boulder lodged between two mountains, caused by moving Phytoplankton in the waves glow light blue and light up waves, believed to be due to a special are the remains of a causeway built by a giant to meet another in order to fight. The columns rock formations and sea level rising during the last glacial period, around 50,000 BC. channel in their cell membrane. were actually created as a result of lava flow cooling and cracking. Morning Glory Clouds The Great Blue Hole Hessdalen Light Northern Australia Belize Norway A large, circular submarine An unexplained light that occurs in the Hessdalen valley. Appears A long cloud wave form that can sinkhole which stretches 984 be up to 1000km long and often only 100-200m above the ground. This could type only predictably occurs in Northern feet across and reaches 407 as a bright white light floating above the ground. Activity peaked feet deep. Formed before sea levels rose, it is a popular scuba diving site. between 1982 and 1984 but still Australia. occurs 10-20 times per year. Underwater Crop Circles Christmas Island Crabs Dirty thunderstorm Japan Christmas Island Erupting Volcano The male pufferfish create The annual breeding of over 40 Lightening which occurs in a underwater crop circles in order million red crabs is so vast in volcanic plume. Rock fragments, to attract mates. These circles are number that fences have been set ash and ice particles from the around 7 feet in diameter and plume collide to produce static charges, which create lightening. up to protect crabs from cars, and take around 8 days to complete! cars from crab shells which can puncture tyres. Aurora Borealis Rainbow Eucalyptus Earthquake Lights Sky before/during earthquakes Northern Hemisphere Northern Hemisphere Lights that appear in the sky before or during seismic activity - believed to be caused by tectonic stress ionizing oxygen which travels through cracks to the surface, ionizing air to produce light. The "Northern Lights" is caused Patches of outer bark shed by charged particles from cosmic rays ionizing atmospheric constituents, resulting in light annually at different times, exposing a green inner bark that turns blue, purple, orange and emission as a result of excitation. maroon as it matures. Lenticular Clouds Rainbow Fallstreak Holes Sky Sky Sky These stationary lens-shaped clouds form in the troposphere Rainbows are formed due to A portion of cloud containing reflection, refraction and super-cooled water droplets freezes, creating ice crystals. This draws in the surrounding water and can be seen in various dispersion of water droplets - creating the spectrum of light to locations across the world. They are often used to explain appear. and punches a hole in the centre reported UFO sightings. of the cloud. Total Solar Eclipse A Red Sunset Frost Flowers Sky Horizon Lakes / Oceans Due to their difference in size and At sunset the Sun's light must Ice crystals that are formed on distance from the Earth being in travel further through the lake ice in cold, calm conditions. almost perfect ratio, the Moon can sometimes totally block the atmosphere to reach the eye. This A large ice-air temperature difference is required for scatters the light - and red, Sun during its orbit of Earth. having the longest wavelength, is formation. the last to be scattered. Brinicles Waterspout Penitentes Oceans Oceans High Altitudes Form beneath sea ice when A spinning column of air and Tall and thin blades of snow or ice sub-zero saline water is water - waterspouts can be created by tornadoes that develop during thunderstorms. form at high altitudes, via introduced to an area of ocean sublimation, when the water goes water. The minerals fall to the straight from gas to solid state without becoming liquid. bottom, freezing the surrounding water and forming brinicles. Fire Whirls The Great Red Spot Gliese 436b Forests Space Space When a tornado encounters a The Great Red Spot is a giant his planet is 30 light-years away hurricane-esque storm the width of three Earths that has persisted on Jupiter for over 400 years. forest fire it can suck up the from Earth. Ice on its surface is flames, resulting in the creation forced to stay in solid form due to of an incredible fire whirl. the immense gravity, despite the temperature being in excess of 400°C. A Ninth Planet? Synaesthesia Pareidolia Space Humans Humans Computer models have suggested that Jupiter's gravity may have Synaesthesia is the phenomenon The phenomenon in which humans perceive a familiar pattern when there is none, for example seeing a face in the dark or a shape in the clouds! in which the stimulation of one sense elicits the involuntary sensation of another, for example thrown a planet the size of Neptune out of our Solar System early on, leading to the order of planets we recognise today. auditory stimuli can elicit colour sensation. Sources Visit IOM Buzzfeed.com Isle of Man: Isle of Adventure Wikipedia.org Iflscience.com www.visitiom.co.uk