Humans have a tendency of taking this glorious globe of ours for granted. We see trees and mountains, but we don't really appreciate them because they're not 'mind-blowing.' But these VERY REAL, VERY STRANGE oddities found in Mother Nature are guaranteed to change your perception of this crazy world we're living in. Which one shocked YOU the most?
1) Volcanic Lightning
Sometimes, when a volcano explodes, it releases a powerful amount of energy into the atmosphere. This sudden jolt can result in strong reactions that ultimately produce lightning from within an eruption!
2) Living Rocks
Though they appear to be nothing but stone, these are actually sea creatures found off the coast of Chile.
3) Steam Towers
This geothermal phenomena is Northern Lights adjacent and has the ability to transform the night sky into an eerie green hue.
4) Underwater Rivers
These Mexican aquatic anomalies occur when dense matter sinks to the bottom of a body of water, thus creating its OWN flow.
5) Bioluminescent Waves
You can thank phytoplankton for creating this amazingly beautiful neon shore.
6) Morning Glory Clouds
When you see one, just appreciate it for its overall awesomeness! Unreal.
7) Red Crabs of Christmas Island
There are over 120 million crabs on the island. During the late fall/early winter months, this massive onslaught of pinching-sea creatures collectively makes its way to the ocean to mate.
8) The 'Door To Hell'
This natural gas vent in Turkmenistan has been a popular tourist attraction because its flame hasn't gone out since it was initially lit in 1971!
9) Auroras
This breathtaking phenomenon happens when wind particles pick up speed as they travel along magnetic fields and head skyward to the atmosphere - where they abruptly smash into gas atoms and result in a multicolored horizon.
10) Sailing Stones
These 700+ lb. stones move all over Death Valley in California, without the aid of man nor machine. It was recently discovered that, in the winter months, these big rocks move when layers of water and ice begin to melt under them - sending them on a slow slide to a new, sandy destination.
11) Rainbow Eucalyptus
This multicolored tree sports such a variety of hues because its bark breaks away at different times, thus allowing the tree to age (color) differently.
12) Spiderweb Trees
When their usual home (the ground) is ruined by floods, these Middle Eastern spiders tend to takeover trees in Pakistan.
13) Blue Lava
This Indonesian volcano, thanks to high sulfuric temperatures, is able to produce breathtakingly vibrant blue lava.
14) Danxia Landforms
What happens when million-year-old minerals combine with red sandstone? The Danxia Landforms in China, that's what!
#15 Socotra Island
This island in Yemen is home to some of the most rare plant life on Earth. Almost a third of the unique vegetation on this quiet island can ONLY be found here! Truly remarkable.
#16 Supercell
Not only are these the most powerful, most lethal storm clouds around, they're also the most rare.
17) Calcifying Lake
If a small body of water, say a pond or a lake, had enough salt elements within itself, animals who go for a swim in it will turn to stone!
18) The Everlasting Storm
Most tremble at the sights and sounds of lightning & thunder. But imagine if you had to endure an epic storm that LITERALLY lasted for 10 hours a day, 280 times an hour, for 160 days a year! That's what the people of this Venezuelan town have to put up with on a daily basis.
19) Snow Donuts
These rare, in-need-of-sprinkles, wonders of the world need absolute perfect conditions if they even want a shot at existing. But if all things go according to plan, you could wind up with a Snow Donut that's almost 30" high!
20) Light Pillars
You're only going to find sky art like this in frigid climates like Russia. This is caused when bright lights from the Earth reflect off ice crystals.
21) Lake Retba
This salt-heavy body of water is the home to TONS of algae, which is why the lake gives off such a Pepto-Bismol vibe.
22) Lenticular Clouds
These aerial masterpieces only occur when air strategically flows over a mountain and into bigger, more dense clouds.
23) Great Blue Hole
Under this dark blue circle is a litany of underwater caves that have been there for ages!
24) Fallstreak Holes
When crystals of frozen water start to melt into vapor, these kinds of holes in cloud formations tend to occur.
25) Snow Chimneys
This 'chimney' is actually a frozen result of past volcanic air being vented through ice.
26) Underwater Crop Circles
We can graciously thank the male Pufferfish for leaving sand patterns like this all over the bottom of the Ocean.
27) Frost Flowers
These frigid floral arrangements happen when the temperature of the water & the atmosphere is different.
28) Monarch Butterfly Migration
In their collective flee towards warming climates, millions of monarch butterflies paint the California & Mexico skies every year during their migration.
29) Frozen Methane Bubbles
These frozen gaseous bubbles are formed when bacteria from deceased matter finds its way to the bottom. Careful around these suckers, they're flammable.
30) Hair Ice
It looks and feels JUST like strands of hair, yet its ice that's been affected by pseudomonas syringae, a specific bacteria that results in locks of frozen goodness!
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