15 Weird Natural Phenomena Across the World

 

Underwater Waterfall - Indian Ocean

Off the coast of a small island in the Indian Ocean, there is — what appears to be — a waterfall submerged in the ocean itself. From the island’s shore, there is a gradual slope leading out to a sudden 2.5-mile drop to the ocean floor. The “waterfall” is actually an optical illusion formed by sand and silt deposits sliding down the slope in a way that makes it look like they’re pouring down a waterfall!

 



Marble Caverns – On the border of Chile and Argentina

The Cuevas de Mármol (Marble Caverns) is located on a peninsula of solid marble bordering Lake General Carrera that spans the Chile-Argentina border. Over 6,200 years, the huge marble deposits have been worn away by the water, creating caves, tunnels, and huge columns of pure marble.

 



Glass Beach - USA

Glass Beach gets its name from the smooth colorful glass pieces that you can find in beach. This site was once a trash dump, so broken bottles, old glass windows, and mirrors washed into the surf to become sea glass. It takes years for the tumbling and aging of glass to create the unique frosted sheen sea glass.

 



Dallol; The Hottest Place on Earth - Ethiopia 

Dallol is a boiling, salt-formed world. On top of average temperatures of 94 degrees Fahrenheit, it is one of the hottest places on the planet. Dallol itself is surrounded by boiling hot springs, bringing hot minerals and toxic gas bubbles to the surface. These geological forces have actually made the area somewhat picturesque, coloring the lowlands with rusty orange, yellow, and green salt formations.

 



Sequoia National Park - California

Sequoia Park is the home of the world’s largest trees which are the prime attraction of the Park. The trees grow to an average height of 50–85 m with trunk diameters ranging from 6–8 m. The park provides varied habitats for plants, animals, and other organisms and is recognized as an “International Biosphere Reserves” for its important role in conserving biodiversity.

 



Lencois Maranhenses National Park – Brazil

Lençóis Maranhenses is a vast national park made up of white sand dunes with deep-blue lakes in between them. From the months of January to June, the area is inundated with torrential rainstorms. Rainwater pools in the valleys between the dunes creating thousands of crystal clear lagoons. In July, when the park's lagoons are at their peak, some reach over 92 meters long and 3 meters deep. 

 



Fingal’s Cave; Symmetrical Natural Wonder - Scotland

Fingal's Cave is a sea cave in Scotland, known for its natural acoustics. The cave is formed entirely from hexagonally jointed basalt columns within a lava flow. Cooling on the upper and lower surfaces of the solidified lava resulted in contraction and fracturing, starting in a blocky tetragonal pattern and transitioning to a regular hexagonal fracture pattern.

 



Crooked Forest - Poland

The Crooked Forest is a grove of oddly-shaped pine trees located in Poland. This grove of 400 pines was planted in the village of Nowe Czarnowo in around 1930. Each pine tree bends sharply to the north, just above ground level, then curves back upright after a sideways excursion of one to three meters. 

 



Lake Natron - Tanzania

Lake Natron is the source of some of the most phantasmagorical photographs ever captured. The alkaline water in Lake Natron has a pH as high as 10.5 and is so caustic. The presence of huge volumes of sodium bicarbonate — which was once used in Egyptian mummification — acts as a fantastic type of preservative for those animals that died in the waters of Lake Natron and turn them into statues. 

 



Ruby Falls; The Underground Waterfall - USA

Ruby Falls is a 145-foot high underground waterfall located within Lookout Mountain near Tennessee. Ruby Falls Cave features prominent cave formations like stalactites and stalagmites, columns, drapery, and flow stone. This waterfall is the tallest and deepest underground waterfall open to the public in the United States.

 



Waitomo Glowworm Caves - New Zealand

More than 30 million years ago, the legend of Waitomo began with the creation of limestone at the bottom of the ocean. Glowworms cover cave ceilings and undisturbed woodland areas where they hunt for prey using their alluring blue glow and a long thread of sticky web. Glowworms also use this light to attract a mate and create an astonishing sea of starry lights.

 



Salar De Uyuni; World's Largest Natural Mirror - Bolivia

The Salar de Uyuni is the world's largest salt flat which blankets an amazing area of 12,000 sq km. When nearby lakes overflow onto the flats during the rainy season (typically December to April), the flat transforms into a shallow "lake" up to 51 centimeters deep. This thin layer of water turns into the largest mirror on the planet with a stunning reflection of the sky.

 



Magnetic Hill – India

Perched at an altitude of 14,000 ft, Magnetic Hill is one of the most intriguing spots in India. This tiny hillock is said to defy gravity as it tends to pull vehicles upwards. The scientific theory states that there is a strong magnetic force emanating from the hills that defies gravity at this particular spot. You can park your vehicle here and turn off the ignition of your car; your vehicle will slowly start moving on its own!

 



Sea of Stars - Maldives

Vaadhoo Island is famous for the sea of stars. This phenomenon is caused by a natural chemical reaction known as bioluminescence, which occurs when a microorganism in the water is disturbed by oxygen. The sea of stars of Vaadhoo Island Maldives attracts millions of tourists every year.

 



Confluence of Rhone and Arve Rivers - Switzerland

The river on the left is the Rhone and the one on the right is the Arve. There is a defined contrast between these two rivers of Switzerland; one is blue and the other brown. They never fully mix due to the difference in density and create a beautiful and unique natural phenomenon.

 



References:

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