BIZARRE NATURAL PHENOMENONS

SUN DOGS

Also known as mock suns or phantom suns, sundogs are an

atmospheric phenomenon that consists of a pair of bright spots

on either side of the Sun, often co-occurring with a luminous ring.

These are created by the refraction of light from plate-shaped

ice crystals either in high and cold cirrus clouds or,

during very cold weather.

UNDERWATER CROP CIRCLES

First discovered in 1995 off the coast of southern Japan, the

underwater crop circles had been a mystery for a long time. It wasn’t

until 2011 when scientists finally realized that these, up to

7-foot-diameter elaborately patterned circles were created by

a little puffer fish.

GREAT BLUE HOLE

Most people have seen pictures of the Great Blue Hole in Belize,

however few know how it actually came to be. The Great Blue Hole

was originally an inland cave at a time where sea levels were much lower.

But as sea levels began to rise, the cave was flooded. The hole is over

300 meters (almost 1000 feet) across and is 124 meters (400 feet) deep.

CHRISTMAS ISLAND RED CRAB MIGRATION

Measuring up to 12 centimetres (5 inches) wide, the Christmas Island

red crab is a species of land crab endemic to Christmas Island and

the Cocos Islands in the Indian Ocean. Usually, the crabs hide in

burrows in local forests, however, each year they migrate to the coast to

breed. For over a week, local roads turn red as millions of crabs

move to the coast.

BLACK SUN

Talking about migration, there are several impressive migrations in

the bird kingdom as well. Every March, for example, more than a million

common starlings, medium-sized passerine birds about 20 centimetres

(8 inches) long, start to gather in south western Jutland, Denmark for

their mid-April migration. When the flocks begin to move, they create

a phenomenon locally known as “sort sol“ which translates as

“Black Sun”.

GIANT CRYSTALS

Located in the town of Naica, Mexico, the Cave of the Crystals was

discovered as recently as in 2000 but since then, it has attracted

speleologists and geologists from all over the world. The cave

contains giant selenite crystals some of which measure up to 40 feet

(12 metres) in length. Since the cave is extremely hot with

temperatures reaching up to 58 C (136 F), it is still relatively

unexplored but it is estimated that the crystals have been forming

for over 500,000 years.

SPIDER WEB BLANKETS

You might have seen pictures of some really extensive spider webs

but what happened in Wagga Wagga, Australia a few years ago was

truly an enormous and unique phenomenon. As a consequence of

severe floods, local spiders (as well as people) were forced out of their

homes but the spiders reacted in a way that surprised even

experienced biologists. By joining hundreds of thousands of

spider webs together, they created a gigantic “platform”

that saved them from drowning.

CATATUMBO LIGHTNING

Sometimes also referred to as “the everlasting storm”, the Catatumbo

lightning is a unique atmospheric phenomenon found in the mouth of

the Catatumbo River, Venezuela. Originating from a mass of storm

clouds at a height of more than 5 km (3 miles), the storm occurs for up

to 160 nights a year, 10 hours per day.

GRAND PRISMATIC SPRING

Found in the Yellowstone National Park, the Grand Prismatic Spring is

the largest hot spring in the United States, and the third largest in

the world. Notable for its vivid colours caused by pigmented

bacteria living around the edges of the mineral-rich water, the spring

is approximately 250 by 300 feet (80 by 90 m) in size and 160 feet

(50 metres) deep. It discharges an estimated 560 gallons

(2,100 litres) of 160 °F (70 °C) water per minute.