The world's most awe-inspiring natural phenomena

[jw5]

The world's most awe-inspiring natural phenomena​

Around the world, there are unique atmospheric and climatic conditions that create magical natural events. These incredible natural phenomena are more awe-inspiring than anything you might see on screen, no matter how much technology advances. Whether it's the mass migration of a species or a technicolor landscape, mother nature can often surprise us.

 

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Flammable ice bubbles​

These are bubbles of methane gas frozen by negative temperatures at Lake Abraham in Canada.

 

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Monarch butterfly migration​

Every year, millions of these butterflies leave the USA and Canada to head to Mexico. The skies are decorated beautifully by this phenomenon.

 

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Starlings​

This is what happens when a flock of starlings group together before a winter sunset in the United Kingdom.

 

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Volcanic lightning​

This rare phenomenon happens when a lightning storm and volcanic eruption coincide and the volcano's surface is struck by lightning.

 

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Red crabs on Christmas Island​

Every year more than one hundred million red crabs cross Christmas Island headed to the Indian Ocean for mating season. Most of the island's streets are closed during the season which lasts around a week.

 

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Catatumbo lightning​

This phenomenon takes place in Venezuela near the mouth of the Catatumbo River. The storm lasts around 10 hours and takes place on 140-160 days of the year.

 

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Rainbow mountains​

These mountains sit in the Zhangye National Geo Park, in China and were formed due to sandstone and various minerals mixing together over millions of years.

 

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Bioluminescent​

This phenomenon is caused by bioluminescent phytoplankton, microscopic marine creatures which generate light as a survival mechanism. When grouped together, the result is this hypnotizing, glowing mass.

 

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Fairy circles​

Found in Namibia, these circles still have no scientific explanation. They are believed to be the work of some animal or some kind of vegetation.

 

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The Gate of Hell​

This is one of Turkmenistan's biggest tourist attractions. The crater has been in flames since 1971.

 

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Flowers in the Atacama Desert​

When it rains in this Chilean desert, millions of flowers suddenly sprout from the sand. Unfortunately, it doesn't rain too often in this place.

 

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Spherical boulders​

Known as the Moeraki Boulders, these rocks are located in New Zealand. They're formed over millions of years as the sea erodes the softer mudstone to reveal these unique round boulders underneath.

 

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Great Blue Hole​

Found off the coast of Belize, this huge hole is almost 1,000 feet (300 meters) in diameter and 460 feet (140 meters) deep. It's a real underwater abyss.

 

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Sardines​

The migration of sardines happens along the east coast of Africa like a blanket that covers stretches of ocean.

 

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Giant's Causeway​

Found in Northern Ireland, this causeway was formed more than 40,000 years ago by a volcanic eruption.

 

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Light pillars​

Light pillars appear when ice crystals reflect solar or lunar light the in Earth's atmosphere.

 

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Sailing stones​

Death Valley, USA, is home to a strange phenomenon known as sailing stones. Thin floating panels of ice created by nighttime precipitation are driven by wind and move the stones overnight.

 

[UltimaOnline]

 

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Circumhorizontal arc​

This phenomenon takes place due to the refraction of sunlight in ice crystals which are formed in cirrus clouds. They may look like rainbows, but they aren't really.