These Natural Phenomena Will Blow Your Mind

1. Glowing Beach, the Maldives and Jervis Bay

Image source CanvaDue to a natural phenomenon known as bioluminescence, the shores along the beaches in the Maldives glow in the dark at night.  Organisms emit light when the water is unsettled and the result gives an impression of radio-active fairy dust.  Such a beautiful sight!  You can also witness this bioluminescence in Jervis Bay, Australia.

2. Caño Cristales ‘Liquid Rainbow’, Colombia

Image source CanvaThis is so gorgeous and looks like it has been photoshopped!  The Caño Cristales river in La Macarena, Colombia is known as ‘Liquid Rainbow’ with reds, yellows, greens and purples that flow down the river depending on the water and light conditions.  The natural phenomenon is due to an aquatic plant, the macarenia clavigera.  The colours are more vibrant between July and November.

3. Blood Falls, Antarctica

Image source Physics in NatureYou’ll be relieved to know this waterfall isn’t a crime scene!  The natural, rare phenomenon is because of a complex chemical reaction that has occurred over 1.5 million years.  When the iron-bearing salt water mixes with oxygen, the iron takes on a very deep red hue.

4. ‘Rainbow Mountains’ Zhangye Danxia National Geopark, China

Image source AlynnculterThe mountain side of Zhangye National Geopark looks like a rainbow paint swatch wall!  A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2010, these mountains have maintained their vibrant appearance due to viewing platforms and trails which deter the tourists from stepping on them

5. Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland

Image source CanvaNature has neatly laid out 40,000 pavements!  They are actually huge black basalt columns.  It's thought that volcanic activity from over 55 million years ago produced the striking landscape that lies along the coast of the Antrim plateau in Northern Ireland.

6. Frozen methane bubbles, Canada

Image source DesignRulzThese blue bubbles look stunning but the story behind them is not a pretty one! Microbes feeding on decomposing matter at the bottom of the lake release methane and this floats to the surface in the form of bubbles.  In the winter, the bubbles become trapped in the freezing water, producing magical orbs

7. ‘Blue Fire Volcano’ Kawah Ijen, Indonesia

Image source CanvaBy day, Kawah Ijen is just an ordinary volcano although it's still a massive active crater that could erupt at any time.  At night though the river turns into a sci-fi blue hue which is a flame produced when sulfuric gases from the volcano come into contact with the oxygen in the atmosphere.

8. Lake Natron, Tanzania

Image source ZenjitatoursThe spookiest thing ever about Lake Natron is that it can mummify animals because it is so alkaline.  When animals fall in, they don't decompose. Photosynthesising pigment in cyanobacteria in the water produces the lake’s really deep red colour which is quite breath taking.

9. Kjeragbolten Boulder, Norway

Image source Cinder132 © @kjeragtouristinfoCaught in between a rock and a hard place you can find the Kjeragbolten boulder.  The natural phenomenon got stuck during the flooding of the valleys and the melting of Norwegian glaciers.  The boulder will take you more than a thousand metres high.  Wow!

10. Lenticular clouds, Mount Fuji, Japan

Image source NownessThese UFO-shaped formations are called lenticular clouds and they form when strong wet winds blow over the rough terrain, mainly over mountain peaks. and often form over mountain peaks.  They’ve also been seen at Mount Rainier, Washington State and Mount Errigal in Ireland.

11. Moeraki Boulders, New Zealand

Image source CanvaThese Moeraki boulders resemble giant gobstoppers!  Scientists say the explanation for this natural phenomena is that it is the formation  of calcite concretions from over 65 million years ago that mas made over 50 boulders, the largest ones being over 2 metres.

12. ‘Hidden Beach’ Playa del Amor, Mexico

Image source CanvaUnder a layer of greenery and rock, you will find Mexico’s ‘hidden beach’. I  You can't see it from the outside unless you are looking from above.  Military explosive testing over the years has created the peep-hole beach, creating holes, craters and caves across the Mexican islands.  A good place to sunbathe!

13. Rainbow Eucalyptus, Papua New Guinea

Image source CanvaDid someone paint the bark?  It certainly looks like it!  The brightly coloured eucalyptus in purple, green, red and orange bark is one of many rainbow natural phenomena. Rainbow Eucalyptus is native to Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and the Philippines.  As the bark matures and sheds, the colours change.

14. Spotted Lake, Canada

Image source CanvaDuring winter, Spotted Lake in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley is just a plain lake that  contains minerals such as calcium and sulphates. However, once summer arrives and much of the water evaporates, massive circles of the minerals appear on the surface and they can be white, blue, yellow or green, depending on the mineral.  How fascinating.

15. Sailing Stones, Death Valley, US

Image source James Marvin/flickrRocks move, of their own accord, across the flat desert of Death Valley National Park, on the border of California and Nevada.  Slabs of ice form around the rocks and when the liquid levels change, they glide along  with the assistance of a slight breeze

16. ‘Forest of Knives’ Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park, Madagascar

Image source CanvaTsingy is a Malagasy word that means, 'where one cannot walk barefoot' or 'walk on tiptoes'.  That would make sense if you see the forest of giant limestone spikes. One wrong movement on the needle-like formations and you could end up in serious pain

17. Sakurajima dirty thunderstorms, Japan

Image source B-Ubiquitous via Twitter‘Dirty thunderstorms’ are known as volcanic lightning and occur when material that is ejected from a volcano has a positive charge. The result is a spectacular display of volcanic lightning and lava.  It's a rare occurrence generally but seen more regularly at Sakurajima volcano, Japan.

18. Natural phenomena in Australia - Pink Lakes, South Australia and Western Australia

Image source @AustraliaThis looks amazing!  I love bubblegum pink!  High salt concentrations cause the waters to turn into this fabulous colour.  Other lakes with these colours can be seen around Australia.  These are Lake MacDonell, South Australia and Hut Lagoon, Western Australia.

19. Morning Glory, Queensland

Image source PhilipvidsThe rare meteorological phenomenon is from a collision between a humid easterly front from the Coral Sea and a warm westerly front from the Gulf of Carpentaria.  Although you can find the pipeline of clouds in other parts of the world, they are most frequent in Burketown, Queensland.

20. Aurora Australis, Tasmania

Image source CanvaThe Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) is known as a 'celestial ballet of light dancing'  Few people know you can actually see its southern counterpart (Aurora Australis) from Tasmania.  An equally beautiful natural light illuminates the sky with flickers of purple and green.  The Southern Lights can be seen all year round but for the best chance of viewing them, head to Cockle Creek, Tasmania between May and August.

21. Turquoise ice, Lake Baikal, Russia

Image source Alexey Trofimov/flickrThe ice formations in Russia’s Lake Baikal are something else!  The Lake has some of the cleanest, healthiest water conditions on Earth and when it freezes over in the winter, you can view large shards of transparent ice. When reflected by the sunlight, a gem-like turquoise colour can be seen.

22. Nacreous Clouds (Mother of Pearl Clouds)

Image source Wiki CommonsThe pastel-tinted pictures of nacreous clouds look like a piece of art.  The colouring is due to the stratosphere in which they reside. Known as 'the mother of pearl' cloud, it can only be seen in the early evening at distances of between 10 and 15 miles above ground.

23. Striped Icebergs, viewed from Cape Town

Image source Science.comNever has the sight of dead krill and trapped sediment on ice been more stunning. The candy-striped icebergs float around, 1,700 miles south of Cape Town.  They are the result of ice crystals forming under the iceberg and then rising to the berg's bottom, trapping dark coloured sediment and krill within it.

24. Monarch Butterfly Migrations

Image source Science.comFew migrations are as mysterious as the one surrounding the monarch butterfly.  surrounded with as much mystery as that of the monarch butterfly.  Scientists are still baffled by the monarch’s ability to return to the same spots year after year, bearing in mind no single butterfly can make it the entire way.T

25. Paricutin, Michoacán, Mexico

Image source Science.comThis natural wonder lives in Michoacan, Mexico and the cinder volcano is named as one of the seven natural wonders of the world, even over very famous volcanoes such as Yellowstone.  Paricutin last erupted in 1952 and trekkers can hike the 12 mile trip to the peak of the volcano.

26. Victoria Falls, border of Zambia and Zimbabwe

Image source Science.comVisitors can access the falls from Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Livingston in Zambia and can cross the border to gain different perspectives of this incredible natural wonder. The best views are from Zimbabwe but you can get an even closer experience from Zambia.

27. Mount Everest

Image source Science.comMount Everest has an approximate elevation of 29,029 feet and the peak is considered to be the highest spot on Earth.  It isn't the tallest mountain in the world.  That title belongs to Mauna Kea in Hawaii. Everest lies within the Himalayan mountain range on the border of Nepal and Tibet, China.

28. Great Barrier Reef

Image source Science.comAs the world's largest coral reef, the Great Barrier Reef includes over 900 islands, 3,000 separate reefs and it also sustains a diverse ecosystem. Measuring approximately 2,300 km in length, it covers a huge area of the ocean, much of it a long way offshore.  Popular destinations to explore the reef include Cairns, Port Douglas and the Whitsunday Islands.

29. Harbour of Rio de Janeiro

Image source Science.comThe traditional way to see this natural wonder is to travel via the rack railway to Tijuca National Park. This takes you to where the statue of Christo Redentor stands at the top of one of the granite peaks that overlooks the harbour. From the viewing platforms, visitors can soak up the views of the beautiful beaches.

30. Starling Murmurations

Image source Sience.comStarlings are only tiny birds but every year over 50,000 of them come together in the middle of winter in a murmuration.  The huge flock creates this incredible dance of complex coordination and choreography.  They form the most amazing shapes in the sky and are most often viewed in the UK.