10 of the Most Surreal Natural Phenomena on Earth

Advertisements

Spending so much time indoors it’s easy to forget just how beautiful our planet is. It has a little bit of everything – from gorgeous green vistas to splendid dry deserts, from high-peaked mountains to holes hidden deep inside the ocean. Mother Earth is full of secrets, but humanity has already uncovered a fair share of them. Here are 10 of the most surreal natural phenomena on Earth.

Moonbow

We’re all pretty used to looking at rainbows, although we don’t get to enjoy them every day. But how about a moonbow? It’s a different kind of rainbow that happens at night when all the conditions are perfect. It should be dark, moon should be bright and very low, and there should be rain falling at the right angle. Little droplets of water in the sky reflect the moon light, creating a spectacular nocturnal rainbow.

Moonbow | 10 of the Most Surreal Natural Phenomena on Earth | Zestradar

Glowing Worms

New Zealand is home to one of the most beautiful creatures on Earth – glowing worms. It may not sound like much, but the sight of hundreds of these insects glowing in the dark is something you will never ever forget if you get to see it at least once. Glowing worms are mostly found in caves, but you can encounter them all over New Zealand’s forests. Head to Waitomo Glowworm caves for a one-of-a-kind experience that will stay with you forever.

Glowing Worms | 10 of the Most Surreal Natural Phenomena on Earth | Zestradar

Pele’s Hair Lava

We’re used to thinking about lava that flows out of a volcano in waves and then turns into a hard stony texture, but this is not the case with Pele’s hair lava. When wind comes into play, it can stretch droplets of lava into thin hair-like strands that eventually turn into glass wires. They can be up to 6 feet long! Inside Pele’s hair you can always find Pele’s tears – small glassy stones that resemble black resin. A similar phenomenon can be found in Norway, but there it is called ‘Witch’s hair’.

Pele’s Hair Lava | 10 of the Most Surreal Natural Phenomena on Earth | Zestradar

Glowing Beaches

If you dream to see fluorescent waves with your own eyes, you have high chances to do that at the beaches of Southeast Asia and Australia. Thailand and Malaysia are particularly famous for their glowing waves caused by a special type of phytoplankton that glows in the night, agitated by water movement. It’s one of the most majestic sights!

Glowing Beaches | 10 of the Most Surreal Natural Phenomena on Earth | Zestradar

Salar de Uyuni

Bolivia is home to one of the largest salt flats in the world – Salar de Uyuni. Stretching for over 10,000 km, this salt deposit looks like it came from another planet. It’s bright and white in the dry season, offering a desert-like experience in the scorching sun, and turns into a water paradise when the rains come, attracting tourists and flamingos alike. Looking like a huge mirror reflecting the sky, Salar de Uyuni is one of the grandest sights one can see in a lifetime.

Salar de Uyuni | 10 of the Most Surreal Natural Phenomena on Earth | Zestradar

Crater Lakes

The magnificent crater lakes located at Flores, Indonesia, never look the same. You can find the three crater lakes at the top of Mount Kelimutu, and when you get there, be prepared to see the craziest colours nature can offer. Most of the times they are a combination of blue, green, and bright red, but other years they can change colour into black, white, and deep brown. No one knows exactly how this works, but the general theory is the water in the lakes changes colour due to the volcanic gas of the mountain.

Crater Lakes | 10 of the Most Surreal Natural Phenomena on Earth | Zestradar

Eye of the Sahara

Also known as the Richat Structure, the Eye of the Sahara has stayed unnoticed for hundreds of years, until humanity finally went up into space and got a broader vision of things happening down on Earth. That’s when Eye of the Sahara was spotted! Located in Mauritania, this mysterious formation still hasn’t revealed its secrets to the scientists. Dated hundreds of millions years old, Eye of the Sahara might have seen a volcano eruption or a huge meteor hitting Earth. Its symmetrical structure is puzzling scientists till today!

Eye of the Sahara | 10 of the Most Surreal Natural Phenomena on Earth | Zestradar

Deadly Red Lake

Lake Natron, Tanzania, is one of the most beautiful natural phenomena that exists on Earth. It has bright red colour, resembling a fruit punch you would drink on a hot summer day. But make no mistake, this water is far from sweet – in fact, it’s deadly to almost any creature that comes into the lake’s waters! Due to high levels of soda and salt in the water, living beings quickly get calcified here, turning into grotesque statues. Still, one species uses Lake Natron as a breeding ground and even rises its younglings here – the pink flamingo! Flamingos dine on the fish and algae that live in the water and turn pink just like the lake.

Deadly Red Lake | 10 of the Most Surreal Natural Phenomena on Earth | Zestradar

Bent Forest

Poland is home to a very weird type of tree that crooks like an upside down question mark. Szczecin is a place located in the southwest of the country – that’s where you can find lots of these incredible trees. The forest of Krzywy Las hosts most of them, but you can still find these trees in different places all over Poland. No one really knows what makes these trees take this shape!

Bent Forest | 10 of the Most Surreal Natural Phenomena on Earth | Zestradar

Spotted Lake

Have you ever seen a lake rocking a polka dot pattern like it’s a stylish dress? Well, now you have the chance. Located in Canada, Lake Kliluk dies a little bit every summer, turning into a pretty spotted formation. It gets so hot in summer that the water of the lake evaporates, leaving circular prints filled with various minerals like sodium sulphate and calcium. It looks like something out of this world!

Spotted Lake | 10 of the Most Surreal Natural Phenomena on Earth | Zestradar

Advertisements