Our world is filled to brim with mysterious, bizarre and still-to-be-explored places. Some of the sights on this planet seem like they come straight out of a science fiction movie! How many of these amazing wonders have you heard of or seen before?
1. The Frozen Bubbles of Abraham Lake
Have you ever seen anything like this?! Located under the surface of Abraham Lake in Alberta, Canada there is a beautiful and rare phenomenon happening. This crazy sight is created by methane gas coming from from under the lake and getting frozen as it comes to the top.
Methane gas is created when plant material and animals in the lake sink to the bottom and start to get broken down by the bacteria. It breaks down all the organic matter and decomposes the body and releases the gas.
This happens all the time, except for the density of the ice is too great for the gas to escape so it creates a beautiful piece of art instead!
2. The Volcanic Lightning of Iceland
This display of lightning in Iceland is known as a “dirty thunderstorm.”
It looks like a massive explosion just happened – except from mother nature! This crazy cloud happens when fragments of rock, like ash, collide with ice while in a volcanic cloud. As the cloud plumes upward, the static in the higher parts of the atmosphere create a powerful charge for lightning to be created. This is a place you would never want to be caught in the middle of!
3. The Massive Crystals of Naica, Mexico
This is a unreal cave that so many crystal lovers would die to visit! This cave is called Mexico’s Cueva de los Cristales (Cave of Crystals) and is home to the largest natural crystal formations, ever. No where on the planet have bigger crystals been found!
This cave provides the perfect environment for these crystals to thrive. The inside of the cave is a staggering 136 degrees Fahrenheit (58 degrees Celsius). That’s almost 30 degrees hotter than a hot day outside! This is how these crystals grew to be so amazingly massive!
4. The Pink Lake “Hillier” of Australia
This is an interesting one. What makes the water in this specific lake pink? It’s a question that still doesn’t have a definite answer. So far, the closest thing scientists can come up with is it’s immensely high levels of salt water. It’s said to be 10 times saltier than the ocean itself; which is already so salty!
There is a micro-algae called Dunaliella Salina that thrives off this saltiness. This kind of algae produces pigment compounds that absorb light the same way Beta Carotene does. That’s what creates the orange color in carrots and the purple in some cabbages. It’s a safe bet that THAT is what’s creating this brilliant pink hue!
5. The Reflective Salt Flats of Bolivia
This is the perfect place to take the most amazing pictures. Salar de Uyuni is the world’s largest salt flat, measuring in at a grand total of 10,582 square kilometers or 4,086 square miles.
Located in the southwest of Bolivia, these dream-like salt flats are results of the transformation of a few prehistoric lakes. Over eons, they have left a water salted crust over the flat. The reflection it creates looks like something straight out of a dream world.
6. Spiderweb Cocooned Trees in Pakistan
Do you find these creepy or cool? In the village of Sindh, Pakistan, this is nothing new. These trees are covered in spiderwebs that are home to more than just a couple little spiders.
Because of a massive flooding in 2010, millions of spiders were forced to seek shelter in the tops of trees. Over the years, they have produced think, intricate webs that look like a strange art installation. How do these trees make you feel?
7. The Shimmering Shores of Vaadhoo Maldives
Ever wanted to go to the most romantic place ever? This just might be it! This is the shore of Vaadhoo in Maldives, a tiny island off of Sri Lanka. Have you ever seen anything like this before?! This brilliant light show is the result of tiny marine microbes called phytoplankton washing up on the sand. In the day time, these plankton are shades of red and brown, but by night; they become something completely otherworldly.
There is a lot of kinds of phytoplankton that have what’s called ‘bio-luminescence’. This is actually a defense mechanism to scare away potential predators. When they are agitated they let off their glow for the world to see.
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Informative post with amazing pics :)
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