That Actually Occur On Earth

~Prepared by~

Jayesh Mange

MEFGI Rajkot

TA3-B

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Sun dogsSundogs 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 crystal.

Great Blue Hole (Belize)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. Today, the hole is over 300 meters across and is 124 meters deep.

Christmas Island red crab migrationMeasuring up to 12 centimeters 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.

Giant crystalsNaica, Mexico, the Cave of the Crystals was discovered as recently as in 2000 but since then. The cave contains giant selenite crystals some of which measure up to 12 meters in length. Since the cave is extremely hot with temp reaching up to 58 C, it is still relatively unexplored but it is estimated that the crystals have been forming for over 500,000 years.

Spider web blanketsWagga Wagga, Australia a few years ago an enormous and unique phenomenon happened. 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.

Grand prismatic springFound in the Yellowstone National Park, it is the largest hot spring in the United States, and the third largest in the world. Notable for its vivid colors caused by pigmented bacteria living around the edges of the mineral-rich water, the spring is approximately 80 by 90 m in size and 50 m deep. It discharges an estimated 2,100 liters of 70 °C water per minute.

Basalt columnsBasalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock formed from the rapid cooling of basaltic lava. The basalt formations can take various shapes but one of the most impressive forms is the basalt column. Millions of years ago, they were just regular lava plateaus but over time, fracture networks started to appear within the plateaus, creating some of the world´s most amazing rock formations.

Danxia landformsFound in several areas in China, the Danxialandforms are a unique geo-morphologic type of landscape characterized by a striking, mainly red coloration. Masses of cretaceous sandstone and limestone have been eroded by wind, sun and rain for millions of years, creating spectacular rock formations including pillars, ravines, columns, canyons etc.

Bio-luminescenceBioluminescence is the production and emission of light by a living organism.

One of the most astonishing examples of this unusual natural phenomenon can be seen on the VaadhooIsland, Maldives, which is famous for the bioluminescence display of the ‘phytoplankton’ known as ‘dinoflagellates’.

Living rock (Pyura chilensis)It is a tunicate (a marine invertebrate animal) found in dense aggregations on the coast of Chile and Peru. Internal organs inside the rock is actually an immobile creature feeding on microorganisms that it filters out of the seawater. For no obvious reasons, the living rocks contain about 10 million times more vanadium (an extremely rare element) in their bodies than is found in the water

Mummifying lakeLocated in northern Tanzania, the Lake Natron is a salt and soda lake, notorious for its extremely high content of salt and calcium with scorching temp of up to 60 C.Though some animals have managed to adapt to the harshness of the lake, most animals that venture into these waters find themselves victims of the lake’s mummification ability.

Rainbow eucalyptusScientifically known as Eucalyptus deglupta, the rainbow eucalyptus is a 6 foot (1.8 m) wide and over 200 foot (61 m) tall tree. The tree is characterized by its unique multi-hued bark.

Running rocksAlso known as sailing stones or moving rocks, it refer to a geological phenomenon in which rocks move and inscribe long tracks along the floor without any human or animal intervention. The origin of this is not completely clear yet. The heaviest running rocks that have been reported weighed about almost 320 kg.

Pororoca waveThe Pororoca wave is 12 feet high tidal wave that travels as far as 800 km up the Amazon River. The longest wave in the world forms only twice a year from February to March, when the tides of the Atlantic Ocean meet the mouth of the Amazon.

Sources http://list25.com/25-bizarre-natural-phenomenon-that-actually-occur-on-earth/1/