Nature is elusive and unpredictable, and the unexplained manifestations of its influence often leave us speechless. Though you might believe that shifting rocks and blood-colored rains are a prank or a magical phenomenon, science has an explanation for (almost) anything.
Mother Nature appears to be a fascinating mystery from our perspective. So, let’s take a look at the 8 most amazing natural phenomena on earth.
1. Luminous water, Thailand
Photo Credit: Nature Picture Library / Alamy Stock Photo
Take a boat ride into the night after the sun sets and you’ll see schools of fish glowing greenish-blue in the sea. If you put your hand in the water, it will shine much brighter. It’s so lovely. Plankton illuminates the water in a number of locations on the planet. Can you believe it, bioluminescent plankton?
2. Pororoca, Brazil
In February and March, when the moon is full, waves up to 13 feet high can be found where the Amazon River meets the Atlantic Ocean. A very special day for surfers who can’t wait to get their boards ready in the bay, but who the locals fear due to the dangerous intensity of the waves. Though there are many theories as to why they’re called pororoca, one of the most common is that the name comes from the Tupi word “Poroc-Poroc,” which means “great disruptive noise.”
3. Blood rain, India
There have been various reports of blood-red rain falling from the sky, but one of the most well-known is a sighting in Kerala, India in 2001. The red rain was not caused by extraterrestrial activity, as many people claimed at the time; rather, it was caused by spores in the air and red algae from the ocean.
You may read: Mystery SOLVED: Blood Rain In India
4. Sailing stone/moving rock, USA
Death Valley in California is one of the world’s least populated areas, as well as the location of sailing stones, which are rocks discovered at the end of a sand track, indicating that they could travel.
You may also read: Death Valley’s Sailing Stones Mystery SOLVED
5. Moonbow, Zimbabwe
This unusual atmospheric phenomenon is called a moonbow because it is created by the reflection of moonlight rather than sunlight. The best times to see a moonbow are during the autumn and spring seasons. Moonbows like these can be found near waterfalls, such as in Yosemite National Park, California. They can also be found near Corbin, Kentucky, or Victoria Falls, as well as in Africa, on the Zambia-Zimbabwe border.
6. Lightning storm, Venezuela
Lightning storms are a stunning, but often frightening, natural phenomenon. During a storm, the bright bolts are ignited when there is a lot of electrical activity. The longest and most powerful lightning storm ever recorded occurred in Los Angeles on July 9, 1999, and lasted for hours. With 232 lightning storms per year per square kilometer, the highest rate of lightning storms was reported in Venezuela near the Maracaibo lake.
7. Sort sol, Denmark
The “Sort Sol,” which literally means black light, can be seen in the southwestern marshlands of Denmark during the months of March and April. The event of Sort Sol occurs when up to one million birds flock to the sky at sunset, blocking the light, hence the term black sun.
8. Northern Lights, Iceland
The Aurora Borealis, or Australis, is an optical phenomenon that shows itself in the atmosphere as bright spots, usually red, green, or blue, depending on whether it occurs in the north or south. The collision of charged particles (protons and electrons) from the sun with the Earth’s ionosphere is what causes it, according to science. During times of high solar activity, the phenomenon is more severe.
