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Top 10 Most Mysterious Places in Nature! Nature is a marvelous thing! At Zero2Hero, we love to explore the world. From hidden beaches in Mexico, unrelenting lightning storms in Venezuela, and the aurora borealis at the north pole…come on an expedition with us to areas around the world!
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Transcript provided by YouTube:
The world is often stranger than fiction.
This strange planet is filled with interesting, surprising and intriguing occurrences, some
of which are still not fully understood by science, whereas others have surprisingly
simple explanations.
Today, we’re going to explore these strange wonders, from insane ice formations, to underwater
crop circles.
Stay tuned to find out where you can watch lightning strike almost every single day!
Number 10: Frozen Methane Bubbles.
To many, a frozen lake is already a beautiful thing.
But some northern lakes, like Lake Abraham in Alberta Canada offer us something even
more intriguing, a lake layered with bubbles frozen beneath the surface.
These trapped frozen pockets are in fact bubbles of methane, created by the decomposition of
leaves, grasses and animals, as the bacteria feasting on them release waste in the form
of methane gas.
The gas then rises to the surface, but as it comes into contact with the frozen water
they form layers of gas, trapped in the ice.
While these look beautiful, they are in fact quite dangerous, in the spring when the lakes
are defrosting, these pockets fizz and bubble, but, keep in mind that they are methane!
Which is, as I am sure you know, very flammable.
So, if you ever do see these lakes in the spring, don’t strike a match, because it
could cause a huge explosion.
Number 9: Penitentes Sticking with the ice theme, penitentes are
huge ice spikes.
These unusual snow formations found at high altitudes all over the globe.
They range in all sizes, from very small to incredibly tall, with some growing to around
fifteen feet.
These tall, thin blades of ice are formed as the sun’s rays hit the compacted snow.
As some of the water particles begin to vaporize, others are left behind, forming these amazing
towers of ice, whose fingers reach towards the sun.
Number 8: Permafrost Explosions.
As global temperatures are rising, more and more permafrost is becoming defrosted.
Well, in 2013 communities in Siberia started reporting loud, earth-shaking booms.
Upon investigation, it was then discovered that the melting of the permafrost was releasing
frozen methane that was returning from its permafrost state to its gaseous form.
As the methane turns back into gas, though, it begins to build up pressure, which eventually
causes a massive explosion!
These are not only loud and dangerous, but the explosions also leave huge holes across
the permafrost regions.
I think it’s safe to say you should watch your matches around these phenomenon, too!
Number 7, A Starling Murmuration.
While a murmation may sound like it refers to the noise a Starling makes, it is actually
a reference to intricate patterns they take in flight…some relate it to sort of a dance.
Starlings are a quite small, unassuming bird, but when they get together on mass, they can
truly be a breath-taking sight.
From September to November, many Starlings migrate to the UK to enjoy themselves a milder
winter, gathering at their chosen locations in thousands.
As the evening draws in, though, and before the starlings begin to take roost, they from
huge black swarms across the sky.
This behavior seems similar to that of large groups of fish who school together to protect
themselves from predators.
It’s thought that the starlings do this for the same reason.
By swarming together, they confuse their predators and reduce the chance of attacks.
They dive, whirl, twist and turn in remarkable synchronization.
Painting beautiful, eerie and incredible noisy patters in the evening sun.
Number 6: Hidden Beach.
The tide is a notoriously powerful force, carving the shape of our shores over centuries,
and eroding soft and hard rock away at different speeds.
This often leaves us with vast cliffs and towers of rock out at sea.
Many of the world most beautiful beaches are created in this way, but, however, not this
one.
Mexico’s hidden beach is located at the mouth of Banderas Bay on the island of Marietta.
Although it is not, strictly speaking, a natural wonder, it is nature that has made human tragedy
into something very beautiful.
This large hole was, in fact, caused by the testing of bombs.
The tests, themselves, are what created this massive crater, but the constant in and out
of the tide eventually filled it with soft sand.
Now referred to as Playa Del Amor, or literally translated to Lover’s Beach, this beautiful
spot is accessible via a 79 foot tunnel that joins this little strip of paradise with the
ocean.
Amazingly, though, it cannot be seen above ground.
A beautiful little hidden gem.
And, I guess Lovers Beach has a better ring to it than Bomb-Blast Crater Beach.
Number 5: The Door to Hell.
Moving from the beautiful to the insane, this one isn’t much of a natural wonder, either.
The Door to Hell also has man made roots, however it certainly deserves to be mentioned.
Why, you may ask?
Well, although it’s current state can be blamed on humans; it is the surprising power
of our planet that still fuels it.
The door to hell is a fire…a BIG fire that started when a natural gas field in Durweze,
Terkmenistan collapsed.
Geologists decided that, in order to prevent the spread of the explosive methane gas, they
would ignite it.
So they did!
And, what was thought would only burn for a few days is still on fire…almost 50 years
later!
That’s right, this fire has been burning non-stop since 1971!
Today, the Door to Hell it is mainly a tourist attraction, pulling in over 50,000 tourists
in just the last few years alone.
I would assume they come to marvel at the spectacle of the never-ending fire.
Number 4: The Catatumbo Lightning Storm.
If you’re a fan of a good lightning strike, then this is really the place for you.
The Catatumbo River in Venezuela runs into Lake Maracaibo over a boggy
area of land.
It is here, at this meeting of the waters, that there is an unusual atmospheric phenomenon…an
almost continuous storm.
Creating storm clouds that can grow upwards of a half of a mile in height, this vast and
unrelenting storm discharges lighting at an astonishing rate.
The storm can rage for between 140-160 nights a year, can last for 10 hours at a time, and
releases an astonishing 280 lightning strikes per hour.
This frequency does change throughout the year, though, and over the months of January
to March there are no lightning strikes at all.
So, if you intend to see this incredible phenomenon, be sure to plan your trip accordingly!
Number 3: Underwater crop circles.
In 1995, a group of divers off the coast of Japan noticed strange, intricate patterns
on the seabed.
These beautiful little circles were given the name “underwater crop circles” because,
like crop circles, no one knew who was making them.
These odd structures came and went, and it took over ten years for scientists to discover
what was happening.
As it turns out, the crop circles were not the creation of some alien race trying to
communicate with the oceans inhabitants, though.
Rather, scientists found that they were the work of a male fish looking for love.
More specifically, the circles are made by the male puffer fish in search of a mate.
These small, but determined fish take on an extraordinary task each year by creating these
three dimensional, elaborate nests that can be up to 6 and a half feet in diameter!
Not bad, when you realize that the fish itself is only around 5 inches long.
The males prepare their nests using ridges and valleys to circle the radius of the mound,
they then choose shell fragments and different colored sediments to decorate it.
The very center of the mound is where the female will lay her eggs, and so the sediment
here is particularly fine.
The way that the male has constructed the mound means that the speed of the water flow
across the center is lower, meaning that the eggs will stay safer.
Females swim around the ocean and inspect the male’s work, although, scientists still
do not know what draws the females to a particular mound.
But, when she finds one that she approves of, she will lay her eggs in the center and
then leave, leaving the male to guard the eggs for six days before they hatch.
Number 2: Glowing Waves.
The Ocean is truly a world of many wonders; and we have barely scratched the surface.
There are some places however, where if you were to scratch the surface, you may find
that the water shines brightly back at you.
This occurs when large enough quantities of algae, or phytoplankton, begin to bloom close
to the ocean’s surface.
As the water is agitated more and more pinpricks of light can be seen shimmering to life.
This is caused as the phytoplankton – a microorganism – releases light as they are
stressed, such as by the agitation of a wave, or even from the paddle of a kayaker.
This light is bioluminescent, meaning that the organism creates the light via a biological
process, using a channel in the dinoflagellate cell membrane that can respond to electrical
impulses when distressed.
This can happen at any time of the year, but is most common in the spring tides.
So, in theory, wherever you find phytoplankton in a large enough number you will find magical
glowing water!
Number 1: Aurora Borealis.
The magic of the Aurora Borealis can be seen at both poles of the earth.
These breath-taking and mesmerizing displays are caused when electrically charged particles
from solar winds pass through the earth’s magnetic field in the upper atmosphere.
Here they collide with atoms of gas, causing the atoms to release energy as light.
While we know what causes them it doesn’t make them lose their magic appeal, there are
now heated glass igloos in some places where you can sleep under the stars and hopefully
catch a glimpse of these enigmatic lights.
This is most certainly on my bucket list!
So, there you have it, ten of nature’s most wonderful places and events, albeit a couple
of which that were aided by the actions of mankind.
Which one was your favorite?
Let us know in the comments below!
Take a moment to subscribe and enjoy!
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This post was previously published on YouTube.
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