These Phenomena Prove Our World Is Weirder Than We Think

Bright Side

Prepare to be amazed as we dive into some of the craziest natural phenomena on Earth! From mind-blowing weather events to unbelievable geological formations, nature is full of surprises. Join us on this exciting adventure to witness the wonders of our planet. ️ #NatureIsAmazing #CrazyPhenomena  Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/   Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV   Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightside Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en   Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.

Transcript

00:00:00Hi there, I invite you to look at some of the coolest phenomena mother nature has

00:00:06I'll start with the red sky

00:00:08I admit that this scenery is kind of scary as if it's a scene from a movie. How can our blue sky turn red?

00:00:16Joe Sean's authorities assured people that this abnormality wasn't related to solar activity

00:00:22This tint appeared due to the refraction of red lights from fishing boats

00:00:27That day the weather was foggy and cloudy the light got reflected from the low-hanging clouds

00:00:34When weather conditions are right aerosol particles and droplets of other liquids in the atmosphere

00:00:40Refract and scattered the light in this case the light source was on fishing boats

00:00:46Since we started with reflections

00:00:48We can continue with a forest in Japan that looks as if it's come straight out of a fairy tale

00:00:54It turns out there are real mushrooms that glow in the dark

00:00:58They're known as forest fairies, but their official name is the Mycenae luxellae

00:01:04They're bioluminescent fungi

00:01:07It means that they glow these mystical looking mushrooms are scattered all over old trees and soft ground

00:01:14You can see them in several different forests in Japan

00:01:17They've been attracting tourists for many years since they were first discovered in the 1950s

00:01:23It makes me feel like I'm looking at a picture from a secret neon themed party in the woods

00:01:29Moving on from one mesmerizing forest to another this one is underwater

00:01:35There are lakes and there are forests

00:01:38Kandy Lake in Kazakhstan

00:01:40Offers you one inside the other the lake is almost 100 feet deep

00:01:45It has a beautiful turquoise lime color and the submerged trees are seen below the surface

00:01:52An earthquake in 1911 is the reason why this sunken forest formed the quake created a huge

00:01:59limestone landslide that formed a natural dam

00:02:03Rain and water filled the dam the water covers the tree roots entirely

00:02:08Yet their top parts remain above the surface. This gives the lake a spooky vibe

00:02:14Especially if the weather is foggy

00:02:17What does it look like under the water?

00:02:19Don't hurry to put on a scuba diving suit

00:02:22No need to dive in because you can see the lake steps from the shore to the water is super clear

00:02:29There aren't many rotten tree trunks. In fact, the trees have miraculously

00:02:34Resisted decomposition you can even see the needles on their branches

00:02:38You can thank the lakes consistent temperature for that

00:02:41No matter the season the temperature rarely goes higher than 43 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter

00:02:47The lake gets frozen and people go fishing and ice diving. You can still enjoy the view through the crystal-clear ice layer

00:02:56The next dream destination is Bolivia

00:03:00Imagine standing on a 4,000 square mile mirror. You can do that in Salar de Uyuni

00:03:07It's the world's largest natural mirror since it's a reflective salt flat

00:03:12The surface is so flat as a result of thousands of years of transformations that happen to several prehistoric lakes

00:03:19There are other lakes close by and when they flow into this one the flat surface turns into a well

00:03:26I'll say lake but it's around 20 inches deep

00:03:31Yes, the water layer is super shallow, but that's enough to transform the area into a giant mirror

00:03:38For most animals this area is non-habitable because of harsh living conditions

00:03:44Yet flamingos visit this lakes chain of pristine lagoons to feed and breed

00:03:49Three out of the world's six species of flamingos come here as you can guess

00:03:54This is the perfect spot for photographers and tourists. They take full pics of flamingos standing on the giant mirror Lake

00:04:03Would you like to see the sea of stars? Then you should visit the shores of Badhu in the Maldives

00:04:10Badhu is a small island that'll surprise you at night time. Do you remember the glowing forest in Japan?

00:04:17Here we have glowing blue waves. The waves shine thanks to a natural chemical reaction called

00:04:25Bioluminescence

00:04:27Phytoplankton is the type of plankton that's responsible for the blue glow

00:04:31It looks like the water shimmers when waves hit the shore

00:04:35The next stop is in the southwestern US. This is the wave in Arizona

00:04:41It's a unique sandstone formation. The sediment has a rippling form and interesting colors

00:04:47It's made of intersecting u-shaped troughs that have been eroded over time. The wave was formed millions of years ago

00:04:55This one-of-a-kind formation is popular among hikers and photographers

00:05:00Yet, it's not easy to visit this place

00:05:03The formation has a fragile nature so only around 60 people can visit it in one day

00:05:09These people should apply for a permit and join the daily lottery system

00:05:14Do these look like regular trees?

00:05:17Nope, the entire forest is technically one tree. This phenomenon is called clonal groves

00:05:25All these trees are connected underground by a single root network

00:05:29That's why trees look like they're copied and pasted with the help of Photoshop

00:05:34Each trunk is genetically identical to the others

00:05:37We're now looking at the most famous example of clonal groves, which is Pondo from Utah

00:05:43It's one of the largest and oldest organisms on our planet

00:05:48Pondo has 47,000 stems and it originated from a single seed

00:05:53It spread by creating new shoots from the expanding root network

00:05:58Another mesmerizing phenomenon is this Indonesian volcano that has blue flames

00:06:04It looks like the lava itself is blue when you first see it

00:06:08In reality, the lava turns blue due to sulfur

00:06:12When sulfuric gas meets with oxygen at an ultra high temperature, it burns

00:06:18Bright blue flames appear and then lava flows through the mountain

00:06:22This feature is visible at night

00:06:24During the day, the lava looks like a regular orange liquid

00:06:29Ice can come in different shapes and forms

00:06:32Here is a less known one, the jewel ice

00:06:36This type of ice can only be seen in Japan's Tokachi River

00:06:40The river has crystal clear water in general

00:06:43When the temperatures drop and the river freezes, ice chunks move with the waves to the riverside

00:06:49These giant diamond-like ice pieces are transparent

00:06:53That's why they reflect light differently

00:06:55If you visit the lake at sunset, you'll see golden yellow ice stones

00:07:00But at any other time of the day, they look blue

00:07:04It depends on how light scatters in the sky

00:07:07Another beauty comes with a winter breeze

00:07:11If you step onto the frozen Abraham Lake in Canada, you'll see ice bubbles under a layer of ice

00:07:18It might look like they're out of this world, but this beauty isn't so innocent

00:07:22These ice bubbles are made of methane

00:07:25Since this gas is flammable, these white orbs aren't perfectly safe

00:07:30Why are there frozen methane bubbles in this lake?

00:07:33Well, it's due to the natural process of decomposition

00:07:37Plants and parts of trees deep down at the lake's bottom decay

00:07:42When this occurs, plants release methane, creating air bubbles

00:07:46In the meantime, the temperature decreases

00:07:49Ice bubbles can't reach the surface and get trapped in the ice

00:07:53It looks kind of like a lava lamp

00:07:55Even though it's winter and snow might fall, super strong winds wipe away everything from the lake's surface

00:08:02So we can appreciate this potentially dangerous beauty

00:08:07How about seeing some flaming rocks?

00:08:10Yanartas is located on an inactive volcano mountain in southwestern Turkey

00:08:15The name of this rock formation is related to its appearance

00:08:19It literally means flaming rock

00:08:22The rocks have been flaming for at least 2,500 years

00:08:26So they're full of tiny fumaroles that release gases such as methane

00:08:31The gas ignites when it comes into contact with oxygen and creates eternal flames

00:08:37Yanartas isn't the only special rock that produces eternal flames

00:08:42There's a small waterfall in western New York that creates these types of flames too

00:08:47The same principle applies to the Eternal Flame Falls

00:08:50The grotto at the waterfall's base emits natural gas

00:08:54Gas is the reason why flames form

00:08:58Oh man, I want to see all these wonders with my own eyes

00:09:01I just wish I could teleport

00:09:02Now have you ever wondered about the longest time it rained non-stop?

00:09:07Even an hour of rain could be a big deal

00:09:09if you're hanging out in a dry spot like the Atacama Desert in South America

00:09:14It can set a record for that place

00:09:16But in super rainy spots like the Amazon rainforest

00:09:19having 40 days of rain in a row might not even turn heads

00:09:24Interestingly, we only have rainfall records where people live and keep track

00:09:28Many towns and cities skip the whole rain data collection thing

00:09:32Plus, there are so many places on Earth where nobody lives

00:09:36like rainforests or the open ocean

00:09:38So our rainfall knowledge is a bit patchy

00:09:42Now, if we were to talk about records, Hawaii has a couple

00:09:45People there have some seriously long rainy days

00:09:48especially on islands where winds come from the mountains

00:09:52From 1939 to 40, they recorded 331 days in a row with measurable rainfall

00:09:59If you're a person who likes to watch the rain at home with a cup of tea

00:10:02this might sound ideal to you

00:10:04But we need to see the sun at least occasionally

00:10:08Getting some sun is good for your body and soul

00:10:11Obviously, you get vitamin D

00:10:13Just 5 to 15 minutes of sunlight a few times a week can make a real difference

00:10:18And have you ever heard the phrase sunny disposition?

00:10:22Researchers found that people feel down when there's not much sun around

00:10:26Sunny days make us happier

00:10:28Sunshine boosts your serotonin, which fights off bad moods

00:10:32That sunny serotonin isn't just for your mood

00:10:35It also helps you sleep

00:10:37And it's also a heart assistant

00:10:39When the sun hits your skin, your body releases something called nitric oxide

00:10:43which chills out your blood pressure

00:10:45Healthy blood pressure means a healthier heart

00:10:48Now, go tell that to the people who had to go through 881 consecutive days of rain

00:10:54Yeah, the record was set almost 3 full years of rain

00:10:59This happened from 1913 to 1916 in Honolulu, Maui, Hawaii

00:11:04It rained like there was no tomorrow

00:11:06because the region is a tropical rainforest

00:11:09How do clouds make rain?

00:11:11Well, rain happens when damp air goes up into the sky and gets a bit chilly

00:11:16As this air cools down, tiny water vapor molecules huddle up

00:11:20forming super small droplets that look like a fluffy cloud team

00:11:24Now, inside these clouds, things get playful

00:11:27The air moving around can sometimes make these droplets bump into one another and get bigger

00:11:33Then they can turn into ice crystals high up in the clouds where it's chilly

00:11:37These little ice buddies get heavy enough to take a tumble down, melting in the rain on the way to the ground

00:11:44Now, there isn't just one type of rain

00:11:46Raindrops can come from all kinds of storms

00:11:49Thunderstorms show up, make a splash, and then they're out

00:11:53They can dump a ton of rain in no time

00:11:56Other storms, like winter storms, are more laid back

00:11:59They stick around for days and dish out gentle rain or even snow if it's cold enough

00:12:04Usually, the weather switches between moods

00:12:07It's nature's way of balancing things out

00:12:10After stormy weather, the sun comes out, the air dries up, and we get to enjoy some clear skies

00:12:16But things can get interesting if you're in a place with mountains near the ocean

00:12:20When moist air hits the mountains, it's forced to climb over them, creating rainfall lasting sometimes for weeks

00:12:28What if I told you there was a time on Earth when rain fell continuously for 2 million years and completely reshaped the planet's destiny?

00:12:37At the end of the Permian era, around 234 million years ago

00:12:41I wasn't around then, but I read about it

00:12:43The Triassic period began, marked by the onset of an extended period of rainfall

00:12:49This phenomenon is now called the Carnian-Pluvial event

00:12:53Well, that's what they decided to call it

00:12:56Recent studies supported by evidence suggest that it didn't reshape the planet in that sense

00:13:01and that it was triggered by coal combustion

00:13:04The rain wasn't continuous either

00:13:06So we just debunked a myth here

00:13:08Woo-hoo!

00:13:09Next, we have columnar jointing

00:13:12This is the fancy term for groove patterns that form in lava flows, silts, dikes, and other rocky stuff

00:13:20These lava creations come in all shapes and sizes

00:13:23Most are seen as straight parallel columns

00:13:26Some have curves and varying widths

00:13:28They can be as high as 1,181 inches

00:13:32I'll save you the math

00:13:34It's roughly 98 feet

00:13:38The columns are formed by pressure and the cooling process

00:13:42As lava becomes cooler, it shrinks and forms cracks

00:13:46Once a crack starts, the lava moves around

00:13:49These cracks expand to the surface of the flow

00:13:51Water sneaks into the cooling lava, making it chill down fast starting from the surface, leaving its mark in those patterns

00:13:59Devil's Postpile in California is a must-visit place if you want to see columnar jointing

00:14:05But hey, they're found all around the world

00:14:08Let's raise our heads to the sky to see something magical

00:14:12Fire rainbows, also known as circumhorizontal arcs, look like flames dancing above the clouds

00:14:19To see these eye-catching arcs, you need a special cloud type called cirrus clouds, and the sun at least 58 degrees high in the sky

00:14:27It's a VIP collaboration between sunlight and clouds

00:14:31Let's break it down further

00:14:32Take London, for instance

00:14:34It's around 51 degrees north

00:14:36Now, sorry Londoners, no fire rainbows for you

00:14:42Now we move to deep waters to see underwater crop circles

00:14:46These are giant circular patterns found in 1995 near the shores of southern Japan

00:14:52Locals were baffled

00:14:53They dubbed them mystery circles, as if the ocean had a secret talent for sand art

00:14:58The mystery was solved in 2011

00:15:01The unlikely artist turned out to be a tiny pufferfish, just 5 inches long

00:15:06The researchers found out that males were on a mission, spending a solid 7 to 9 days building their circles by swimming in and out and using their fins to carve valleys into the sandy floor

00:15:18They decorate the peaks of their creations with bits of shells and corals, turning their sandy canvases into masterpieces

00:15:26Okay, they don't do it for the sake of art

00:15:28The curious circles have a purpose

00:15:30The sandy center of the circle serves as a nest

00:15:34Male swimming moves mix things up, getting sand particles just where they need to be

00:15:39When a lady pufferfish swims by, the male twirls and dances, swirling sand around

00:15:45If she is impressed and thinks he is the one, she lays her eggs in the sandy heart of the circle

00:15:52There you go, another happy ending

00:15:55Now let's look at frost flowers

00:15:57You might have seen thin sheets of ice that look like delicate petals and sometimes pop up from the stems of plants

00:16:04The ice is about as thick as a credit card

00:16:07It forms when the weather is cold outside

00:16:09The soil is damp but not frozen, as well as plant stems

00:16:13Not all plants produce these frost flowers, and the conditions must be just right

00:16:19Here's how it happens

00:16:20The water inside a plant stem gets pulled up from the ground

00:16:24When it freezes, it expands and cracks the stem vertically

00:16:28As it hits the chilly air, it turns into ice

00:16:31As more water gets pulled up through the crack, it keeps pushing out super thin layers of ice

00:16:37Whether a frost flower looks like a narrow ribbon or a wider one depends on the length of the crack

00:16:43And the way it curls and shapes itself into these petals is random

00:16:47Or the reason might lie in the difference in friction along the sides of the crack

00:16:51These frost flowers are unique and delicate, and they don't last long

00:16:55They melt or just disappear quickly

00:16:58To spot them, keep an eye out for tall grass, especially in places that don't get mowed much

00:17:04Pay attention to purple ironweed, blackberries, and wing stems

00:17:12Ah, you're on the grass, looking up at the blue sky, enjoying some singing birds and catching some rays

00:17:20You watch different-shaped clouds soaring slowly, high up in the air

00:17:24Suddenly, you hear a powerful loud rumble coming from far away

00:17:28You get up and notice a gigantic thick cloud ahead

00:17:32But it's not the size that scares you, it's the shape

00:17:35The cloud looks like a skull

00:17:38Eh, don't worry, it doesn't mean anything bad's gonna happen

00:17:41Anyway, it's not even a cloud

00:17:44A few years ago, a skull formed out of thick smoke over Mount Vesuvius in Italy

00:17:50That's the same volcano that erased the ancient city of Pompeii from the face of the Earth

00:17:55Of course, back then, many people were afraid that the volcano would erupt again

00:18:00Luckily for everyone, the volcano's still in a deep sleep

00:18:04It was just a nearby forest fire that caused the famous skull cloud

00:18:08But the locals weren't so sure

00:18:10Some thought that the fire and the skull were set on purpose

00:18:14Eh, wouldn't be the first time

00:18:17Centralia, Pennsylvania

00:18:19Population, well, just look around

00:18:22Looks a little scary

00:18:23Bare trees, no animals, no people

00:18:26All the buildings are empty

00:18:28Roads are all cracked and strewn with gravel

00:18:31No cars, obviously

00:18:32Thick smoke everywhere

00:18:34This town's been burning for more than 50 years

00:18:37Centralia used to be a mining town

00:18:40One of its coal mines was abandoned, and locals used it as a dump for their trash

00:18:45Then, according to most people, the city decided to get rid of the trash in the usual way

00:18:50By burning it

00:18:51The plan was a major failure

00:18:54Hmm, let's see what could have possibly gone wrong here

00:18:57The trash fire got deep into the mine's tunnels

00:19:00Ignited the coal that's still down there

00:19:03And has been burning steadily ever since

00:19:06The level of carbon dioxide shot up

00:19:08And they had to shut down the other mines nearby for safety

00:19:12No one could stop the fire

00:19:13And the underground flames spread beneath the city

00:19:17Roads began to warm up

00:19:19The soil went sour

00:19:20And the streets slowly filled with smoke and smog

00:19:24In 2017, there were only five people living there

00:19:29Welcome to Abraham Lake in Canada

00:19:31It's completely frozen

00:19:33You step onto the transparent ice and look down at what lies beneath

00:19:37No fish, just some mysterious frozen bubbles

00:19:41They look like small clouds frozen in ice

00:19:44Or jellyfish who forgot to pack a winter jacket

00:19:47There are thousands of these little bubbles made up of methane

00:19:51But don't try to dig a hole in the ice to touch it

00:19:54Methane is highly flammable

00:19:56It's created by methane-producing bacteria

00:19:59That eats leaves, grass, insects, and any other organic stuff that gets into the lake

00:20:04When the methane touches the frozen water

00:20:06It turns into tens of thousands of frozen little balls

00:20:10When the ice melts, they burst open and sizzle

00:20:14If you lit a match over them at just the right moment

00:20:16The lake would look kind of like an erupting volcano

00:20:20Similar lakes can be found near some shores of the Arctic Ocean

00:20:24There, the size of the bubbles can reach several times the size of hot air balloons

00:20:28Beautiful for sure, but not exactly safe

00:20:33The next shocking lake is in Indonesia

00:20:35On the island of Java

00:20:37You come to a majestic volcano overgrown with grass and trees

00:20:42The volcano seems to be asleep, but smoke is pouring out of it

00:20:46You, of course, climb to the summit

00:20:48Exhausted, tired, sweaty, you're ready to cool off

00:20:52Nice work, you made it to the top

00:20:54You look into the mouth of the volcano

00:20:57No boiling lava, just a beautiful bright turquoise lake down there

00:21:01It looks like an oasis

00:21:03Perfect time for a refreshing dip

00:21:06You run down and get ready to jump in

00:21:08But that's not water, that's acid

00:21:12Sulfurous gases get into the lake from under the volcano

00:21:15The lake itself is full of metals

00:21:18When the gases touch them, they form that beautiful turquoise water

00:21:22I mean acid

00:21:23Better head back to the nearest village, rest and come back at night when it's cooling

00:21:28In the dark, the lake seems to grow

00:21:31Right above it, you see light-filled exploding little clouds

00:21:36The sulfurous gases rise out of the lake, combine with the air, and flash bright blue

00:21:41Still, don't get too close

00:21:44Up in the sky, underground, volcanoes, lakes?

00:21:48Hmm, time to head out to sea

00:21:51You get on a yacht and sail off

00:21:53It doesn't matter where, this next one happens all over the world

00:21:57So, the sea is crystal clear and calm, there's no wind in your sails

00:22:02Everything is so peaceful

00:22:04Wait, what's that?

00:22:06You hear a loud, loud noise

00:22:09Two seconds later, a huge wave, way taller than your mast, rises from the calm sea and hits your yacht

00:22:16The ship manages to stay upright, and the huge wave disappears

00:22:20You just survived the attack of a rogue wave

00:22:24Some scientists think it happens when the surface sea current smashes into a strong headwind

00:22:29Others say it happens when warm and cold currents come up against each other

00:22:34Another popular theory is wave interference, where small waves team up to form one monster one

00:22:41Under certain conditions, waves get a sort of superpower

00:22:44Out of all the waves in the area, there'll be one which sucks the energy out of all the others

00:22:50When it's full, the wave spits it all out

00:22:53Maybe that's why the wave's so strong, but only lasts an instant

00:22:59What about clouds? Scary?

00:23:01Well, they can be, if they're huge thunderclouds, walls of grey and black blocking out the sun, the moon, and the stars

00:23:09First, you're relaxing in your backyard, then you see thunderclouds

00:23:13Then you get thunderstorms, hail, floods, and even tornadoes

00:23:18They're easy to spot thanks to their epic appearance, thick, heavy, and dark

00:23:23They can even sparkle inside because of lightning

00:23:26That's one scary-looking cloud

00:23:28But before you run away, let's see how it forms

00:23:32Clouds are like roller coasters

00:23:34Imagine you're a small drop of water, hanging out with your friends in the ocean, waiting in line for the brand-new ride that just opened up

00:23:42It's time, you strap in

00:23:44Nothing happens, then you feel it

00:23:47The roller coaster starts to go up, up, up

00:23:50You can see all your droplet friends down there, they're so small

00:23:54You keep rising, just waiting for the big whoosh, but nothing happens

00:23:59Then you're so high up that you're in the clouds

00:24:03It's not so scary up here, and there are loads of your friends, nice

00:24:08It's starting to get cold, you look around, it's happening to everyone

00:24:12You're being turned into beautiful ice crystals, so shiny and pretty

00:24:17The clouds filling up, getting kind of cramped with all those other water droplets

00:24:21Still, what a peaceful, enjoyable, wow!

00:24:25The ride kicks back in and you start to free fall

00:24:28Slowly at first, then faster and faster

00:24:31Thousands of your fellow drops falling back to earth

00:24:34Some holding on tight to the handrail, some laughing and waving their hands in the air

00:24:39Woohoo!

00:24:40And splash!

00:24:42Still, I like the lightning ride better

00:24:44That's one where they strap you in, you ride up, and then you play bumper cars way up in the clouds

00:24:50The more times you bump into another water droplet, the more lightning you create

00:24:56Now, not all lightning happens inside clouds

00:24:59There's a rare phenomenon called a dirty thunderstorm

00:25:02The lightning happens above a volcano, the most famous is in Japan

00:25:07It erupts almost every day and spits black clouds high into the air

00:25:12So, it's super scary volcano clouds, plus lightning

00:25:16Regular lightning happens during a storm when ice crystals bump into each other

00:25:21In a dirty thunderstorm, bits of volcanic ash collide, create friction, and spark up the sky

00:25:29Okay, better finish the journey with something safe and beautiful

00:25:33No more cloud roller coasters, please

00:25:35You're in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, one of the driest places on earth

00:25:41But this desert has a beautiful secret

00:25:43Every three to five years, flowers pop up out of nowhere

00:25:48It's so famous, it's also called the flowering desert

00:25:51Seeds lie around in the ground, just waiting for some rain

00:25:55When the desert gets enough water, about 200 types of flowers sprout up

00:26:00The yellow sands of the Atacama turn purple, white, green, and pink

00:26:05You're in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, one of the driest places on earth

00:26:10But this desert has a beautiful secret

00:26:13Every three to five years, flowers pop up out of nowhere

00:26:17It's so famous, it's also called the flowering desert

00:26:20Seeds lie around in the ground, just waiting for some rain

00:26:24When the desert gets enough water, about 200 types of flowers sprout up

00:26:29The yellow sands of the Atacama turn purple, white, green, and pink

00:26:33Another mystical phenomenon that can be seen in the desert is called a sand waterfall

00:26:39When the wind brings a lot of sand to the edge of the canyon, it begins to fall down

00:26:44Now amplify this effect 100 times, and you get a sand waterfall in Saudi Arabia

00:26:50It really is like Niagara Falls, only there's not a drop of water

00:26:54The locals say this phenomenon warns of an impending sandstorm

00:26:57Fairy rings, also known as elf rings or pixie rings, are mysterious circles of mushrooms

00:27:03that appear in grasslands and forested areas

00:27:06There's a lot of debate about why these fairy rings form a nearly perfect circle

00:27:11Some superstitions claim that fairy dances would burn the ground, causing mushrooms to rapidly grow

00:27:17In southern India, between July and September 2001, there was a huge fire

00:27:23In southern India, between July and September 2001, there was a huge fire

00:27:28People witnessed one of the strangest weather phenomena in recorded history

00:27:33The rain was red

00:27:35What many would've thought to be a typical rainstorm, left them shocked

00:27:40The color was bright enough to stain clothes

00:27:42There were other colors too, such as green, yellow, brown, and even black

00:27:47In the middle of a monsoon, red rain started to fall, and so did periodically for several weeks

00:27:53Researchers have found this unusual rain is stained either by dust or algae

00:27:59So don't try to catch any on your tongue

00:28:01Scientists aren't entirely sure how the algae got all the way up there

00:28:05This does make events like this a little unsettling

00:28:10Now people who live in rural central Norway, over the Hessdalen Valley,

00:28:14can often witness floating lights of white, yellow, and red cross the sky

00:28:19The lights appear both at day and night, and once back in the 80s, the 1980s,

00:28:25they were spotted 15 to 20 times in a single week

00:28:28The Hessdalen lights can last just a few seconds, but sometimes they can last more than an hour

00:28:35The lights move, seeming to float or even sway around

00:28:38Some scientists believe that the reason for these lights is due to ionized iron dust

00:28:44Others say it's a combination that includes sodium, oxygen, and hydrogen

00:28:48Many people claim they're just misidentified aircrafts

00:28:52Norway!

00:28:54Snow doughnuts are one of the rarest meteorological sights to see,

00:28:58with perfect weather conditions needed just to create them

00:29:01Found in any snow-covered mountain area, like the Rocky Mountains,

00:29:05the wind, temperature, snow, ice, and moisture all have to work together for us to see these phenomenal rings

00:29:13A thin layer of wet snow on the ground

00:29:15Under that layer, ice or powdered snow

00:29:18Then, a strong enough breeze to roll the doughnut down a hill, just like a snowball

00:29:24Once it stops rolling, it can be the size of a baseball or as large as a car tire

00:29:29It all depends on how strong the wind is

00:29:32A newly formed snow doughnut won't stay around for very long,

00:29:35so hurry up with that camera and watch your head

00:29:39Can you believe there's another place on Earth with its own ecosystem and atmosphere,

00:29:43similar to another planet?

00:29:45Well, start believing!

00:29:47Movil Cave, located in southeastern Romania,

00:29:51remained closed in complete darkness for a whopping 5.5 million years

00:29:56It wasn't until workers discovered the cave, when they were looking for a place to build,

00:30:00that anyone learned about it

00:30:02Scientists carved out an opening to the cave

00:30:04and found that a completely sustained ecosystem was thriving inside

00:30:09As a pathway was carved through the rock past numerous tunnels,

00:30:13scientists found a lake of sulfuric water that stank like rotten eggs

00:30:18The air was filled with hydrogen sulfide

00:30:20and had 100 times more carbon dioxide than Earth's atmosphere contains

00:30:25Needless to say, this air is completely toxic

00:30:28What's even crazier is that a whole ecosystem has been existing in this cave

00:30:33with 33 species that can't be found anywhere else on Earth

00:30:37This cave gives us a glimpse of what could possibly exist on other planets

00:30:42with completely different atmospheres

00:30:44How it managed to exist on Earth all this time without anyone knowing

00:30:49is rather unbelievable, isn't it?

00:30:51Now, check these trees out

00:30:53They're called Indian rubber trees

00:30:55Their strong roots grow not underground, but on the surface

00:30:59With the help of special frames and fasteners,

00:31:02people have learned to control how these roots grow

00:31:05Let's say a tree is next to a small pit

00:31:08You need to make a bridge from one end of this pit to the other

00:31:11You direct the growing tree roots in the needed direction

00:31:15Over time, the roots penetrate the ground and strengthen under endless downpours

00:31:20It takes about 15 years to create one bridge

00:31:24Here's another amazing tree called the Tree of Life

00:31:27It grows in Bahrain's desert

00:31:29The tree has been standing on top of this sandy hill for more than 400 years

00:31:33surrounded by miles of sand

00:31:36It's extremely hot here, and there's no moisture

00:31:39But despite this, the tree has green leaves, and it continues to grow

00:31:43So far, scientists haven't figured out yet how the tree gets moisture and nutrients

00:31:48There are only places with oil deposits around

00:31:52Locals think the tree is sacred

00:31:54After all, it demonstrates the magic of life and the power of nature

00:31:58Some experts are sure it's all about the roots

00:32:01They go so deep that they can reach underground sources of water

00:32:06So, there you are, you've been driving for hours through the night

00:32:10You didn't have any chance to sleep, so your mind is hanging by a thread

00:32:15You stop the car and go out to stretch your limbs

00:32:18And then you look up into the sky and see a beautiful sunrise

00:32:22Well, wait, there are three suns in the sky

00:32:26You rub your eyes, but nope, there are still three bright stars in the sky

00:32:31No, our home star hasn't been torn into three pieces

00:32:34nor has it been visited by two other stars

00:32:38This is called a sun dot

00:32:40It occurs mostly during severe frosts

00:32:42Small ice crystals in the sky bend the light

00:32:46As a result, you may see three bright spots in the sky instead of just one

00:32:50This phenomenon is officially called a halo

00:32:53Usually, it's just a circle around the sun

00:32:56You can even see a halo at night, too

00:32:58Just look at a street lamp, and you'll see a bright circle around it

00:33:02Sometimes, a halo can take on a fancier shape

00:33:05If there's a lot of ice in the air, the light is warped even more

00:33:09Just like in a room with a dozen mirrors

00:33:12Then the halo can take on the shape of a human eye

00:33:16Because of this phenomenon, a false dawn can also occur

00:33:20While you're looking at the horizon, the dawn begins

00:33:23and the edge of the sun appears

00:33:25A little bit more, and wait!

00:33:28The sun starts to just dissolve in the sky

00:33:31After a few moments, it's dark again

00:33:34And only a minute later, the real sun shows its face

00:33:38It was the same light curvature effect you saw before with the three suns

00:33:42Only now, the light is curved vertically, not horizontally

00:33:46And instead of the real sun, its reflection in ice crystals in the sky appeared

00:33:51But the sunrise with three stars on the horizon is actually real

00:33:56Not on Earth, though, but 340 light-years away

00:34:00There's a star system at the center of which lurks a star

00:34:04almost twice the size of the sun

00:34:06And there are two smaller stars orbiting around this giant

00:34:10This strange world has a planet, too

00:34:12Sunsets and dawns there really happen with three stars

00:34:16If you brought your significant other to a park bench to watch a sunset here

00:34:20your date would go just fine

00:34:23Whatever that means

00:34:25And since we're talking about the most baffling natural phenomena

00:34:29it would be a crime not to mention snow in a desert

00:34:32Yep, in the winter of 2018, the inhabitants of the Sahara Desert

00:34:37one of the driest and hottest places on this planet

00:34:40woke up to discover a thick blanket of snow covering the sand

00:34:44In some places, the layer of snow enveloping the dunes

00:34:48reached a staggering 15 inches

00:34:50Meteorologists, however, had an explanation for this exciting phenomenon

00:34:55They stated that cold pools of air

00:34:57combined with the precipitation from the most recent storm

00:35:01resulted in a snowfall instead of rain

00:35:04So, what do you do in that case? Build snow camels?

00:35:07Hmm, one hump or two

00:35:10Well, this happened in June 2009

00:35:13People in certain areas in Japan left their homes after a heavy downpour

00:35:18only to find fish, frogs, and tadpoles everywhere

00:35:23Fields, roads, lawns, rooftops were littered with these aquatic creatures

00:35:28One man was shocked to see 13 carp on and around his truck

00:35:32Apparently, he stopped to count them

00:35:35No one knows for sure where the bizarre rain came from

00:35:38but the most popular theory claims that a powerful water spout

00:35:42picked up all these creatures

00:35:44then it carried them through the upper atmosphere

00:35:46and dropped the animals on the unsuspecting people below

00:35:51Shelf clouds look like something from a sci-fi movie

00:35:54They form when warm and moist air gets caught in a thunderstorm updraft

00:35:59These ominous clouds most often mean a storm is coming

00:36:03Breathtaking rainbow clouds appear on top of

00:36:07cotton-like puffy clouds after thunderstorms

00:36:10The puffy clouds are low-altitude ones

00:36:13They usually hover at a height of around 6,000 feet

00:36:17When the water vapor they contain condenses

00:36:19the resulting droplets act like prisms

00:36:22This forms multicolored caps over the clouds

00:36:26Morning glory clouds are extremely rare

00:36:29They look like massive tubes stretching across the sky

00:36:33They can snake for more than 600 miles, sitting relatively low

00:36:38Most researchers agree that these clouds appear

00:36:40when an updraft squeezes through the cloud

00:36:43This creates the signature rolling appearance

00:36:46The cool air at the back of the cloud makes it sink downward

00:36:50The best, but not the only place to see morning glory

00:36:53is Australia's Gulf of Carpinteria

00:36:57If you decide to travel there to see these clouds

00:36:59choose a period from late September to early November

00:37:03It was 2012 when the sky turned first ominous dark, then yellow

00:37:09After that, blue gelatinous balls started to fall to the ground

00:37:14A man from the UK found these balls outside during a hailstorm

00:37:18He was walking to his garage when he spotted something

00:37:21unusually bright among the whitish hailstones

00:37:24When researchers examined this jelly rain

00:37:27they found out the balls were made from the substance

00:37:30used in diapers or potting soil

00:37:33It's used to absorb liquid

00:37:35It's still unclear whether the balls fell from the sky

00:37:39or maybe the melting ice made a few already existing crystals

00:37:43expand in the blink of an eye

00:37:46Huge white lumps over your head are called mammatus clouds

00:37:50They can make you believe the sky is falling

00:37:53Most clouds form when the air rises into the atmosphere

00:37:57but not mammatus ones

00:37:58They appear when moist and cool air goes down and mixes with dry air

00:38:03The result? Unique puffed rice clouds

00:38:06By the way, if you spot this phenomenon

00:38:09bad weather is just around the corner

00:38:14Colorful nacreous clouds occur extremely high in the atmosphere

00:38:18I mean, twice as high as a commercial airplane's cruising altitude

00:38:22The air at such heights is extremely dry and cold

00:38:27Ice crystals in nacreous clouds are much smaller

00:38:30than those that form more common clouds

00:38:33They scatter light in a different way

00:38:35And this gives the clouds their mother-of-pearl appearance

00:38:40Blood rain looks more terrifying than any horror movie

00:38:43But in reality, there's nothing strange or unnatural about this weather phenomenon

00:38:48People have known about such scarlet-tinted rains

00:38:52since the time of ancient Rome

00:38:54Sometimes, powerful winds lift red dust into the atmosphere

00:38:58and carry it far, far away

00:39:00to another galaxy

00:39:02In the end, this dust gets mixed with clouds, which colors the rain

00:39:07By the way, dust from coal mines can make the rain black

00:39:11Pollen is responsible for yellow rains

00:39:14And some other kinds of dust can turn the rainwater white

00:39:19In Australia, it sometimes rains spiders

00:39:21That's because these creatures can balloon

00:39:24That's a highly unusual way of traveling

00:39:27A spider climbs to the very top of a tall tree or shrub

00:39:31And then it spins several strands of silk

00:39:34These strands help the spider to be carried away by the wind

00:39:38It's not easy to spot ballooning

00:39:41But sometimes, if the weather is especially damp and unpleasant

00:39:45mass ballooning happens

00:39:47And then, you can't help but pay attention

00:39:51Millions of spiders set off on a journey

00:39:54to find another place with better conditions

00:39:56It may seem like it's snowing outside

00:39:59But no, those are spiders drifting down to the ground

00:40:03Ever see huge round disks in the sky?

00:40:06Most likely, those were lenticular clouds

00:40:09They usually form over large and high places

00:40:12like mountains or hills

00:40:14When strong winds bump into some barrier

00:40:17this creates an air wave

00:40:18The air kind of wraps around the obstacle

00:40:21And the higher the barrier is

00:40:23the colder the air that's rising over it becomes

00:40:26At some point, the moisture it contains

00:40:28turns into water droplets

00:40:30And they form the unusual clouds

00:40:32Lenticular clouds can look like waves, a pizza

00:40:35or even a stack of pancakes

00:40:37How yummy!

00:40:39Volcanic tornadoes

00:40:41are possibly one of the most terrifying natural phenomena

00:40:44When a volcano erupts

00:40:46it spews red-hot rock and ash high into the air

00:40:50As for solid lava pieces and hot gases

00:40:53they travel down the volcano slope

00:40:56When this flow moves down

00:40:58some of the trapped gases begin to rise

00:41:00and spin at the same time

00:41:02They get squeezed by the surrounding air

00:41:04which makes them spin faster and faster

00:41:07That's how a volcanic tornado gets born

00:41:10Luckily, this phenomenon has a very short lifespan

00:41:14On March 19, 2018

00:41:16the inhabitants of Alabama

00:41:18had to run for their lives

00:41:20Otherwise, they would've been hit

00:41:22by huge chunks of ice falling from the sky

00:41:25It was the infamous hailstorm

00:41:27that caused millions of dollars worth of damage

00:41:29After the hailstorm

00:41:31the area looked gloomy

00:41:33Broken shop windows

00:41:35smashed car windshields

00:41:37busted billboards

00:41:39holes in the roofs

00:41:41At least, researchers got excited

00:41:43This softball-sized monster

00:41:45was more than 5 inches across

00:41:47No wonder it set a new state record

00:41:50Cylindrical snow donuts

00:41:52occur when a wind gust

00:41:54decides to make a snowball

00:41:56It starts to roll some snow

00:41:58across a snowy area

00:42:00If it were a real snowball

00:42:02it would eventually become too heavy

00:42:04for the wind to move

00:42:06But the snow donut's center is hollowed out

00:42:08This happens because its inner layer is too thin

00:42:10and is blown away when the donut is formed

00:42:13This makes it lighter than a snowball

00:42:15and that's why it also rolls farther

00:42:18Unfortunately, you just can't go

00:42:20and find snow donuts

00:42:22They're rare because they need

00:42:24very precise conditions to appear

00:42:26Moonbows are a much rarer phenomenon

00:42:28than rainbows

00:42:30They're caused by moonlight

00:42:32rather than direct sunlight

00:42:34and occur only when the moon is near full

00:42:36Moonbows are dim

00:42:38and often seem to be white

00:42:40But it's just an illusion

00:42:41The human eye is just not sensitive enough

00:42:43to catch all the colors

00:42:45Lightning balls are small

00:42:47floating spheres of light

00:42:49They can be orange, yellow, or even red

00:42:51Sometimes lightning balls

00:42:53descend from the sky

00:42:55In other cases, they appear out of nowhere

00:42:57hovering several feet above the ground

00:42:59They don't emit any heat

00:43:01or produce very little sound

00:43:03Lightning balls can bounce off objects

00:43:05If they come across something electrical

00:43:07like a TV

00:43:09they usually disappear with a quiet pop

00:43:11leaving behind the smell of sulfur

00:43:13But lightning balls can also

00:43:15start fires or explode

00:43:17Scientists believe

00:43:19lightning balls might be connected

00:43:21with thunderstorms

00:43:23but there's no solid proof yet

00:43:25Fogbows are almost white

00:43:27pale blue on the inside

00:43:29and faint red on the outside

00:43:31You have higher chances

00:43:33of seeing a fogbow

00:43:35over the cold sea or ocean

00:43:37when warm air comes into contact

00:43:39with much colder air

00:43:41than when the sun is bright

00:43:43and the fog is thin enough

00:43:45for the light to get through

00:43:47Pele's hair is thin lava threads

00:43:49They look golden and pretty

00:43:51but don't even think about

00:43:53picking them up

00:43:55Yeah, they can harm you

00:43:57The wind sometimes catches

00:43:59small droplets of lava

00:44:01coming from active volcanoes

00:44:03These droplets get carried

00:44:05miles away from the vent

00:44:07They get stretched into

00:44:09super-thin glass wires

00:44:11that stretch for several feet

00:44:13In March 2018

00:44:15those who looked up in the sky

00:44:17in northern Nevada

00:44:19saw one of the rarest

00:44:21and most bizarre clouds ever

00:44:23It was a horseshoe cloud

00:44:25Such a vortex happens

00:44:27when a flat cloud travels

00:44:29over a column of warm rising air

00:44:31This air not only gives the cloud

00:44:33its impressive shape

00:44:35but also adds some spin

00:44:37to its movement

00:44:39But you've got to be quick

00:44:42Frost flowers bloom on

00:44:44young sea ice in the Arctic Ocean

00:44:46or on thin lake ice

00:44:48They're fragile and delicate ice crystals

00:44:50These structures grow

00:44:52during temperature changes

00:44:54They draw moisture from the ice surface

00:44:56and rise, capturing bacteria and salt

00:44:59You can find frost flowers

00:45:01in Antarctica too

00:45:03But wherever these crystals grow

00:45:05people know, disappointingly,

00:45:07very little about them

00:45:09Still, they're awfully pretty

00:45:11This is John

00:45:13John seems to attract

00:45:15all kinds of bad weather

00:45:17and natural disasters

00:45:19wherever he goes

00:45:21See for yourself

00:45:23One day, John notices

00:45:25his dog is restless

00:45:27The pooch keeps scratching

00:45:29the entrance door

00:45:31and wandering around the house

00:45:33He even tries to hide in the corner

00:45:35howling and barking

00:45:37When some mugs start to clink

00:45:39in your cupboard

00:45:41earthquakes often happen in clusters

00:45:43After a few weak quakes

00:45:45a much bigger one

00:45:47is likely to be on the way

00:45:49Sometime before the disaster strikes

00:45:51people might notice

00:45:53bizarre blue lights

00:45:55Some of them seem to be

00:45:57coming out of the ground

00:45:59Others are hovering in the air

00:46:01These are earthquake lights

00:46:03They may appear days

00:46:05or mere seconds

00:46:07before the ground starts shaking

00:46:09Now, John is walking

00:46:11really, really fast

00:46:13Uh-oh!

00:46:15John, run away as quickly as you can

00:46:17and find some high ground

00:46:19A tsunami is coming

00:46:21and your life might depend

00:46:23on how fast you react

00:46:25If John spots a bizarre

00:46:27and unexpected rise in sea level

00:46:29it can be another sign

00:46:31of an approaching tsunami

00:46:33This happens in 40% of cases

00:46:35The incoming water

00:46:37is the first tsunami wave

00:46:39The second one

00:46:41can also notice

00:46:43seawater bubbling, swirling

00:46:45and creating bizarre patterns

00:46:47It's another sure sign

00:46:49a tsunami is near

00:46:51Hmm...

00:46:53John feels there's something

00:46:55strange about the sun

00:46:57Through his special

00:46:59super dark sunglasses

00:47:01he sees that there's some

00:47:03uneven flares around

00:47:05the star's contour

00:47:07If these bizarre rays

00:47:09are accompanied by auroras

00:47:11in this case

00:47:13the bursts of gas

00:47:15and radiation on the surface

00:47:17of the sun get so massive

00:47:19and powerful

00:47:21that they can even

00:47:23reach our planet

00:47:25Luckily, solar storms

00:47:27aren't really dangerous

00:47:29for people

00:47:31but they can mess

00:47:33with electricity

00:47:35and even cause blackouts

00:47:37The sky over John's head

00:47:39is darkening

00:47:41Soon, he hears some noise

00:47:43It's approaching rapidly

00:47:45and turns into a loud roar

00:47:47It sounds as if a freight train

00:47:49is moving towards him

00:47:51but it's not a train

00:47:53It's a tornado

00:47:55The funnel isn't visible

00:47:57behind a cloud of debris

00:47:59but John can't mistake

00:48:01this rotating column of air

00:48:03for anything else

00:48:05Are you on the road, John?

00:48:07Then get as far away from

00:48:09your car as you can

00:48:11and get underground if possible

00:48:13And please, John

00:48:15be very careful

00:48:17if you spot some conically

00:48:19shaped clouds

00:48:21Those mean severe storms

00:48:23and if you notice

00:48:25that such a cloud

00:48:27starts spinning around

00:48:29immediately search for shelter

00:48:31The cloud is transitioning

00:48:33into a tornado

00:48:35right in front of your eyes

00:48:37On the bright side

00:48:39John should only worry

00:48:41about his safety

00:48:43Ah, look

00:48:45John just spotted

00:48:47some weirdly shaped trees

00:48:49They look like the letter J

00:48:51and grow on a slope

00:48:53It means the ground

00:48:55under John's feet

00:48:57is likely to be unstable

00:48:59If he keeps wandering around

00:49:01it can cause a bad landslide

00:49:03Square waves appear

00:49:05when two different wave patterns

00:49:07crash into each other

00:49:09This phenomenon does

00:49:11occur under the surface

00:49:13John keeps walking along the shore

00:49:15At one point he sees

00:49:17wild choppy waves

00:49:19carrying ocean debris and seaweed

00:49:21This time he stays out of the water

00:49:23He knows it can be a sign

00:49:25of a strong rip current

00:49:27It can carry a swimmer

00:49:29far away into the ocean

00:49:31How about a walk in the park?

00:49:33John likes this idea

00:49:35The sun is shining

00:49:37and the sky is so blue

00:49:39and beautiful

00:49:41At first it looks bright white

00:49:43But as it approaches

00:49:45alarmingly fast

00:49:47it becomes dense and inky

00:49:49The sky is darkening

00:49:51It's getting windy

00:49:53That's when the guy notices

00:49:55that his hair stands on end

00:49:57It's his cue that he's about

00:49:59to get hit by lightning

00:50:01At this very moment

00:50:03positive charges are rising

00:50:05through his body

00:50:07They're reaching towards

00:50:09the negatively charged part

00:50:11of the sky

00:50:13To avoid the electric shock

00:50:15John must crouch down

00:50:17and try to make himself smaller

00:50:19than the objects around him

00:50:21Oh no!

00:50:23John, don't lie down on the ground

00:50:25It may be damp

00:50:27and thus a great conductor

00:50:29of electricity

00:50:32There are other signs

00:50:35that scream danger during a lightning storm

00:50:37John's palms may begin to sweat

00:50:39He might hear bizarre crackling

00:50:41chlorine. That's how ozone smells.

00:50:46Electrical charges split the molecules of nitrogen and oxygen, which are the main gases

00:50:50making up the atmosphere, into separate atoms. When these atoms come together again, some

00:50:55of them produce molecules made up of three oxygen atoms. That's ozone. We can smell

00:51:01it during a thunderstorm because downdrafts bring this gas from high altitudes to your

00:51:07level.

00:51:08Some bugs can feel a storm coming. They get ready for a natural disaster by freezing.

00:51:13So, when John notices that insects around him look drowsy, he knows to get ready. Oh,

00:51:19and bees can predict heavy rainstorms. These critters begin to work much harder the day

00:51:24before it starts raining.

00:51:27While walking next to the river during a period of heavy rains, John hears a roaring sound.

00:51:33He feels paralyzed with fear. It's likely to be a flash flood moving in his direction.

00:51:37Indeed, he soon sees debris coming down with the flow. The water is rapidly changing its

00:51:43color, becoming muddier and darker. Flash floods are very, very dangerous. Take care

00:51:49of your safety immediately, John.

00:51:53Another day, John sees a spectacular wall cloud. It seems to be stretching for up to

00:51:57five miles. In the best case scenario, it's just a severe storm coming. But if the wall

00:52:02cloud begins to move in a circle, it's a sure sign of a tornado.

00:52:08John is walking across a snowfield in the mountains, listening to the sounds the ice

00:52:12under his feet makes. The noise is kinda hollow. Hmm. Quickly check whether there are cracks

00:52:18around your footprints, John. If so, the chances are an avalanche is about to happen. Soon,

00:52:25John sees an avalanche moving in his direction. He does his best to get off the slope. In

00:52:30most cases, he could probably outrun it by heading downhill and then veering sideways.

00:52:34But not this time. He realizes he doesn't have enough time and heads for the nearest

00:52:39tree. If John keeps holding onto it really tightly, the avalanche might not follow him

00:52:45along. But if this doesn't work, he should try to swim up to the snow's surface while

00:52:50the avalanche is still moving.

00:52:53On a pretty nice summer evening, John notices leaves with soft stems droop all of a sudden.

00:52:59Ah, it might be because of an upcoming storm. Right before extreme weather arrives, the

00:53:04air usually becomes more humid. Leaves also get damp and heavy, and the wind easily flips

00:53:10them over. John lives in a pretty old house and is used to having cracks in the interior

00:53:15walls. But one day, he notices that some of them have widened. And look, there are a few

00:53:21new ones. It's an alarm bell. He lives in an area with loads of limestone, so new cracks

00:53:26can mean a sinkhole is about to open next to his house. John is hurrying home, trying

00:53:32not to waste time admiring shelf clouds. They look like something from a sci-fi movie. They

00:53:37form when warm and moist air gets caught in a thunderstorm updraft. And these ominous

00:53:43clouds most often mean a storm is coming.

00:53:51Ah, Kyiv. You've been dreaming of getting here for years. Getting out your trusty camera,

00:53:56you start taking pictures of the cathedrals, aviation museum, and the Dnipro river, when

00:54:02without warning, there's an enormous boom behind you. Turning around, you see something

00:54:08towering in the distance. It looks like a gigantic explosion. Uh-oh, time to leave fast!

00:54:15In June 2020, what the people of Kyiv were looking at was an anvil cloud, a rare storm

00:54:21formation in the sky. Forming when strong air currents carry water vapor upwards, the

00:54:27air expands and spreads out as it hits the bottom of the stratosphere. It pushes the

00:54:32dense cloud into the cool anvil shape you see, and sometimes it even gets to be a mushroom.

00:54:40Anvil clouds produce some of the most dangerous lightning of all storms, one that's called

00:54:45a bolt out of the blue. This lightning strike seems to magically come out of the blue sky

00:54:51with the storm being many miles away. This type of bolt comes from the top of the anvil

00:54:57and can be 10 times more powerful than a typical lightning strike. People got so frightened

00:55:04after witnessing a giant cloud just 60 miles away thinking something terrible must've

00:55:10happened. The locals had pictures of the large billow on social media before officials could

00:55:15explain what was going on. Authorities managed to calm everyone's fears by informing them

00:55:21it was nothing more than a natural phenomenon, and a beautiful one at that. Before dissipating,

00:55:28these clouds typically stay in one area regardless of how strong the wind is. Touring around

00:55:35the northern tip of Queensland, Australia, way away from those creepy crawlies, it's

00:55:40time to take a break and relax at the beach. Getting comfortable, you notice a great big

00:55:46shadow passes over you, then another, and yet another. Looking up, this weird weather

00:55:53is simply stunning. The clouds are called morning glory, a very rare type of cloud that

00:55:59almost seems to roll across the sky, looking like a massive tube. These clouds can measure

00:56:06up to 600 miles long, even appearing in large groups as well. This phenomenon is the result

00:56:14of an updraft pushing through the cloud, creating a rolling appearance, while moist cooler air

00:56:20at the back causes them to sink downward. Southern India, between July and September

00:56:272001, people witnessed one of the strangest weather phenomenon in recorded history. The

00:56:34rain was red. What many would've thought to be a typical rainstorm left them shocked.

00:56:40The color was bright enough to stain clothes. There were other colors too, such as green,

00:56:46yellow, brown, and even black. In the middle of a monsoon, red rain started to fall, and

00:56:53did so periodically for several weeks. Researchers have found this unusual rain is stained either

00:57:00by dust or algae, so don't try to catch any on your tongue. Scientists aren't entirely

00:57:07sure how the algae got all the way up there. This does make events like this a little unsettling.

00:57:14Like to take a bubble bath to relax after an exhausting day but taking too long to fill

00:57:19the bathtub? Problem solved! Head to any coastline after a big storm and take a dip.

00:57:27Foamy tides aren't native to any one place or location. They can be formed anywhere in

00:57:31the world. They're most likely to happen along rocky coastlines, like the coast of

00:57:37San Francisco, Northern Ireland, or the Mooloolaba, Australia. Each coast has differing conditions

00:57:44forming the sea foams. If you scoop up seawater into a glass and look at it closely, you'll

00:57:51see it's full of tiny particles. Many things like plants, chemicals, and lots of salt and

00:57:57minerals create the perfect formula for foam. When powerful currents and wind mix it all

00:58:03together, we get something that resembles a cappuccino top floating on top of the water.

00:58:10When freezing temperatures hit orchards in Michigan, all kinds of unusual things happen.

00:58:16Like ghost apples. No, they're not going to scare you at all. But if you plan on sneaking

00:58:21away one winter to find one, be warned! Everything has to be perfect for this to occur, and it's

00:58:28going to be freezing cold. This is actually a rare weather phenomenon caused by having

00:58:34the apples freeze where they are, with rain coating the fruit in a thin layer of ice.

00:58:41The apples then thaw and leak out like applesauce, leaving just the beautiful ice shell behind.

00:58:49The Catatumbo River in Venezuela might be the most electric place in the world, with

00:58:54nearly 300 storm days per year. The lightning storms are so consistent, they're predicted

00:59:00for 3 months in advance. During the wet season in October, you might see 30 lightning flashes

00:59:07in a single minute, a truly shocking experience. With each bolt having the energy to power

00:59:14a single light bulb for 6 months, the impressive display could power all of Venezuela forever.

00:59:21At sunset, strong winds flow around the 3 surrounding mountains, forming storm clouds

00:59:27over the water. As the water droplets of humid air collide with ice crystals from the

00:59:32cold air, it produces the static charges that cause the lightning storms nearly every night.

00:59:40If that wasn't bad enough, some storms have lightning above them as well. Try to take

00:59:45a picture of this one! Jellyfish lightning sprites are electrical discharges high in

00:59:51Earth's atmosphere. They're associated with powerful thunderstorms, but they have

00:59:56nothing to do with rain. These sprites occur 30 to 50 miles up in the sky, in the mesosphere.

01:00:04Artificial lights at night make it a lot harder to see this faint lightning. If you spot one,

01:00:10it'll look tiny, but can be well over 30 miles wide.

01:00:15The red sprites are a type of cold plasma discharge above a thundercloud. They're

01:00:20the balance of the lightning charges between the storm clouds and the ground below.

01:00:26Don't try to find this type of doughnut at your favorite bakery. It won't be there.

01:00:32Snow doughnuts are one of the rarest meteorological sights to see, with perfect weather conditions

01:00:37needed just to create them. Found in any snow-covered mountain area, like

01:00:43the Rocky Mountains, the wind, temperature, snow, ice, and moisture have to all work together

01:00:49for us to see these phenomenal rings. A thin layer of wet snow on the ground. Under

01:00:55that layer, ice or powdered snow. Then, a strong enough breeze to roll the doughnut

01:01:01down a hill, just like a snowball. Once it stops rolling, it can be the size of

01:01:07a baseball or as large as a car tire. It all depends on how strong the wind is. A newly

01:01:14formed snow doughnut won't stay around for very long, so hurry up with that camera!

01:01:20Watching the sunset over the horizon, the beautiful purples and pink overhead are nothing

01:01:26compared to the three suns you see in front of you. Wow, since when did Earth get three

01:01:32suns? These phantom stars sometimes appearing besides

01:01:36the sun are called sun dogs. Maybe they're called that because they're kind of dogging

01:01:42the actual sun? Sun dogs often appear as colored areas of light at the same height above the

01:01:49horizon as the sun. They're mostly observed on a ring or halo, where ice crystals best

01:01:55reflect the light. There are also moon dogs that appear alongside

01:02:00the moon and are formed by lunar light passing through ice crystals, though these aren't

01:02:05seen nearly as much as their daytime partners. Taking photos in the wild, you've finally

01:02:12found the perfect spot to take that dream shot. The crystal-clear water, the pines,

01:02:18the mountains, and the flying saucer! Wait, a flying saucer? Oh, aliens are here!

01:02:26You might be thinking this if you saw a saucer-shaped cloud. I'm not even going to try to pronounce

01:02:32their name, though, put that on the screen, please. Wait, just kidding, it's Autocumulus

01:02:38Lenticularis. Aren't you impressed? These are really just unusual cloud formations

01:02:44over mountaintops. When moist air flows over a mountain, a wave

01:02:49is created if the temperature difference is perfect. As the air passes through the wave,

01:02:55evaporation occurs, and a series of these clouds may form into an oval shape. Not aliens

01:03:01at all! The sky is falling, the sky is falling! Well,

01:03:08people who've experienced these clouds say they look like they're coming down from the

01:03:12sky. Mammatus clouds look like giant white lumpy

01:03:17marshmallows, but it might be hard to toast these ones. These weird fluffy clouds can

01:03:23extend hundreds of miles in any direction, remaining visible for short periods at the

01:03:28bottom of anvil or other thunderstorm clouds. The strange bubble shapes are formed from

01:03:34turbulence within the storm itself, creating an uneven cloud base and appearing anywhere

01:03:40in the world. Mammatus clouds form when moist air sinks into dry air. The air must be cooler

01:03:47than its surroundings, cooled with ice, or be heavy with water.

01:03:55In Russia, on the shores of the Baltic Sea, there's an enigmatic national park. The

01:04:00Dancing Forest is a place that no scientist has managed to explain so far. The pine trees

01:04:06of the forest are all crooked and twisted into loops and spirals. The forest didn't

01:04:11appear until the early 60s, when the pines were planted in order to make the sand dune

01:04:15in that area more stable. One theory is that it's the unstable sand that made the trees

01:04:21twist in such a way. Other theories for the crooked trees are strong winds, or even supernatural

01:04:27powers. Some people say the forest is a place where positive and negative energies meet,

01:04:32twisting the trees. Local legend says that if a person climbs through one of the rings

01:04:37of a tree, it'll add an extra year to this person's life or they'll be granted a wish.

01:04:43I like that one. Speaking of bizarre trees, and I was, one

01:04:47grows in the region of Piedmont, Italy. There, a cherry tree grows on the top of a mulberry

01:04:53tree. The strange thing is that both trees are perfectly healthy.

01:04:59A continuous storm at Saturn's north pole has an odd shape – a hexagon. This is probably

01:05:06because of the gradient of the winds. The total length of this cloud pattern is 9,000

01:05:11miles, which is about 1,200 miles longer than the Earth's diameter. The hexagon has

01:05:17been observed for many years, but it gets even more mysterious because it changes color

01:05:22too. It used to be turquoise, but it has recently shifted to a golden color. The reason for

01:05:28the color change is that the pole gets exposed to sunlight as the seasons change.

01:05:36Rain isn't unusual for Oakville, Washington. However, this one still doesn't have any

01:05:40solid scientific explanation. Instead of common raindrops, people watched translucent

01:05:46jelly-like blobs fall from the skies. These blobs covered about 20 square miles. Those

01:05:52who got really close to the rain experienced flu-like symptoms. What were the blobs? Researchers

01:05:59claim that the blobs contain human white blood cells. Later tests showed no presence of nuclei.

01:06:06Some people claim the blobs might've been evaporated jellyfish resulting in rain, or

01:06:11maybe even waste from a commercial plane.

01:06:16Walking rocks, also known as sailing rocks, move across the Death Valley National Park

01:06:21in California without any external intervention, leaving long trails in the dirt and sand along

01:06:27their way. Various time-lapse footages of the moving rocks have been taken. Scientists

01:06:33even installed GPS navigators on some of the rocks, and it showed that the rocks move

01:06:38at a considerable speed. Some researchers believe that the movement is due to thin sheets

01:06:43of ice that form overnight at freezing temperatures in the valley, letting the rocks move until

01:06:49it melts during the day. Or there was a Rolling Stones concert. Nah.

01:06:56The Batageca Crater in Siberia looks like a doorway to the underworld. It's about

01:07:02a half-mile long and over 280 feet deep, but it never stops growing. As it gets deeper,

01:07:08it exposes more underground layers. The layers show what our planet looked like thousands

01:07:13of years ago, as the slumps reveal the used-to-be climates. The crater appeared back in the

01:07:1960s, and it all started with rapid deforestation. Trees no longer cast shade on the ground,

01:07:25and it got hotter. The permafrost melted, resulting in the crater formation.

01:07:32The throbbing hum in Taos, New Mexico, has driven locals wild since the 1990s. The low-frequency

01:07:44hum deprives people of sleep and depletes their energy. Even though scientists have

01:07:49tried to find the source of the hum, they still haven't pinpointed its origin. Different

01:07:54variations of the hum have also been heard in the UK, Australia, Canada, and other areas

01:07:59of the US. Luckily, only about 2% of the world's population can hear it. The hums

01:08:05have been blamed on mechanical devices, multiple disturbances of auditory systems, and even

01:08:11animals. The West Seattle hum, for example, was blamed on toadfish.

01:08:18Fairy rings, also known as elf rings or pixie rings, are mysterious rings of mushrooms that

01:08:23appear in grasslands and forested areas. There's a lot of debate about why these fungi form

01:08:29a nearly perfect circle. Some superstitions claim that fairy dances would burn the ground,

01:08:35causing mushrooms to rapidly grow. In Costa Rica, there's an assortment of about

01:08:41300 spherical stone balls. Locals call them las bolas, which is simply the balls in English.

01:08:49These stones have an almost perfect round shape. Some of them are huge, weighing up

01:08:53to 16 tons each. They're also made of different materials, gabbro, limestone, and sandstone.

01:09:00They're considered to have been put in straight lines in front of the chiefs' houses, but

01:09:04there's no precise information of their origin. Some myths claim that these stones originated

01:09:10in Atlantis. If you ever travel to the Mekong River in

01:09:16late October, you have a chance of seeing glowing balls rising from the water and beelining

01:09:22up into the air. Locals call these glowing balls the Naga fireballs. The size of the

01:09:28lights vary. The reddish balls can be as tiny as a spark and as large as a basketball. There

01:09:34can be dozens to thousands of balls a night. Scientists don't have any solid explanation

01:09:39for why it happens, but it could be due to flammable gases released by the marshy environment.

01:09:45Some superstitious locals are sure it's all because of a giant serpent living in the

01:09:50Mekong. Great balls of fire! In Minnesota, on the north shore of Lake Superior,

01:09:58there's a park known for the Devil's Kettle. This is a waterfall that splits in two. One

01:10:04part of the river continues, while the other part disappears into a hole in the ground.

01:10:09Whatever object you throw into the Devil's Kettle won't reappear. Scientists still

01:10:14haven't fully explained where the water that drops into the hole goes. Devil's Kettle

01:10:19is considered to be unsafe for people because it's nearly impossible to trace the flow.

01:10:24Yeah, not a place to go tubing.

01:10:28Grunions are fish known for their bizarre mating ritual. The females climb out of the

01:10:33water and onto the shore. They dig their tails into the sand in order to lay eggs. The legs

01:10:39stay hidden in the sand, waiting. 10 days later, the high tide comes, washing the newly

01:10:44hatched young to the sea. Scientists still can't give any solid explanation for this

01:10:49way of breeding.

01:10:53People who live in rural central Norway, over the Hestalen Valley, can often witness floating

01:10:58lights of white, yellow, and red cross the sky. The lights appear both at day and night,

01:11:05and once back in the 80s, they were spotted 15 to 20 times in a single week. The Hestalen

01:11:10lights can last just a few seconds, but sometimes they can last more than an hour. The lights

01:11:16move, seeming to float or even sway around. Some scientists believe that the reason for

01:11:22these lights is due to ionized iron dust. Others say it's combustion that includes

01:11:27sodium, oxygen, and hydrogen. Many people claim they're just misidentified aircrafts.

01:11:35Yellowstone Park has a famous boiling lake, but it's not the world's only place of boiling

01:11:40water. Deep in the Amazon, there's the 4-mile Chennai-Timpishka River that's always hot.

01:11:47The name means boiled by the sun. Well, it's not exactly boiling, but it can reach 196

01:11:53°F – enough to cook pasta! Ooh, let's try that! The lowest temperature in these

01:11:59waters is about 113 °F. This river still can't be scientifically explained because

01:12:05it would require close proximity to a volcano for the water to reach such temperatures.

01:12:10However, the closest volcano is 400 miles away. But there could be a fault between the

01:12:17Earth that could explain this phenomenon. In western Venezuela, locals living close

01:12:23to the Catatumbo River aren't afraid of lightning because they see it almost every single night.

01:12:30It starts at around 7 o'clock and doesn't stop until dawn. The everlasting Catatumbo

01:12:35lightning did once stop for a few months, from January to March 2010. It was probably

01:12:41due to drought. Or maybe the charge ran out. In 1991, a scientist suggested that the phenomenon

01:12:48happens because of cold and warm air currents meeting in the area. Another theory is that

01:12:53the lightning could be due to the presence of uranium in the bedrock. Speaking of lightning,

01:12:59I gotta bolt. Bye!

01:13:02If there were cataclysms on Earth every 5 minutes, living conditions on our planet would

01:13:07be almost the same as 4.5 billion years ago. Back then, seas and oceans boiled, lightning

01:13:14struck everywhere, tectonic plates changed their shape, lava flowed from volcanoes, and

01:13:20worse, no Internet. The Earth resembled a vast boiling cauldron where life was gradually

01:13:27being created. If it starts to boil again, this cauldron could destroy almost all life

01:13:33on the planet. Hmm, consecutive cataclysms. Won't hurt to pretend. Let's imagine,

01:13:39shall we? Good morning! You wake up in a small underground

01:13:43bunker. The seismic sensor indicates that a 7-point earthquake will start in a few minutes.

01:13:49You pack a huge waterproof backpack and go upstairs. The underground bunker is protected

01:13:54from seismic activity. It moves with the ground, so you're safe here. But you need

01:13:59to leave the shelter because supplies are low. Also, yesterday, you picked up a radio

01:14:04signal telling all survivors to go south immediately. The coordinates they gave aren't far from

01:14:10your location. You have to hurry, though, before the landscape changes again.

01:14:15You open the hatch and find yourself in the middle of the desert. The sun is almost invisible

01:14:20beyond the gray sky. The ground is shaking, but you're not afraid. There are no houses

01:14:26or buildings, nothing to fall on you. You keep your balance perfectly, and the earthquake

01:14:31doesn't knock you off your feet. It's like jumping on a trampoline. The only danger

01:14:36is the deep chasms in the ground, but you can easily jump over them.

01:14:40After such an extreme morning warm-up, you decide to have breakfast. You take a tin can

01:14:46out of your backpack. You have a few minutes before the next disaster, so you eat and remember

01:14:51how your great-grandfather told you how all this started.

01:14:55Before all of this, the planet was divided into territories called countries. Millions

01:15:00of people lived in them, and then something terrible happened. The tectonic plates started

01:15:05to move, and the air temperature and atmospheric pressure began to rapidly change. In one day,

01:15:12earthquakes destroyed entire cities. Tsunamis and floods washed away the remaining ruins.

01:15:18Volcanic ash blocked the passage of sunlight. Forest fires destroyed almost all vegetation,

01:15:24and eruptions poisoned the air. Only a few people managed to adapt to such harsh conditions,

01:15:30and you are a lucky duck to be one of them. As you finish your breakfast, you're distracted

01:15:35by another ground tremor. Time to move on! Many people travel around the world alone,

01:15:41because they consider it a safer way of life. Some people form small communes, but no one

01:15:46ever stays in one place for too long. Your whole life is in motion, but you don't panic.

01:15:52One of the main rules during natural disasters is to remain calm, so all survivors have steel

01:15:58nerves and excellent physical training. You run a few miles south and suddenly smell something

01:16:04strange. You put on a gas mask. The earthquake has created a limnic eruption. Natural carbon

01:16:11dioxide is released from the ground to the surface. You feel comfortable in a gas mask,

01:16:16but can't run fast while wearing it. Far up ahead, you see a green forest, a rare

01:16:22place that was not affected by fires. You take off the gas mask and go to the tree to

01:16:28take shelter in the shade from the scorching sun. This green area is rich in vegetation.

01:16:34Colorful flowers, strawberries, and many other berries grow here. But you're concerned.

01:16:39Such fertile land comes from being near volcanoes. It spews underground magma rich in vitamins

01:16:45and minerals, so vegetation grows. You can see a high mountain in the distance.

01:16:51This is the volcano. An underground push occurs again and provokes an eruption. You gather

01:16:57strawberries and run away from this place as far as possible.

01:17:01Lava pours from the volcano's mouth and makes a fire in the forest. You unhook a folding

01:17:07scooter with a motor from your backpack and drive away from the fiery mountain as fast

01:17:12as you can. The sky is covered with volcanic ash, but

01:17:16this is not for long. A strong wind flows, grows with each passing second. You realize

01:17:22a hurricane is moving in your direction. You take out a small shovel and dig a hole in

01:17:27the ground. The soil is dry, but you have enough strength to dig a small ravine in a

01:17:32couple of minutes. You dive into the shelter and cover yourself

01:17:35with a protective tent. The hurricane blows the volcanic ash in different directions,

01:17:41and the air becomes clear again. But the fire doesn't stop. The wind spreads through the

01:17:46forest, you get out of the ravine and put on the gas mask again. There's a lot of

01:17:51smoke around, and it's unbearably hot. You know the hurricane couldn't just appear

01:17:56without any reason. Hurricanes are formed when warm, moist air collides with the sea

01:18:00surface and rises to the sky, so there's water nearby. Great, because you're thirsty

01:18:06and want to cool down. A loud sound erupts behind you. You turn around. A massive wave

01:18:12of water approaches the fire. Without panic, you take your life jacket out

01:18:17of your backpack, remove your gas mask, and put on a diving mask and fins. The wave blows

01:18:23you off your feet, but you don't drown. Over the years of survival, you have learned

01:18:28to swim very well. You grab a passing tree and wait patiently for the flood to be replaced

01:18:35by another natural disaster. For 5 minutes, you sail under a black stormy sky that sparkles

01:18:41with lightning. Despite the waves, you try to row south. It's getting pretty cold. You

01:18:47finally see the shore, but this is not a land, but ice.

01:18:51A strong wind brought a cold cyclone, which caused a fast temperature change. It's like

01:18:58you're in Antarctica. Snow and blizzards are all around. It's freezing, but you take

01:19:03out a thin space blanket made from foil and walk slowly south. Under your clothes, you

01:19:09put crumpled paper, bubble wrap, pieces of cotton. All this also helps to warm your body.

01:19:15Along the way, you collect several bottles of snow to melt later.

01:19:19Icicles form on your face, and you can't see because of the snowstorm. Suddenly, the

01:19:25snow begins to squish under your feet. The ice melts and turns into water. A hot stream

01:19:31of air blows into your face. You find yourself on hard, dry ground, looking up at the sky.

01:19:37Then at your watch, 5 minutes pass, and the sky is again covered with black clouds. You

01:19:43take a metal plate out of your backpack and cover your head with it. A few seconds later,

01:19:49you are hit by heavy rain and hail. Giant balls of ice knock on the metal shield, but

01:19:55you go calmly and even with a smile on your face. The ground becomes wet and loose from

01:20:00icy rocks. When the hail ends, you pull out all the heat-insulating materials from under

01:20:06your clothes and hide them in your backpack. Then you lay out a few long spokes of steel.

01:20:12The spokes are wrapped with copper wire. You connect the spokes to each other, making one

01:20:17long antenna. You stick it in the ground and run away.

01:20:22After the hail from the rain clouds, lightning strikes the ground. More precisely, it hits

01:20:27the lightning rod you've just built. You wait for the storm to end, then take the lightning

01:20:32rod apart and return it to your backpack. An intense heat begins. You drink some melted

01:20:38snow and break your way through the desert.

01:20:41The Earth trembles, and your adventure begins again. Earthquakes, carbon dioxide, fires,

01:20:47floods, snowfall, tsunamis, lightning, and again and again and again. With the help of

01:20:53a compass, you continue your journey and reach your goal a few months later. You see a long

01:20:59antenna sticking out of the ground. This is a placemark for entering an underground city.

01:21:05The city is built from dozens of massive bunkers connected to each other by tunnels. The city

01:21:10walls don't allow radiation to pass through, and they don't bend from daily earthquakes.

01:21:16People learn to extract energy from the ground. The Earth's core gives heat. This heat boils

01:21:22water, then steam is formed, and electricity is created at special stations. People get

01:21:27water from underground lakes and rivers. Instead of the sun, ultraviolet lamps are installed

01:21:33everywhere, which provide people and plants with necessary light. Natural disasters happen

01:21:39on Earth every 5 minutes, but humanity still has a lot of space underground.

01:21:50The Batsingdae Tsunami, Indonesia An undersea earthquake starts in the morning.

01:21:56Its tremors cause a series of tsunami waves. The largest reaches the height of the Arc

01:22:01de Triomphe in Paris. Unzen volcano megatsunami

01:22:06A powerful volcanic eruption triggers a landslide from a 4,000-year-old lava dome. It sweeps

01:22:12through the city of Shimabara and reaches the sea, setting off a megatsunami.

01:22:18The Vagent Dam megatsunami, Italy A landslide drags 9 billion cubic feet of

01:22:24forest, soil, and rock into the lake. A dark wall of water covers the sky over a tiny village

01:22:31at the bottom of the Vagent Dam. Then, with a deafening roar, the wave overtops the edge

01:22:37of the dam, taking out everything in its path. Mount St. Helens megatsunami, USA

01:22:45As the volcano erupts, the upper 1,500 feet of Mount St. Helens collapses into a massive

01:22:51landslide. Part of this avalanche plunges down into nearby Spirit Lake, which splashes

01:22:56the lake waters into a series of waves almost as tall as the Eiffel Tower.

01:23:02Alaska's Lituya Bay tsunami A landslide caused by an earthquake creates

01:23:07a mega-wave. It surges over the headland and washes away trees, plants, and soil down to

01:23:13bedrock. Molokai, Hawaii

01:23:16A third of the East Molokai volcano caves in and collapses into the Pacific Ocean. This

01:23:21causes a tsunami the size of the second tallest building in the world, Shanghai Tower. The

01:23:27waves reach Mexico and California. The Yucatan asteroid tsunami

01:23:33The asteroid, which is rumored to have wiped out dinosaurs, strikes the Yucatan Peninsula.

01:23:38It creates a mega-tsunami, the largest in Earth's history. The first wave's almost

01:23:44twice bigger than the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.

01:23:51Hurricane Mitch Mitch forms in the Western Caribbean Sea.

01:23:55Soon, it strengthens to become the 8th most powerful Atlantic hurricane ever. The storm

01:24:00pours 4 inches of rain per hour for 2 days in Honduras. It causes terrible mudslides

01:24:05and floods. Hurricane Alan

01:24:09Rare and extremely powerful, the storm is one of the few to reach Category 5, the highest

01:24:14possible. It causes more than $2 billion in damage.

01:24:19The Great Hurricane

01:24:21After tearing down Barbados, the storm moves on. It strips the bark off the trees growing

01:24:26on Martinique and Saint Lucia and travels further. This horrific natural disaster lasts

01:24:32for 6 days. Hurricane Dorian

01:24:35It's the most powerful tropical cyclone to hit the Bahamas. The hurricane flattens most

01:24:40of the structures on the islands and sweeps them into the sea.

01:24:45Hurricane Wilma

01:24:46The storm occurs in the Caribbean Sea near Jamaica and heads to the West. Two days later,

01:24:51it gathers enough power to turn into the most intense hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic

01:24:56Ocean. Hurricane Patricia

01:25:00A regular storm develops a well-defined eye and turns into a Category 5 hurricane within

01:25:05a mere 24 hours. At one point, it travels faster than a Ferrari moving at its top speed.

01:25:12It makes Patricia the world's most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded.

01:25:18Kamchatka Earthquake

01:25:21It happens in the early morning 80 miles away from the shores of Kamchatka. The earth tremors

01:25:26produce a tsunami. The first two waves are catastrophic, up to 60 feet high. The third

01:25:33one's much weaker.

01:25:35Valparaiso Earthquake, Chile

01:25:38It happens at about 5 a.m. along the boundary of two tectonic plates. The tsunami, triggered

01:25:43by the earthquake, wipes out 620 miles of Chile's coastline.

01:25:48Tohoku Earthquake, Japan

01:25:50The first earth tremors start at a great underwater depth. The earthquake is so strong, it moves

01:25:56Japan's main island. It shifts the planet on its axis by up to 10 inches and increases

01:26:02its rotation speed. The disaster also triggers a tsunami with 133-foot-high waves that travel

01:26:096 miles inland.

01:26:12Indian Ocean Earthquake, Sumatra

01:26:14A rupture along two tectonic plates sets off an undersea earthquake. It begins at about

01:26:208 a.m. near northern Sumatra, Indonesia. It makes the planet vibrate nearly a half inch

01:26:26and sets off earthquakes all over the world up to Alaska.

01:26:30Good Friday Earthquake, Alaska

01:26:33The most powerful earthquake recorded in North America lasts for 4 minutes and 38 seconds.

01:26:39A 600-mile-long crack causes terrible landslides and a 27-foot tsunami. Areas 200 miles away

01:26:46get raised by 30 feet. Other places permanently drop 8 feet.

01:26:53Valdiva, Chile

01:26:54The Great Chilean Earthquake starts in the afternoon and lasts for no less than 10 minutes.

01:27:00The disaster affects an area the size of California. It triggers tsunamis that reach

01:27:05the shore of Hawaii, Japan, the Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand.

01:27:13The average tornado usually lasts less than 10 minutes, but there are exceptions.

01:27:19El Reno Tornado

01:27:20It's considered the world's largest tornado based on width. At its peak, the twister reaches

01:27:262.5 miles across.

01:27:28The Perryville Tornado, U.S.

01:27:31It occurs at about 2 a.m. and starts with snapping hardwood trees and breaking down

01:27:36stone constructions. Then the whirlwind becomes stronger. It levels two-story buildings, flips

01:27:42and tosses cars as if they were toys.

01:27:46Bridge Creek Moor Tornado

01:27:48When the twister gets into the town of Bridge Creek, its width is at its peak, 1 to 1.5

01:27:55The wind speed of the tornado reaches more than 300 miles per hour. This natural disaster

01:28:00causes $1 billion in damage.

01:28:03Manitoba, Canada

01:28:05An outstanding tornado rages for nearly 3 hours. It breaks tons of trees and utility

01:28:11poles, damages roads and farmhouses, but miraculously misses every town on its path.

01:28:18Tri-State Tornado, U.S.

01:28:21The world's longest-lasting single tornado travels 220 miles through Missouri, Illinois

01:28:27and Indiana. The average tornado's path is usually no longer than 5 miles.

01:28:34Tupelo, Gainesville, U.S.

01:28:36An outbreak that consists of at least 12 single tornadoes wipes out everything on its way.

01:28:42The accompanying rainstorms also trigger severe flash floods that make matters even worse.

01:28:51Valjeant Landslide, Italy

01:28:54At 10 p.m., a landslide with a volume of 100 Great Pyramids of Giza breaks off from the

01:29:00top of Monte Tocco. It falls into the Valjeant Dam Reservoir, producing a tsunami wave taller

01:29:06than the Golden Gate Bridge.

01:29:09Yunnan, China

01:29:10An avalanche of rocks, stones, and mud so big it could fill up Sydney Harbor forms a

01:29:16dam on the Jinsha River.

01:29:18The Hida River, Japan

01:29:21Triggered by a rainstorm, 300,000 Olympic swimming pools of debris flows down before

01:29:26getting stopped by another, earlier landslide. Along the way, the landslide sweeps two buses

01:29:32off the road.

01:29:34Peru

01:29:35A rock slide dams the Rio Montenegro, a long river running through the center of Peru.

01:29:41The whole process takes no more than 3 minutes, which means the landslide moves at a speed

01:29:46of up to 87 mph. It also leaves a trail of debris 5 miles long.

01:29:53The Usoi Dam, Tajikistan

01:29:56Set off by a magnitude 7.4 earthquake, the rock slide falls into the Mergab River and

01:30:02blocks its flow. That's how the Usoi Dam, one of the tallest in the world, appears.

01:30:08Mount St. Helens, USA

01:30:11At 8.30 am, after much build-up, a volcanic vent finally gives way and sets off a catastrophic

01:30:18eruption which makes the entire north side of Mount St. Helens fall away. It's the

01:30:24world's largest recorded landslide.

01:30:27North Bonneville, US

01:30:29In the middle of the 15th century, a great earthquake occurs. An incredible amount of

01:30:34debris rushes down from Table Mountain. It covers more than 5 square miles and blocks

01:30:40the Columbia River with a dam 200 feet high and 3.5 miles long.

01:30:47This is John. John seems to attract all kinds of bad weather and natural disasters wherever

01:30:53he goes. See for yourself.

01:30:56One day, John notices his dog is restless. The pooch keeps scratching the entrance door

01:31:00and wandering around the house. He even tries to hide in the corner, howling and barking.

01:31:07When some mugs start to clink in your cupboard, John realizes what it means. The noise is

01:31:11produced by foreshocks. Mini earthquakes leading up to the main event. Earthquakes often happen

01:31:18in clusters. After a few weak quakes, a much bigger one is likely to be on the way.

01:31:25Sometime before the disaster strikes, people might notice bizarre blue lights. Some of

01:31:29them seem to be coming out of the ground. Others are hovering in the air. These are

01:31:35earthquake lights. They may appear days or mere seconds before the ground starts shaking.

01:31:41Now, John is walking along the ocean shore. Suddenly, he sees the water retreat from the

01:31:46beach really, really fast. Uh-oh! John, run away as quickly as you can and find some high

01:31:53ground! A tsunami is coming! And your life might depend on how fast you react.

01:31:59If John spots a bizarre and unexpected rise in sea level, it can be another sign of an

01:32:03approaching tsunami. This happens in 40% of cases. The incoming water is the first

01:32:10tsunami wave. The second one, way, way larger, will come in in about 10 minutes. John can

01:32:17also notice seawater bubbling, swirling, and creating bizarre patterns. It's another sure

01:32:22sign a tsunami is near.

01:32:25Hmm, John feels there's something strange about the sun. Through his special super dark

01:32:31sunglasses, he sees that there's some uneven flares around the star's contour. If these

01:32:36bizarre rays are accompanied by auroras all over the world, they're a sign of a solar

01:32:41storm. Such storms are usually caused by disturbances in the sun's magnetic field. In this case,

01:32:48the bursts of gas and radiation on the surface of the sun get so massive and powerful that

01:32:54they can even reach our planet. Luckily, solar storms aren't really dangerous for people,

01:32:59they can mess with electricity and even cause blackouts.

01:33:04The sky over John's head is darkening and turning ominously green. Something hits him

01:33:09on the forehead. Ouch! He picks up the offending object. It's a hailstone, but it's not that

01:33:15cold outside, and it's not raining. Soon, he hears some noise. It's approaching rapidly

01:33:21and turns into a loud roar. It sounds as if a freight train is moving towards him, but

01:33:26it's not a train. It's a tornado. The funnel isn't visible behind a cloud of debris, but

01:33:32John can't mistake this rotating column of air for anything else. Are you on the road,

01:33:38John? Then get as far away from your car as you can. Fast! Find a ditch, lie down in it,

01:33:43and cover your head. Oh, you're inside? Then get away from the windows and hide underground

01:33:48if possible. And please, John, be very careful if you spot some conically shaped clouds.

01:33:54Clouds mean severe storms, and if you notice that such a cloud starts spinning around,

01:33:59immediately search for shelter. The cloud is transitioning into a tornado right in front

01:34:04of your eyes. On the bright side, John should only worry about warm conical clouds. Cold

01:34:10ones are totally harmless. The only problem is to figure out the temperature of the cloud

01:34:15he sees. Duh! Ah, look. John just spotted some weirdly shaped trees. They look like

01:34:22the letter J and grow on a slope. It means the ground under John's feet is likely to

01:34:27be unstable. If he keeps wandering around, it can cause a bad landslide. Square waves

01:34:34appear when two different wave patterns crash into each other. This phenomenon does look

01:34:39kinda awesome. No, don't go into the water, John. Keep watching it from the shore. Cross

01:34:44currents in that spot can easily pull even a skilled swimmer under the surface. John

01:34:49keeps walking along the shore. At one point, he sees wild, choppy waves carrying ocean

01:34:54debris and seaweed. This time, he stays out of the water. He knows it can be a sign of

01:35:00a strong rip current. It can carry a swimmer far away into the ocean.

01:35:07How about a walk in the park? John likes this idea. The sun is shining and the sky is so

01:35:12blue and beautiful. Suddenly, he spots a rapidly growing vertical cloud. At first, it looks

01:35:19bright white. But as it approaches, alarmingly fast, it becomes dense and inky. The sky is

01:35:26darkening. It's getting windy. That's when the guy notices that his hair stands on end.

01:35:31It's his cue that he's about to get hit by lightning. At this very moment, positive charges

01:35:36are rising through his body. They're reaching towards the negatively charged part of the

01:35:40storm. If he doesn't react fast, these charges will meet. There's nowhere to hide, so John

01:35:47should crouch down and try to make himself smaller than the objects around him. Oh no!

01:35:52John, don't lie down on the ground! It may be damp and thus a great conductor of electricity.

01:35:59There are other signs that scream danger during a lightning storm. John's palms may begin

01:36:04to sweat. He might hear bizarre crackling and buzzing sounds coming from metal objects nearby.

01:36:10His skin can start tingling. There might be a strange metallic taste in his mouth. Plus,

01:36:16John is likely to smell chlorine. That's how ozone smells. Electrical charges split

01:36:22the molecules of nitrogen and oxygen, which are the main gases making up the atmosphere,

01:36:27into separate atoms. When these atoms come together again, some of them produce molecules

01:36:32made up of three oxygen atoms. That's ozone. We can smell it during a thunderstorm because

01:36:38down drafts bring this gas from high altitudes to your level. Some bugs can feel a storm

01:36:44coming. They get ready for a natural disaster by freezing. So, when John notices that insects

01:36:51around him look drowsy, he knows to get ready. Oh, and bees can predict heavy rainstorms.

01:36:57These critters begin to work much harder the day before it starts raining. While walking

01:37:03next to the river during a period of heavy rains, John hears a roaring sound. He feels

01:37:09paralyzed with fear. It's likely to be a flash flood moving in his direction. Indeed, he

01:37:14soon sees debris coming down with the flow. The water is rapidly changing its color, becoming

01:37:19muddier and darker. Flash floods are very, very dangerous. Take care of your safety immediately,

01:37:27John! Another day, John sees a spectacular wall cloud. It seems to be stretching for

01:37:32up to five miles. In the best case scenario, it's just a severe storm coming. But if the

01:37:38wall cloud begins to move in a circle, it's a sure sign of a tornado. John is walking

01:37:44across a snow field in the mountains, listening to the sounds the ice under his feet makes.

01:37:49The noise is kind of hollow. Hmm. Quickly check whether there are cracks around your

01:37:54footprints, John. If so, the chances are an avalanche is about to happen. Soon, John sees

01:38:01an avalanche moving in his direction. He does his best to get off the slope. In most cases,

01:38:06he could probably outrun it by heading downhill and then veering sideways. But not this time.

01:38:12He realizes he doesn't have enough time and heads for the nearest tree. If John keeps

01:38:16holding onto it really tightly, the avalanche might not pull him along. But if this doesn't

01:38:22work, he should try to swim up to the snow's surface while the avalanche is still moving.

01:38:29On a pretty nice summer evening, John notices leaves with soft stems droop all of a sudden.

01:38:34Ah, it might be because of an upcoming storm. Right before extreme weather arrives, the

01:38:39air usually becomes more humid. Leaves also get damp and heavy, and the wind easily flips

01:38:45them over. John lives in a pretty old house and is used to having cracks in the interior

01:38:51walls. But one day, he notices that some of them have widened. And look, there are a few

01:38:56new ones. It's an alarm bell. He lives in an area with loads of limestone, so new cracks

01:39:02can mean a sinkhole is about to open next to his house. John is hurrying home, trying

01:39:08not to waste time admiring shelf clouds. They look like something from a sci-fi movie. They

01:39:13form when warm and moist air gets caught in a thunderstorm updraft. And these ominous

01:39:18clouds most often mean a storm is coming.

01:39:26You're hiking in the wilderness, looking for a safe spot to set up camp. All you can hear

01:39:30are leaves and branches crackling under your footsteps. Some squirrels are running up a

01:39:35tree over there. But suddenly, something unexpected happens. You notice something weird in the

01:39:41distance in between the trees. It kinda looks like a concrete structure of some kind. Weird.

01:39:48At this point, you're at least 20 miles deep into the woods, and there are no nearby towns

01:39:53or villages, as far as you know. So, you decide to go off the trail with your friends to get

01:39:59a closer look. But as you get nearer, you realize that it's leading to… nowhere.

01:40:05Hmm, what's it doing here, in the middle of literally nowhere? And it doesn't even

01:40:10lead to anything! You put on your Sherlock Holmes cap and investigate. So, maybe there

01:40:17used to be an old house or mansion here that collapsed over the years, and the only thing

01:40:22left is a staircase? But, weirdly enough, after circling the bizarre structure, you

01:40:28realize there's no trace of any ruins or even foundations. It's like someone just

01:40:34sliced a staircase off their house, cake-style, and plopped it here, for no reason. Okay?

01:40:41You and your friends aren't really into getting a whole lot closer. Something feels

01:40:46wrong. The longer you look at this weird structure, the more you feel a super creepy presence.

01:40:53Something tells you you should probably leave the area as fast as possible.

01:40:58As weird as this sounds, discoveries of random staircases, illogically found in the woods,

01:41:04are surprisingly common. Some are made of wood, others of brick or stone. Some look

01:41:09ancient, while others look like they were finished yesterday. The one thing they all

01:41:14have in common – they all lead to absolutely nowhere, and they're all found in super

01:41:19mysterious locations. One of the most famous ones is in Chesterfield,

01:41:24New Hampshire. A long, medieval-looking staircase, made of stones with Roman arches in the middle

01:41:30of the woods. It's believed to have been part of Madame Antoinette Sherry's castle.

01:41:36She was a big singer back in Paris. The castle dates back about 100 years, and it was later

01:41:41discovered again in 1962. This time, there was nothing but a staircase.

01:41:48Another mysterious ancient staircase dates back to 9,000 years ago. It's in a forest

01:41:54in Italy. It looks like a series of stairs that lead to a tiny platform at the top. Now,

01:42:00why go through all the trouble of building the thing if it leads to nowhere? Well, some

01:42:05scientists think it could've been some sort of ritual tower, but your guess is as good

01:42:11as theirs. There's an anomaly in the Indian Ocean known

01:42:15as the Indian Ocean Geoid Low, or IOGL. It produces the largest distorting natural gravitational

01:42:23force in the world. Heavy mineral deposits, many deep-sea trenches, and magma reservoirs

01:42:30disturb the magnetic field in this area. Earth's gravity changes in different places around

01:42:35the planet. It allows researchers to look for patterns and figure out what's happening

01:42:40beneath the surface. Higher gravity fields usually mean denser

01:42:44materials below, and vice versa. Some scientists believe that the anomaly might be a dent in

01:42:50the planet's mantle that is working its way up to the crust.

01:42:55The Niihau Island actually rejects the fruits of today's advancements. There are no cars

01:43:01in sight since the locals get around on foot or by bicycles. No wonder their legs have

01:43:07great definition. They thrive without running water, Internet, or shops. The only school

01:43:14on the entire island is powered by solar energy with a backup generator. And what's awesome

01:43:19is that it's the only school in the state that's powered by the sun. Being a resident

01:43:24of the island, the local explains some ground rules the permanent residents must abide by.

01:43:30If they do break these rules, they can be evicted.

01:43:35Not far from Bangkok, in northeastern Thailand, there's a 75-million-year-old rock formation.

01:43:42These rocks look like three whales swimming together. The beautiful design created by

01:43:47nature became known as Three Whales Rock. Millions of years ago, this area was just

01:43:53a desert, but the land was changing. Gradually, sandstone got pulled apart by the movements

01:43:59of tectonic plates and erosion. That's how these spectacular formations were created.

01:44:05If you decide to explore the system of trails around Three Whales Rock, you'll find waterfalls

01:44:11and an abundance of fauna and flora there.

01:44:15Located on Gamal and Gaiden peninsulas, these expansive pit holes were discovered in 2014.

01:44:21They seem to be still changing and evolving. The pits grow wider, and people find them

01:44:26more often. Of course, there's no shortage of theories about how they appeared. Suggestions

01:44:32range from meteorite impacts to the activity of other civilizations, but the most common

01:44:38explanation is that methane gas reacted to water molecules after the planet's permafrost

01:44:43started to melt. This resulted in bubbles of methane bursting through the ice. The craters

01:44:49could be thousands of years old, but nobody knows for sure.

01:44:54You're driving to the state of New Mexico, to the small town of Taos. 2% of the locals

01:45:01hear a strange buzzing in the air every day. Some residents believe the sound is somehow

01:45:06connected with technologies used by guests from other galaxies. Also, there is a theory

01:45:14that something sinister lives in the town. They say Taos is cursed. An evil spirit or

01:45:20a phantom punishes people for something their ancestors did in the past. Scientists still

01:45:25can't explain the nature of this sound. Another theory says it's caused by unusual acoustics

01:45:31of the location, while others think the buzzing is a hallucination. Some can hear it because

01:45:37everybody talks about something, and our minds create an illusion of the sound that doesn't

01:45:42really exist. The sound isn't the same for everyone either. For some, it's a low hum.

01:45:48For others, it's more of a buzzing sound. But this is not the only place where you can

01:45:52hear the strange noises. It's called the hum, and people worldwide claim to have heard

01:45:59it. Some dwellers of a small village in Scotland describe it as a low, thick hum, while some

01:46:05residents of Florida heard a similar sound too. It's not exactly known where this phenomenon

01:46:11appeared, but the first time the media started talking about it was in the 1970s in England.

01:46:18Also, there are written records of a mysterious buzzing dating back almost 200 years. According

01:46:24to some estimates, only about 2% of people on the planet can hear the hum. Perhaps their

01:46:30ears pick up some low frequency waves, or the reason is something else entirely. Maybe,

01:46:36just maybe, they hear humming because the person doing it doesn't know the words to

01:46:41the song. Yeah, that joke is also 200 years old.

01:46:46A volcano in Indonesia spews bright blue lava and produces electric blue and purple flames.

01:46:54This phenomenon occurs because the volcano has some of the highest levels of sulfur

01:46:59in the world. You can also know you're near it by its foul stench. But I digress. And

01:47:06when sulfuric gases interact with scorching hot air and get lit by the molten lava, they

01:47:12turn blue. You can also find the world's largest acid lake inside this crater. Yup,

01:47:18it's a real stinker. Underwater rivers and lakes are called brine

01:47:23pools for a reason. High salinity makes the water in them denser than the seawater around.

01:47:29That's why it sinks to the bottom, forming rivers and lakes. Those have waves of their

01:47:34own, and these waves can sometimes lap up against the shorelines. If you went down there

01:47:40in a submarine, it would easily float on the surface of a brine pool. But without a submarine,

01:47:45swimming in such a lake would be too risky. They contain too much toxic methane and hydrogen

01:47:51sulfide. Yeah, I'd pass on that too. But hey, be my guest!

01:47:56Cave of Crystals in Mexico is home to the world's most unique crystal formations. Thanks

01:48:02to super-rare conditions in the cave, crystals there grow to unbelievable sizes. The air

01:48:08inside is incredibly humid. The water contains tons of minerals that boost the growth of

01:48:13the milky white giants. Some of them are longer than telephone poles.

01:48:19Cylindrical snow donuts occur when a wind gust starts to roll some snow across a snowy

01:48:24area. As if making a snowball. If it was a real thing, it would eventually become too

01:48:30heavy for the wind to move. But a snow donut's center is hollowed out. This happens because

01:48:36its inner layer is too thin and is blown away when the donut is formed. This makes the thing

01:48:42lighter than a snowball. That's also why it rolls further. Unfortunately, snow donuts

01:48:47are rare because they need very precise conditions to appear.

01:48:52The Danakil Depression in Ethiopia is probably one of the most bizarre-looking places you'll

01:48:57ever see. It's dotted with neon-colored hot springs, lava pools, and vast salt flats.

01:49:04You've gotta be especially careful there. Toxic gases are swirling over hydrothermal

01:49:09fields. And many pools are super-acidic. So, don't go swimming. Until at least 30 minutes

01:49:16after lunch. Just kidding.

01:49:19And finally, there's nothing mysterious about 28,000 rubber ducks found in the sea in 1992.

01:49:26That's when a ship transporting bath toys got lost in the ocean while traveling from

01:49:31Hong Kong to the US. Some of these ducks are still floating in the ocean several decades

01:49:36later. They've been spotted in South America, Alaska, Hawaii, and even Australia. And they

01:49:43make bath time lots of fun. Ooh, rubber ducky!

01:49:54The largest tree in the world is so massive, it even earned itself the nickname General

01:49:59Sherman. It stands tall in California's Sequoia National Park, stretching its branches

01:50:04at 275 feet toward the sky. That's almost as tall as the Statue of Liberty. As for its

01:50:11If we could place it on a scale, we'd need 400 elephants to balance things out. Its base

01:50:17stretches 36 feet in diameter, big enough to hide two sedans parked end-to-end.

01:50:24California is the last place on Earth where these colossal trees grow naturally. During

01:50:29the Ice Age, they flourished across North America and Europe, but as the glaciers retreated,

01:50:35so did the sequoias. Today, they thrive along the western slope of the Sierra Nevada Range,

01:50:40relying on the melting glacier caps to quench their thirst. General Sherman gathers thousands

01:50:46of visitors every day, and the park's infrastructure caters to this. There's a short half-mile

01:50:51walk from the nearest parking lot that leads to the big green giant. Along the way, a stone

01:50:57marker outlines the shape and size of the tree's base, to give visitors a sense of

01:51:02its immense scale.

01:51:05This sassy sequoia is estimated to be around 23-2700 years old and has witnessed centuries

01:51:12of change. It sprouted during the early days of the Roman Empire. When Europeans arrived

01:51:18in California in the late 1800s, they first tried to harvest the sequoias, thinking they

01:51:23had valuable wood. However, the sheer effort required to take down these giants was enormous

01:51:29for those days. They also soon figured out that this type of wood was a bit more brittle

01:51:35than expected, so they let these trees off the hook. As for its name, the tree shares

01:51:40it with General William Tecumseh Sherman, a 19th-century famous American public servant.

01:51:47Not far from General Sherman stands the world's second-largest tree, named General Grant.

01:51:53Discovered by locals years before General Sherman received its name, this tree has weathered

01:51:58its own share of challenges, including fires. But like its counterpart, it survived, mostly

01:52:04thanks to its thick bark and resilient hardwood.

01:52:08As for the oldest tree, for a long time, we've known it to be a Great Basin bristlecone pine

01:52:14named Methuselah, also found in California. It's been around for more than 4,800 years,

01:52:20way before the Egyptians built the Pyramids of Giza. This tree's location is a bit of

01:52:25a secret to keep it safe from harm. Methuselah and its friends grow way up high in California,

01:52:31Nevada, and Utah, where it's tough to survive. The place is cold, with dry soil and fierce

01:52:37winds, but these strong timbers have figured out how to thrive, getting their nutrients

01:52:42from the hard, rocky ground up in the mountains. Their branches are twisted and gnarled because

01:52:47of the winds blowing in all directions as they reach maturity. It does make their appearance

01:52:52a bit messy, but it's an added layer of resistance for those trees during powerful

01:52:58storms. Their roots only feed the branches right above them, so if one part of the tree's

01:53:03roots fades away, only that part of the tree will be affected.

01:53:07There's a new contender, however, for the same title of the oldest tree. In Chile, there's

01:53:13a Patagonian cypress called Gran Abuello, which means Great Grandfather in Spanish.

01:53:19It might even be older than Methuselah by about 500 years. This would mean this tree

01:53:24has seen people roaming around during the Bronze Age. To figure out a tree's age, we

01:53:30generally need to look inside its bark and count its rings. For the Gran Abuello, though,

01:53:36scientists use complex math to estimate how old it is. Some experts aren't convinced

01:53:41by this method just yet. No matter which tree is older, both Methuselah and the Gran Abuello

01:53:47have seen a lot of changes in their long lives. Each ring in their trunks holds info about

01:53:52the weather from the year it grew. Scientists can learn a ton about past climates on our

01:53:57planet by studying these ancient trees.

01:54:01The world's tallest tree is also off-limit to visitors, but this is a recent safety measure.

01:54:07Its name is Hyperion, and it's located in Redwood National Park, California. Standing

01:54:13at a towering 380 feet, Hyperion is a coastal redwood, taller than the length of an American

01:54:20football field. Named after a character in Greek mythology, Hyperion was discovered in

01:54:252006 by two researchers. The park is home to other incredibly tall trees like Helios

01:54:31and Icarus, both also reaching heights of over 370 feet.

01:54:37The impressive height of redwoods in Northern California is due to their leaves and the

01:54:42region's climate. These trees absorb and store moisture from morning fog, and their

01:54:47sprouts promote growth after injury, allowing them to live for a very long time. However,

01:54:54their shallow roots make them susceptible to damage from hikers. Besides being a record

01:54:59holder, Hyperion's appearance may not live up to the hype. Witnessing its towering height

01:55:04from the ground is hard, and its trunk isn't that impressive.

01:55:08Hyperion is currently tucked away in a closed-off section with no official trail. But despite

01:55:14this, many tree enthusiasts have trampled through over the years, harming the habitat

01:55:19leading up to it. Trash has also been found along the way in the past. The park recently

01:55:24issued a statement urging visitors to steer clear of this tree. Otherwise, they could

01:55:30face hundreds of dollars worth of fines and even end up behind bars.

01:55:35The Tree of Life stands as a resilient symbol amidst the arid desert landscape of Bahrain.

01:55:41Nestled in the highest point of the country, this ancient tree defies odds, captivating

01:55:46visitors with its mysterious and inexplicable presence. It's surrounded by endless stretches

01:55:52of heated dunes in the Arabian desert. Because it stands alone against the desert backdrop,

01:55:58it has puzzled scientists and botanists for years. There's little to no rainfall over

01:56:03there. There are also no freshwater sources nearby. Despite the lack of moisture, the

01:56:09Tree of Life insists on flourishing, flaunting its green foliage. How it manages to survive

01:56:14in such harsh conditions led to some weird theories. Some speculate that the tree's

01:56:20roots go deep into the earth, reaching depths of up to 160 feet to access underground water

01:56:26reserves. Others suggest that the tree has adapted to its environment, drawing moisture

01:56:31from the surrounding sand grains through specialized mechanisms.

01:56:35One other interesting idea is that the Tree of Life lies at the side of the legendary

01:56:40Garden of Eden, getting its water from a mystical source. Apart from its scientific and cultural

01:56:46significance, the Tree of Life is an important tourist attraction for locals, luring in approximately

01:56:5265,000 visitors each year. All for a tree!

01:56:58Poland has its fair share of trees worth mentioning, all gathered in the Crooked Forest. It's

01:57:04a group of 400 trees that bend strangely. They all have a similar shape, curving sharply

01:57:10toward the sky in little J-shapes, almost touching the ground. People have different

01:57:15ideas about why these trees look like that. Some think a heavy snowstorm covered them

01:57:20when they were young, pushing them down. Others believe the area's gravity might have affected

01:57:26how they grow. One interesting theory is that people who planted these trees back in the

01:57:311920s might have bent them on purpose. They wanted to use the curved shapes to expedite

01:57:37the furniture manufacturing process. So, when the trees were about 10 years old, they interfered

01:57:43with their growth, making them develop in this odd shape. After the manipulation process

01:57:49was stopped, it left the trees in this weird position for decades. Either way, whatever

01:57:54happened to one tree happened to them all because they're all adjusted in the same

01:57:59way, so human intervention is the most likely explanation.

01:58:03Even though all the trees in the Crooked Forest look the same with their spooky bend, they

01:58:08still manage to grow tall and healthy. They've adapted to their difficult conditions, and,

01:58:13somehow, they've managed to keep growing upwards.

01:58:17Hey, ever heard of a fire rainbow? Yeah, me neither. How about a circumhorizontal arc?

01:58:24Didn't think so, but just so you know, they're one and the same thing. At first glance, it

01:58:30looks like a painting, or like a rainbow-colored splash in the sky. Despite the name, they

01:58:35have nothing in common with either fire or rain. This phenomenon happens on rare occasions

01:58:41when the sun shines through a particular type of ice cloud formation.

01:58:46The rainbow halos are just as unique. Again, a specific type of ice crystals and clouds

01:58:52needs to be present for the surface of the Earth to bend light from the sun into a perfect

01:58:57ring. The same thing can happen with moonlight. The only difference will be that moon halos

01:59:03are usually white, and sun halos can be rainbow-colored.

01:59:08When visiting regions with high altitudes, you may be one of the lucky people to stumble

01:59:13upon penitentes. They're basically naturally formed ice spikes. For them to be formed,

01:59:19they need a really cold and elevated environment where the air is dry. The sunlight turns ice

01:59:24directly into vapor, rather than melting it into water. And that's why these blades of

01:59:30snow and ice start to pop up on the surface of the Earth. As cute as they may be, they

01:59:35can end up as tall as 15 feet!

01:59:39Now what happens when small, individual droplets of lava meet the wind? Pele's hair, basically.

01:59:46Let me explain. The word Pele comes from an ancient Hawaiian symbol for volcanoes. Whenever

01:59:51the wind picks up little drops of lava, it stretches them into hair-like strands, similar

01:59:57to the process of glass wire creation. These delicate strands can stretch as far as 6 feet.

02:00:05On rare occasions, it can rain without any clouds. But does it really? Let's look at

02:00:10the science behind this rare phenomenon. It's sometimes called a sun shower, just

02:00:16because it looks like the rain is falling straight from the sun. Let's be clear, though.

02:00:21There is no way rain can ever come down directly from a star. Rain clouds are at a bit of a

02:00:27distance from that specific location. With sun rays being angled, the clouds become out

02:00:32of sight. Add a little wind to blow the rain in your direction, and tada! You get sun showers!

02:00:40Located in Bolivia is a place called Salar de Uyuni. It's the largest salt flat in the

02:00:46world. It's also the home of half of the world's lithium, which is a crucial component

02:00:51for making batteries. But what else is so special about this place? Well, whenever the

02:00:56rain season comes, it turns this piece of flat land into a perfectly reflective mirror

02:01:02lake.

02:01:04What comes to your mind when you hear about the Blood Falls? A horror movie? Well, they

02:01:09are merely a series of waterfalls located in one of the driest regions of Antarctica.

02:01:15They emerge from an underground lake filled with a special kind of bacteria. These little

02:01:20organisms use sulfates as fuel instead of sugars, which makes them very intriguing for

02:01:25scientists. The water contained in this lake is so full of iron that it basically just

02:01:30rusts when it meets the air. Hence the reddish color of the waterfall, which also gives it

02:01:36its trademark name.

02:01:38Ok, we all know the song, but it's not really made up. There is actually such a thing called

02:01:44a desert rose. It's not a plant, though, but a unique form of the mineral gypsum. It

02:01:50develops in dry sandy places that can occasionally flood. This constant switching between a wet

02:01:56and dry environment lets the gypsum crystals emerge between grains of sand, trapping them

02:02:01and forming a rose-like shape.

02:02:04Ever heard of the Eye of Sahara? Scientists are still trying to figure out how it was

02:02:10formed. You can only see it if you fly above it, but it's basically a naturally formed

02:02:15dome that dates back to approximately 100 million years ago. And no, I wasn't around

02:02:21then. It has a rough diameter of 25 miles and consists of a bunch of concentric rings.

02:02:27The biggest one, or the central area, measures about 19 miles in diameter. Astronauts were

02:02:33some of the first people to notice it, and it's been studied ever since. In fact, even

02:02:39to this day, when landing in Florida, they know they're almost home when they see the

02:02:44Eye of Sahara.

02:02:46One of the most beautifully colored trees in the world is located in the Philippines

02:02:50and Indonesia. It's called the rainbow eucalyptus. It got its name because of its bark that switches

02:02:57colors and peels away as the tree ages. The bright green bark is the youngest, as it

02:03:03contains a substance called chlorophyll, usually found in leaves. It then switches to purple

02:03:09and then to the color red. And finally, it turns brown as it grows and loses the chlorophyll.

02:03:16Don't be tricked into thinking that's a whole forest. It's one single tree. And

02:03:21no, it's not some sort of optical illusion either. Let me explain. Underneath that soil,

02:03:27there is a complex network of roots that connects around 47,000 tree-like shapes you see above

02:03:34the ground. It's called the quaking aspen. Some of these trees are among the oldest and

02:03:40largest organisms in the world.

02:03:43Now here's a good destination for all travelers. Or maybe not so good, after all. The most

02:03:48lightning-stricken area in the world, according to recent data released by NASA, is Lake Maracaibo

02:03:55in Venezuela. Out of all the days in a year, 300 of them feature thunderstorms in this

02:04:01location. What makes this area so unique, though, that storms happen so often? Well,

02:04:07it's because where cool mountain air meets the warm moist breeze and generates electricity

02:04:12over the lake.

02:04:14The Eternal Flame Falls are located in upstate New York, near the Canadian border. In this

02:04:20region, there is a tiny waterfall with a big secret – a spark about 8 inches tall. Turns

02:04:27out there's a natural gas seep that provides fuel to the flame behind the waterfall. The

02:04:32waterfall provides enough coverage so that it stays lit pretty much every time. Hikers

02:04:37do enjoy to relight it if they see that it's been blown out. This phenomenon is actually

02:04:43quite common, but this one gained more popularity because it is younger than most. And it looks

02:04:49very good in pictures, let's be honest.

02:04:52I've heard of yellow sand, white sand, and even black sand here or there. But I've

02:04:57never heard of green beaches until now. Papakolea, also known as Green Sand Beach, is located

02:05:04in Hawaii and is one of the few beaches in the world that features green sand. The unique

02:05:09coloring comes from olivine rock that was formed when a nearby volcano erupted. Actually,

02:05:15in Hawaii, all the volcanoes are nearby.

02:05:19Move over, green sands, because some of the other beaches around the world can even glow

02:05:24at night. And it's completely natural. The culprit? A little thing called photoplankton,

02:05:30or microalgae as they're sometimes called. They're basically little plants that contain

02:05:36chlorophyll and need sunlight in order to live and grow.

02:05:40Most photoplankton kinds are able to float in the upper part of the ocean, where the

02:05:44sunlight can still reach them beneath the water. When the photoplankton gets agitated

02:05:49by the movement of waves and currents, they emit light, which looks like some glow during

02:05:54the night. These special microorganisms are found on beaches in a lot of places around

02:06:00the world, such as the Maldives, Puerto Rico, and the Everglades.

02:06:05At the base of a mountain located just outside of Afton, Wyoming, is a little river called

02:06:11the Intermittent Spring. There are only three of this kind in the whole world, but what

02:06:16makes this little string of water so mysterious? Well, the fact that it starts and stops every

02:06:21few minutes. Scientists have yet to pinpoint precisely why this happens. They speculate

02:06:27that it's basically just a siphon effect that happens deep within the ground that causes

02:06:32the river to just start and stop so often. Should you ever be interested in checking

02:06:37it out, be sure to do so in the late summer, as that's when the Intermittent Spring is

02:06:42most active. Do you see the irony here? You can only see the spring in the summer? Okay,

02:06:49I'm done. That's it for today, so hey, if you pacified

02:06:52your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your friends! Or if you

02:06:56want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!

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