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 Telegram: https://t.me/bright_side_official 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.
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00:00Now, picture this, you're watching a volcano erupt, which is a scary view by itself.
00:00:05But suddenly, you notice ominous bright flashes lighting up the sky over the volcano.
00:00:11It takes the nightmarishness of the experience to a whole new level!
00:00:16One cause is static electricity, which occurs when dense ash particles rub together not
00:00:21very high above the ground.
00:00:23The other source of volcanic lightning is high above the surface, near the stratosphere,
00:00:28where chaotically moving ice crystals set free powerful jolts.
00:00:34Salar del Uyuni feels like you're standing on top of a large mirror, but it's actually
00:00:38a salt flat of more than 4,000 square miles.
00:00:42It's located in Bolivia, South America's highest elevated country.
00:00:47This natural mirror is a remnant of prehistoric lakes that had evaporated a long time ago.
00:00:53Even though it may look flat, GPS technology proved that some of the landscape has some
00:00:58little defaults that are all less than an inch small.
00:01:02The place is so bogged that it has around 10 billion tons of salt.
00:01:07If you get there at the right time, some of the nearby lakes overflow with a small layer
00:01:11of water, which acts as the mirror of the sky.
00:01:15Many locals extract salt and lithium from there.
00:01:18Don't forget to pass by the world's first salt hotel when you visit!
00:01:22You can find a real rainbow mountain in Peru.
00:01:25Scientists still can't explain it.
00:01:27The colorful peak is hard to reach, but seeing the blue, red, green, yellow, and pink colors
00:01:32in nature is something to remember.
00:01:36What looks like frozen flying saucers is, in fact, pockets of highly flammable and combustible
00:01:42methane gas.
00:01:43Trapped underwater, it forms psychedelic landscapes and stunning patterns.
00:01:48Typical for northern lakes, such as Lake Abraham in Alberta, Canada, these bubbles appear when
00:01:54dead animals, leaves, and plants fall into the water and get consumed by bacteria.
00:01:59These bacteria later excrete methane gas.
00:02:02Wow, I can smell it from here!
00:02:05In late March 2018, Eastern Europe witnessed an event as beautiful as it was spooky.
00:02:12Astronomers glided down tangerine slopes under the red-tinted sky.
00:02:17Puzzled and excited, people described this experience as walking on Mars or skiing down
00:02:22sand dunes.
00:02:24But however mysterious this phenomenon seems, it has a disappointingly simple explanation.
00:02:30The sponsor of the extraterrestrial landscape was a powerful sandstorm that had arrived
00:02:35from the Sahara Desert.
00:02:37This storm had brought along dust, sand, and pollen particles that colored the snow orange.
00:02:42It's not a one-time natural phenomenon.
00:02:44Meteorologists say that orange snow covers the lands of Eastern Europe at least once
00:02:49every 5 years.
00:02:50Meanwhile, don't eat the orange snow!
00:02:54On February 20 and 21 of 2018, people in the northeastern part of the US experienced one
00:03:01of the most extraordinary weather events of recent times, and it was… a heatwave.
00:03:06Yep, in February!
00:03:08In fact, it was the most impressive winter heatwave since official weather records started
00:03:13in the 1800s.
00:03:14For example, in Freiburg, Maine, people were taking off their coats after the temperature
00:03:19had risen to a baffling 70°F. In Fitchburg, Massachusetts, confused people put on sandals
00:03:26when they saw the temperature outside – 80°F. The same was happening in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania,
00:03:32where the temperature reached 83°F, and in Wells, Maine, where the thermometer showed
00:03:3677°F.
00:03:39Around 11,000 years ago, in present-day Turkey, with no cities or metal tools whatsoever,
00:03:46some incredibly skilled craftsmen completed Gobekli Tepe.
00:03:50How they managed to chip and lift limestone blocks three times as heavy as a T-Rex and
00:03:55what they symbolized is still unknown.
00:04:00One mind-blowing fact about Devil's Tower in Wyoming, USA, is that scientists can't
00:04:06explain how it came to existence in the first place.
00:04:08You see, it's an 867-foot rock formation with walls so steep they're basically vertical.
00:04:16This piece of stone just arose amid the rolling plains of Wyoming with nothing like it for
00:04:21miles and miles around.
00:04:23So how is it that such a flat landscape could've suddenly given birth to something so tall?
00:04:28Theories abound, but nobody has the answer yet.
00:04:32Croatia's Plitvice Lakes National Park is a major tourist attraction and a World Heritage
00:04:39Site with many unique animals and plants teeming around. It looks like an epic movie set with
00:04:46infinite waterfalls flowing from every direction and the clear lakes all around.
00:04:52In the mid-1980s, a scuba diver discovered the Yanaguni Monument off the coast of Japan.
00:04:58Scientists are positive this collection of structures is thousands of years old, but
00:05:03they still can't decide if it's natural or man-made.
00:05:06In case it proves to be an ancient city, the new mystery is what lost civilization built
00:05:11it and how did it make it to the bottom of the sea?
00:05:16The shape and formations of these rocks aren't a result of some human's work. They were
00:05:20created by intense volcanic eruptions. Scientists are still confused why the Giant's Causeway
00:05:26in Ireland is shaped in such a weird way.
00:05:31Back in 1812, for an unknown reason, an English farmer paid a local painter to remove tons
00:05:37of soil on a hillside and fill the contours with chalk. The painter ran away with the
00:05:43money so the farmer had to pay a second time to get the Altenbahn's white horse finished.
00:05:50Black Falls in Iceland get their name from the dark lava columns surrounding it. The
00:05:55base of the waterfall has sharp rocks. The entire structure was the inspiration for Icelandic
00:06:00architecture seen in some of their famous buildings.
00:06:05You can see hair ice in the forest on a humid winter night. Resembling cotton candy or a
00:06:10white hair wig, unusual ice crystals grow on rotting wood. Unfortunately, this beauty
00:06:16melts as soon as the sun comes up. Only recently have scientists discovered what creates hair
00:06:22ice. All this time it was, are you ready? Fungus. Yep. It allows the ice to form super
00:06:28thin hairs and helps them to support this form throughout the night. When this particular
00:06:33type of fungus isn't present, instead of fragile hair, ice forms a crust-like structure.
00:06:41One of the most common causes of wildfires is lightning from thunderstorms. But have
00:06:47you ever heard of a wildfire that triggered a thunderstorm? Well, now you know! It happened
00:06:52on May 11, 2018, not far from Amarillo, Texas. Then the super-powerful Mallard Fire not only
00:06:59created a massive dense cloud high in the air, its heat also caused a violent thunderstorm
00:07:06that later dumped tons of quarter-sized hailstones 60 miles away in Wheeler County, Texas.
00:07:14Carhenge is the weirdest landmark of Nebraska. Its author studied the real Stonehenge and
00:07:19created his own version out of old cars as a tribute to his father. Some cars stand like
00:07:25monoliths. Others are connected into arches. When asked why he did all this, the creator
00:07:34of the construction said, why not? Another Stonehenge lookalike was found on
00:07:40the bottom of Lake Michigan in 2007. There's a group of rocks in a circle and carvings
00:07:46of a mastodon. This beast ceased existing over 10,000 years ago, so the carving has
00:07:52to be older than that. Its location is kept secret from the public. Good luck finding
00:07:57it! Canada's Hudson Bay is probably the only
00:08:01place in the world where gravity is indeed lower than anywhere else on the planet. Even
00:08:07skeptics can't smirk at it because the difference has been measured with precision equipment.
00:08:12So does it mean that the gravity here is as low as, say, on the Moon? Unfortunately, or
00:08:18is it luckily, I'm not sure yet. The difference is minuscule. The exact value is 0.005, or
00:08:251 200th of a percent. You won't be able to feel it even if you try your hardest, but
00:08:31it's still there. Scientists say this anomaly exists because of the ice sheet that covered
00:08:36the area about 10,000 years ago. It compressed the rocks so much that they still can't
00:08:41fully recover, shifting the gravitational field in Hudson Bay. Sometime in the future,
00:08:47though, the gravity will return to normal in this area as well.
00:08:52In 2010, fossilized fish were uncovered 250 miles west of the Nile River, where the Sahara
00:08:58Desert was as arid as ever. This chance finding led scientists to believe there could've
00:09:04been a sea where the Sierra is now, so they conducted a geological survey of the area,
00:09:10and it yielded unexpected results. They found evidence of something huge under the sands,
00:09:16and it wasn't part of any sea at all. For several months, the research continued
00:09:22with GPS equipment on land, and later, when all the ground data was collected, scientists
00:09:27took a look at the area from a satellite. The view was astounding. It turned out there
00:09:32was an enormous basin underneath the desert, with another, smaller one nearby. Along the
00:09:38shores of these basins, ancient human settlements had been found previously, and now the researchers
00:09:44finally had the answer as to why exactly they had chosen those spots to live. There had
00:09:50been a lake of impressive proportions – over 42,000 square miles of freshwater in total,
00:09:56about half the size of Lake Michigan. You're in the Atacama Desert in northern
00:10:03Chile, one of the driest places on Earth. But this desert has a beautiful secret. Every
00:10:09three to five years, flowers pop up out of nowhere. It's so famous, it's also called
00:10:14the flowering desert. Seeds lie around in the ground just waiting for some rain. When
00:10:20the desert gets enough water, about 200 types of flowers sprout up. The yellow sands of
00:10:26the Atacama turn purple, white, green, and even pink!
00:10:31Another mystical phenomenon that can be seen in the desert is called a sand waterfall.
00:10:36When the wind brings a lot of sand to the edge of the canyon, it begins to fall down.
00:10:41Now amplify this effect 100 times, and you get a sand waterfall in Saudi Arabia. It really
00:10:48is like Niagara Falls, only there's not a drop of water. The locals say this phenomenon
00:10:53warns of an impending sandstorm.
00:10:56Fairy rings, also known as elf rings or pixie rings, are mysterious circles of mushrooms
00:11:02that appear in grasslands and forested areas. There's a lot of debate about why these fairy
00:11:07rings form a nearly perfect circle. Some superstitions claim that fairy dances would burn the ground,
00:11:14causing mushrooms to rapidly grow.
00:11:17In southern India, between July and September 2001, people witnessed one of the strangest
00:11:23weather phenomena in recorded history. The rain was red! What many would've thought
00:11:29to be a typical rainstorm left them shocked. The color was bright enough to stain clothes.
00:11:35There were other colors too, such as green, yellow, brown, and even black. In the middle
00:11:41of a monsoon, red rain started to fall, and so did periodically for several weeks. Researchers
00:11:47have found this unusual rain is stained either by dust or algae, so don't try to catch
00:11:52any on your tongue. Scientists aren't entirely sure how the algae got all the way up there.
00:11:59This does make events like this a little unsettling.
00:12:03People who live in rural central Norway, over the Hestalen Valley, can often witness floating
00:12:08lights of white, yellow, and red cross the sky. The lights appear both at day and night,
00:12:15and once back in the 80s, they were spotted 15 to 20 times in a single week. The Hestalen
00:12:22lights can last just a few seconds, but sometimes they can last more than an hour. The lights
00:12:28move, seeming to float or even sway around. Some scientists believe that the reason for
00:12:34these lights is due to ionized iron dust. Others say it's a combination that includes
00:12:39sodium, oxygen, and hydrogen. Many people claim they're just misidentified aircrafts.
00:12:46Norway!
00:12:47Snow doughnuts are one of the rarest meteorological sights to see, with perfect weather conditions
00:12:52needed just to create them. Found in any snow-covered mountain area, like the Rocky Mountains, the
00:12:58wind, temperature, snow, ice, and moisture all have to work together for us to see these
00:13:04phenomenal rings. A thin layer of wet snow on the ground. Under that layer, ice or powdered
00:13:10snow. Then, a strong enough breeze to roll the doughnut down a hill, just like a snowball.
00:13:17Once it stops rolling, it can be the size of a baseball or as large as a car tire. It
00:13:22all depends on how strong the wind is. A newly formed snow doughnut won't stay around for
00:13:27very long, so hurry up with that camera and watch your head!
00:13:32Can you believe there's another place on Earth with its own ecosystem and atmosphere,
00:13:36similar to another planet? Well, start believing! Movil Cave, located in southeastern Romania,
00:13:44remained closed in complete darkness for a whopping 5.5 million years. It wasn't until
00:13:49workers discovered the cave, when they were looking for a place to build, that anyone
00:13:54learned about it. Scientists carved out an opening to the cave and found that a completely
00:13:58sustained ecosystem was thriving inside. As a pathway was carved through the rock past
00:14:04numerous tunnels, scientists found a lake of sulfuric water that stank like rotten eggs.
00:14:11The air was filled with hydrogen sulfide and had 100 times more carbon dioxide than
00:14:16Earth's atmosphere contains. Needless to say, this air is completely toxic. What's
00:14:22even crazier is that a whole ecosystem has been existing in this cave, with 33 species
00:14:27that can't be found anywhere else on Earth. This cave gives us a glimpse of what could
00:14:32possibly exist on other planets with completely different atmospheres. How it managed to exist
00:14:38on Earth all this time without anyone knowing is rather unbelievable, isn't it?
00:14:44Now check these trees out. They're called Indian rubber trees. Their strong roots grow
00:14:50not underground, but on the surface. With the help of special frames and fasteners,
00:14:55people have learned to control how these roots grow. Let's say a tree is next to a small
00:15:00pit. You need to make a bridge from one end of this pit to the other. You direct the growing
00:15:06tree roots in the needed direction. Over time, the roots penetrate the ground and strengthen
00:15:11under endless downpours. It takes about 15 years to create one bridge.
00:15:17Here's another amazing tree called the Tree of Life. It grows in Bahrain's desert. The
00:15:22tree has been standing on top of this sandy hill for more than 400 years, surrounded by
00:15:27miles of sand. It's extremely hot here, and there's no moisture. But despite this, the
00:15:33tree has green leaves, and it continues to grow. So far, scientists haven't figured
00:15:38out yet how the tree gets moisture and nutrients. There are only places with oil deposits around.
00:15:45Locals think the tree is sacred. After all, it demonstrates the magic of life and the
00:15:49power of nature. Some experts are sure it's all about the roots. They go so deep that
00:15:55they can reach underground sources of water. So, there you are. You've been driving for
00:16:01hours through the night. You didn't have any chance to sleep, so your mind is hanging
00:16:06by a thread. You stop the car and go out to stretch your limbs. And then, you look up
00:16:12into the sky and see a beautiful sunrise. Whoa, wait, there are three suns in the sky.
00:16:19You rub your eyes, but nope, there are still three bright stars in the sky.
00:16:24No, our home star hasn't been torn into three pieces, nor has it been visited by two
00:16:29other stars. This is called a sun dog. It occurs mostly during severe frosts. Small
00:16:36ice crystals in the sky bend the light. As a result, you may see three bright spots in
00:16:41the sky instead of just one. This phenomenon is officially called a halo. Usually, it's
00:16:47just a circle around the sun. You can even see a halo at night, too. Just look at a street
00:16:52lamp and you'll see a bright circle around it. Sometimes, a halo can take on a fancier
00:16:58shape. If there's a lot of ice in the air, the light is warped even more. Just like in
00:17:03a room with a dozen mirrors, then the halo can take on the shape of a human eye.
00:17:09Because of this phenomenon, a false dawn can also occur. While you're looking at the horizon,
00:17:15the dawn begins, and the edge of the sun appears. A little bit more, and wait, the sun starts
00:17:22to just dissolve in the sky. After a few moments, it's dark again. And only a minute later,
00:17:28the real sun shows its face. It was the same light curvature effect you saw before with
00:17:34the three suns. Only now, the light is curved vertically, not horizontally. And instead
00:17:39of the real sun, its reflection in ice crystals in the sky appeared.
00:17:44But the sunrise with three stars on the horizon is actually real. Not on Earth, though, but
00:17:50340 light-years away. There's a star system at the center of which lurks a star almost
00:17:57twice the size of the Sun. And there are two smaller stars orbiting around this giant.
00:18:03The strange world has a planet too. Sunsets and dawns there really happen with three stars.
00:18:09If you brought your significant other to a park bench to watch a sunset here, your date
00:18:14would go just fine. Whatever that means.
00:18:18But since we're talking about the most baffling natural phenomena, it would be a
00:18:22crime not to mention snow in a desert. Yep, in the winter of 2018, the inhabitants of
00:18:29the Sahara Desert, one of the driest and hottest places on this planet, woke up to discover
00:18:34a thick blanket of snow covering the sand. In some places, the layer of snow enveloping
00:18:40the dunes reached a staggering 15 inches. Meteorologists, however, had an explanation
00:18:46for this exciting phenomenon. They stated that cold pools of air, combined with the
00:18:51precipitation from the most recent storm, resulted in a snowfall instead of rain. So,
00:18:57what do you do in that case? Build snow camels? Hmm, one hump or two.
00:19:03Hey, ever heard of a fire rainbow? Yeah, me neither. How about a circumhorizontal arc?
00:19:11Didn't think so, but just so you know, they're one and the same thing. At first glance, it
00:19:16looks like a painting, or like a rainbow-colored splash in the sky. Despite the name, they
00:19:22have nothing in common with either fire or rain. This phenomenon happens on rare occasions
00:19:28when the sun shines through a particular type of ice cloud formation.
00:19:33The rainbow halos are just as unique. Again, a specific type of ice crystals and clouds
00:19:38needs to be present for the surface of the Earth to bend light from the sun into a perfect
00:19:44ring. The same thing can happen with moonlight. The only difference will be that moon halos
00:19:49are usually white, and sun halos can be rainbow-colored.
00:19:54When visiting regions with high altitudes, you may be one of the lucky people to stumble
00:19:59upon penitentes. They're basically naturally formed ice spikes. For them to be formed,
00:20:05they need a really cold and elevated environment where the air is dry. The sunlight turns ice
00:20:11directly into vapor, rather than melting it into water. And that's why these blades of
00:20:16snow and ice start to pop up on the surface of the Earth. As cute as they may be, they
00:20:21can end up as tall as 15 feet!
00:20:25Now what happens when small, individual droplets of lava meet the wind? Pele's hair, basically.
00:20:32Let me explain. The word Pele comes from an ancient Hawaiian symbol for volcanoes. Whenever
00:20:38the wind picks up little drops of lava, it stretches them into hair-like strands, similar
00:20:44to the process of glass wire creation. These delicate strands can stretch as far as 6 feet.
00:20:51On rare occasions, it can rain without any clouds. But does it really? Let's look at
00:20:57the science behind this rare phenomenon. It's sometimes called a sun shower, just
00:21:02because it looks like the rain is falling straight from the sun. Let's be clear, though.
00:21:07There is no way rain can ever come down directly from a star. Rain clouds are at a bit of a
00:21:13distance from that specific location. With sun rays being angled, the clouds become out
00:21:19of sight. Add a little wind to blow the rain in your direction, and tada! You get sun showers!
00:21:27Located in Bolivia is a place called Salar de Uyuni. It's the largest salt flat in the
00:21:33world. It's also the home of half of the world's lithium, which is a crucial component
00:21:38for making batteries. But what else is so special about this place? Whenever the rain
00:21:43season comes, it turns this piece of flat land into a perfectly reflective mirror lake.
00:21:50What comes to your mind when you hear about the Blood Falls? A horror movie? They are
00:21:56merely a series of waterfalls located in one of the driest regions of Antarctica. They
00:22:01emerge from an underground lake filled with a special kind of bacteria. These little organisms
00:22:07use sulfates as fuel instead of sugars, which makes them very intriguing for scientists.
00:22:13The water contained in this lake is so full of iron that it basically just rusts when
00:22:18it meets the air. Hence the reddish color of the waterfall, which also gives it its
00:22:23trademark name.
00:22:24Ok, we all know the song, but it's not really made up. There is actually such a thing called
00:22:30a desert rose. It's not a plant, though, but a unique form of the mineral gypsum. It
00:22:36develops in dry sandy places that can occasionally flood. This constant switching between a wet
00:22:42and dry environment lets the gypsum crystals emerge between grains of sand, trapping them
00:22:48and forming a rose-like shape.
00:22:51Ever heard of the Eye of Sahara? Scientists are still trying to figure out how it was
00:22:56formed. You can only see it if you fly above it, but it's basically a naturally formed
00:23:01dome that dates back to approximately 100 million years ago. And no, I wasn't around
00:23:07then. It has a rough diameter of 25 miles and consists of a bunch of concentric rings.
00:23:14The biggest one, or the central area, measures about 19 miles in diameter. Astronauts were
00:23:20some of the first people to notice it, and it's been studied ever since. In fact, even
00:23:25to this day, when landing in Florida, they know they're almost home when they see the
00:23:30Eye of Sahara.
00:23:33One of the most beautifully colored trees in the world is located in the Philippines
00:23:37and Indonesia. It's called the rainbow eucalyptus. It got its name because of its bark that switches
00:23:43colors and peels away as the tree ages. The bright green bark is the youngest, as it
00:23:50contains a substance called chlorophyll, usually found in leaves. It then switches to purple
00:23:55and then to the color red. And finally, it turns brown as it grows and loses the chlorophyll.
00:24:02Don't be tricked into thinking that's a whole forest. It's one single tree. And
00:24:08no, it's not some sort of optical illusion either. Let me explain. Underneath that soil,
00:24:14there is a complex network of roots that connects around 47,000 tree-like shapes you see above
00:24:20the ground. It's called the quaking aspen. Some of these trees are among the oldest and
00:24:26largest organisms in the world.
00:24:29Now here's a good destination for all travelers. Or maybe not so good, after all. The most
00:24:35lightning-stricken area in the world, according to recent data released by NASA, is Lake Maracaibo
00:24:41in Venezuela. Out of all the days in a year, 300 of them featured thunderstorms in this
00:24:47location. What makes this area so unique, though, that storms happen so often? Well,
00:24:53it's because where cool mountain air meets the warm moist breeze and generates electricity
00:24:59over the lake.
00:25:01The Eternal Flame Falls are located in upstate New York, near the Canadian border. In this
00:25:07region, there is a tiny waterfall with a big secret – a spark about 8 inches tall. Turns
00:25:13out there's a natural gas seep that provides fuel to the flame behind the waterfall. The
00:25:18waterfall provides enough coverage so that it stays lit pretty much every time. Hikers
00:25:24do enjoy to relight it if they see that it's been blown out. This phenomenon is actually
00:25:29quite common, but this one gained more popularity because it is younger than most. And it looks
00:25:35very good in pictures, let's be honest!
00:25:38I've heard of yellow sand, white sand, and even black sand here and there. But I've
00:25:43never heard of green beaches until now. Papakolea, also known as Green Sand Beach, is located
00:25:50in Hawaii and is one of the few beaches in the world that features green sand. The unique
00:25:56coloring comes from olivine rock that was formed when a nearby volcano erupted. Actually,
00:26:02in Hawaii, all the volcanoes are nearby.
00:26:06Move over, green sands, because some of the other beaches around the world can even glow
00:26:10at night. And it's completely natural. The culprit? A little thing called photoplankton,
00:26:17or microalgae as they're sometimes called. They're basically little plants that contain
00:26:22chlorophyll and need sunlight in order to live and grow.
00:26:27Most photoplankton kinds are able to float in the upper part of the ocean, where the
00:26:31sunlight can still reach them beneath the water. When the photoplankton gets agitated
00:26:36by the movement of waves and currents, they emit light, which looks like some glow during
00:26:41the night. These special microorganisms are found on beaches in a lot of places around
00:26:46the world, such as the Maldives, Puerto Rico, and the Everglades.
00:26:52At the base of a mountain located just outside of Afton, Wyoming, is a little river called
00:26:57the Intermittent Spring. There are only three of this kind in the whole world, but what
00:27:02makes this little string of water so mysterious? Well, the fact that it starts and stops every
00:27:08few minutes. Scientists have yet to pinpoint precisely why this happens. They speculate
00:27:14that it's basically just a siphon effect that happens deep within the ground that causes
00:27:18the river to just start and stop so often. Should you ever be interested in checking
00:27:23it out, be sure to do so in the late summer, as that's when the Intermittent Spring is
00:27:29most active. Do you see the irony here? You can only see the spring in the summer? Okay,
00:27:35I'm done.
00:27:37You're hiking in the wilderness, looking for a safe spot to set up camp. All you can hear
00:27:42are leaves and branches crackling under your footsteps. Some squirrels are running up a
00:27:46tree over there. But suddenly, something unexpected happens. You notice something weird in the
00:27:52distance in between the trees. It kinda looks like a concrete structure of some kind. Weird.
00:27:59At this point, you're at least 20 miles deep into the woods, and there are no nearby towns
00:28:04or villages, as far as you know. So, you decide to go off the trail with your friends to get
00:28:10a closer look. But as you get nearer, you realize that it's leading to…nowhere. Hmm,
00:28:17what's it doing here, in the middle of literally nowhere? And it doesn't even lead to anything!
00:28:23You put on your Sherlock Holmes cap and investigate. So, maybe there used to be an old house or
00:28:29mansion here that collapsed over the years, and the only thing left is a staircase? But,
00:28:36Weirdly enough, after circling the bizarre structure, you realize there's no trace
00:28:41of any ruins or even foundations. It's like someone just sliced a staircase off their
00:28:47house, cake-style, and plopped it here, for no reason! Okay…
00:28:52You and your friends aren't really into getting a whole lot closer. Something feels
00:28:57wrong. The longer you look at this weird structure, the more you feel a super creepy presence.
00:29:04Something tells you you should probably leave the area as fast as possible.
00:29:09As weird as this sounds, discoveries of random staircases illogically found in the woods
00:29:15are surprisingly common. Some are made of wood, others of brick or stone. Some look
00:29:21ancient, while others look like they were finished yesterday. The one thing they all
00:29:25have in common – they all lead to absolutely nowhere, and they're all found in super
00:29:30mysterious locations. One of the most famous ones is in Chesterfield,
00:29:35New Hampshire. A long, medieval-looking staircase, made of stones with Roman arches in the middle
00:29:42of the woods. It's believed to have been part of Madame Antoinette Cherie's castle.
00:29:47She was a big singer back in Paris. The castle dates back about 100 years, and it was later
00:29:52discovered again in 1962. This time, there was nothing but a staircase.
00:30:00Another mysterious ancient staircase dates back to 9,000 years ago. It's in a forest
00:30:05in Italy. It looks like a series of stairs that lead to a tiny platform at the top. Now,
00:30:11why go through all the trouble of building the thing if it leads to nowhere? Well, some
00:30:17scientists think it could've been some sort of ritual tower, but your guess is as good
00:30:22as theirs. There's an anomaly in the Indian Ocean known
00:30:26as the Indian Ocean Geoid Low, or IOGL. It produces the largest distorting natural gravitational
00:30:34force in the world. Heavy mineral deposits, many deep-sea trenches, and magma reservoirs
00:30:41disturb the magnetic field in this area. Earth's gravity changes in different places around
00:30:46the planet. It allows researchers to look for patterns and figure out what's happening
00:30:51beneath the surface. Higher gravity fields usually mean denser materials below, and vice
00:30:57versa. Some scientists believe that the anomaly might be a dent in the planet's mantle that
00:31:03is working its way up to the crust. The Niihau Island actually rejects the fruits
00:31:09of today's advancements. There are no cars in sight since the locals get around on foot
00:31:15or by bicycles. No wonder their legs have great definition. They thrive without running
00:31:21water, internet, or shops. The only school on the entire island is powered by solar energy
00:31:27with a backup generator. And what's awesome is that it's the only school in the state
00:31:33that's powered by the sun. Being a resident of the island, the local explains some ground
00:31:38rules the permanent residents must abide by. If they do break these rules, they can be
00:31:44evicted. Now, not far from Bangkok, in northeastern
00:31:48Thailand, there's a 75-million-year-old rock formation. These rocks look like three
00:31:54whales swimming together. The beautiful design, created by nature, became known as the Three
00:32:00Whales Rock. Millions of years ago, this area was just a desert, but the land was changing.
00:32:07Gradually, sandstone got pulled apart by the movements of tectonic plates and erosion.
00:32:13That's how these spectacular formations were created. If you decide to explore this
00:32:18system of trails around Three Whales Rock, you'll find waterfalls and an abundance
00:32:23of fauna and flora there. Located on Gamal and Gaiden peninsulas, these
00:32:28expansive pit holes were discovered in 2014. They seem to be still changing and evolving.
00:32:35The pits grow wider, and people find them more often. Of course, there's no shortage
00:32:40of theories about how they appeared. Suggestions range from meteorite impacts to the activity
00:32:46of other civilizations, but the most common explanation is that methane gas reacted to
00:32:52water molecules after the planet's permafrost started to melt. This resulted in bubbles
00:32:57of methane bursting through the ice. The craters could be thousands of years old, but nobody
00:33:03knows for sure. You're driving to the state of New Mexico
00:33:08to the small town of Taos. 2% of the locals hear a strange buzzing in the air every day.
00:33:16Some residents believe the sound is somehow connected with technologies used by guests
00:33:21from other galaxies. Also, there is a theory that something sinister
00:33:26lives in the town. They say Taos is cursed. An evil spirit or a phantom punishes people
00:33:33for something their ancestors did in the past. Scientists still can't explain the nature
00:33:38of this sound. Another theory says it's caused by unusual acoustics of the location,
00:33:43while others think the buzzing is a hallucination. Some can hear it because everybody talks about
00:33:49something and our minds create an illusion of the sound that doesn't really exist.
00:33:54The sound isn't the same for everyone, either. For some, it's a low hum. For others, it's
00:34:00more of a buzzing sound. But this is not the only place where you can hear the strange
00:34:05noises. It's called the hum, and people worldwide claim to have heard it. Some dwellers
00:34:11of a small village in Scotland describe it as a low, thick hum, while some residents
00:34:17of Florida heard a similar sound too. It's not exactly known where this phenomenon
00:34:23appeared, but the first time the media started talking about it was in the 1970s in England.
00:34:29Also, there are written records of a mysterious buzzing dating back almost 200 years. According
00:34:35to some estimates, only about 2% of people on the planet can hear the hum. Perhaps their
00:34:41ears pick up some low-frequency waves, or the reason is something else entirely. Maybe,
00:34:48just maybe, they hear humming because the person doing it doesn't know the words to
00:34:53the song. Yeah, that joke is also 200 years old.
00:34:58A volcano in Indonesia spews bright blue lava and produces electric blue and purple flames.
00:35:05This phenomenon occurs because the volcano has some of the highest levels of sulfur in
00:35:10the world. You can also know you're near it by its foul stench. But I digress. And
00:35:17when sulfuric gases interact with scorching hot air and get lit by the molten lava, they
00:35:23turn blue. You can also find the world's largest acid lake inside this crater. Yup,
00:35:29it's a real stinker!
00:35:32Underwater rivers and lakes are called brine pools for a reason. High salinity makes the
00:35:37water in them denser than the seawater around. That's why it sinks to the bottom, forming
00:35:43rivers and lakes. Those have waves of their own, and these waves can sometimes lap up
00:35:48against the shorelines. If you went down there in a submarine, it would easily float
00:35:53on the surface of a brine pool. But without a submarine, swimming in such a lake would
00:35:58be too risky. They contain too much toxic methane and hydrogen sulfide. Yeah, I'd pass
00:36:04on that too. But hey, be my guest!
00:36:07Cave of Crystals in Mexico is home to the world's most unique crystal formations. Thanks
00:36:13to super-rare conditions in the cave, crystals there grow to unbelievable sizes. The air
00:36:19inside is incredibly humid. The water contains tons of minerals that boost the growth of
00:36:25the milky white giants. Some of them are longer than telephone poles.
00:36:30Cylindrical snow donuts occur when a wind gust starts to roll some snow across a snowy area,
00:36:37as if making a snowball. If it was a real thing, it would eventually become too heavy
00:36:41for the wind to move. But a snow donut's center is hollowed out. This happens because
00:36:47its inner layer is too thin and is blown away when the donut is formed. This makes the thing
00:36:53lighter than a snowball. That's also why it rolls further. Unfortunately, snow donuts
00:36:58are rare because they need very precise conditions to appear.
00:37:03The Danikil Depression in Ethiopia is probably one of the most bizarre-looking places you'll
00:37:09ever see. It's dotted with neon-colored hot springs, lava pools, and vast salt flats.
00:37:16You've got to be especially careful there. Toxic gases are swirling over hydrothermal
00:37:20fields. And many pools are super-acidic. So, don't go swimming. Until at least 30 minutes
00:37:27after lunch. Just kidding.
00:37:30And finally, there's nothing mysterious about 28,000 rubber ducks found in the sea in 1992.
00:37:38That's when a ship transporting bath toys got lost in the ocean while traveling from
00:37:42Hong Kong to the U.S. Some of these ducks are still floating in the ocean several decades
00:37:48later. They've been spotted in South America, Alaska, Hawaii, and even Australia. And they
00:37:54make bath time lots of fun. Ooh, rubber ducky!
00:38:00Rocks rolling down the slopes of a rumbling volcano, pushing other bigger rocks on their
00:38:05way, and eventually tumbling down into the ocean in a humongous cascade, causing a wave
00:38:11the height of which the world's never seen before. This is what might happen if the Halina
00:38:16Slump of the Hawaiian Big Island falls off into the water.
00:38:20The Kilauea Volcano is far from dormant. The latest eruption occurred in 2018. Its eruptions
00:38:27are usually accompanied by earthquakes of different magnitudes. And with each quake,
00:38:31the magma rocks on the slopes of the volcano shift down. These rock formations are called
00:38:37slumps, and the Halina Slump is the most notorious of them all. In 1868, the shift of this slump
00:38:44caused a tidal wave rising as tall as 60 feet. But what's most troubling is that some 110,000
00:38:51years ago, a landslide here led to one of the most powerful earthquakes ever, which
00:38:56in turn led to a mega-tsunami of over 1,000 feet in height. Scientists are worried that
00:39:02such an event may repeat in the future. If that happens, the wave might engulf the whole
00:39:08of Hawaii and easily reach both North and South American coasts. Geologists are quick
00:39:13to reassure, though, that a landslide like this is unlikely to occur anytime soon. It's
00:39:19just too early for that. But when it finally does, the consequences will be catastrophic.
00:39:25Have a nice day! Yellowstone National Park in the Western USA
00:39:30is world-famous for its dazzling views, and especially the colorful Grand Prismatic Spring
00:39:36at its very heart. But we should all stay aware that Yellowstone is, first and foremost,
00:39:42an enormous caldera, basically a slumbering supervolcano. The difference between a regular
00:39:48volcano like Kilauea from earlier and a supervolcano is that the latter is thousands of times more
00:39:54powerful. Imagine an eruption spewing tons of huge rock and rivers of hot lava, pumping
00:40:00out clouds of ash that make countries stop air travel for weeks. And now multiply all
00:40:06of this by a thousand. This is what a Yellowstone eruption would look like. At first, a huge
00:40:12area in the middle of the national park would shake, crumble, and then blast upwards in
00:40:17a mega-tun explosion. Lava flows and magma rocks would cover the area of about 40 square
00:40:23miles, roughly half of Washington, D.C. But the greatest danger is the volcanic ash. The
00:40:29ashen plume would rise miles above and get carried by the wind in every direction. Since
00:40:35the eruption would be far from ordinary, the spread and damage would also be much greater
00:40:40than usual. The ash is thick and heavy, so it would cover a vast area in a blanket, destroying
00:40:47crops and even buildings. Worse still, it would spread in the air and block out the
00:40:52sun, leading to a drastic drop in temperature and an artificial winter. Even regular volcanoes
00:40:58can lower temperatures worldwide by a few degrees. A supervolcano may potentially cause
00:41:04a new ice age. Luckily, the chances of Yellowstone's supervolcano erupting in the near future or
00:41:10at all are extremely low. There have been only three of those in the history of Earth,
00:41:16and there's no evidence such a disaster should repeat. Scientists estimate the probability
00:41:21at 0.00014%, which is lower than the chances of an asteroid wiping us all out. Speaking
00:41:28of which…
00:41:30If dinosaurs could talk, and were at least still alive for that matter, they'd tell
00:41:34you that asteroid threat is as real as it gets. Scientists at NASA say they've tracked
00:41:4090% of all near-Earth asteroids of significant size, and none of them are a matter of any
00:41:45concern. But there are still the other 10% in the great unknown. What's more, asteroids
00:41:52can change their line of flight because of the pull of other celestial bodies and eventually
00:41:57turn our way. Lucky us!
00:42:00Now, if an asteroid big enough, like a mile across, hits the Earth, it will first cause
00:42:05an explosion powerful enough to erase a dozen big cities in a matter of seconds. Then, the
00:42:11impact will raise a cloud of dust and debris that will block out the Sun, just like the
00:42:16ash cloud from a volcano, and cause a centuries-long winter on the whole planet. But even if it
00:42:21falls into the ocean, which is more likely, a resulting wave will rise several miles high,
00:42:27washing coastal cities off the face of the planet. But at least there won't be a new
00:42:31ice age.
00:42:33Although scientists are pretty sure there's no such threat in the near future, it can't
00:42:37be ruled out completely, and humanity needs at least 5 years to prepare for this event.
00:42:43If a big near-Earth asteroid suddenly changes its course and turns right toward our planet,
00:42:48we won't stand a chance against it. Disaster movie, anyone?
00:42:52A much more probable calamity, though, rests right beneath our feet. It's the San Andreas
00:42:58Fault in California. The fault has been ready for rupture for years now, and scientists
00:43:03estimate that an earthquake along this line is likely to occur in the next three decades.
00:43:09And when it happens, it won't be nice. They expect a magnitude of 8.0, which is comparable
00:43:15to some of the most devastating quakes in history.
00:43:18It's all the more dangerous since California is home to some of the most populated cities
00:43:23in the western U.S., including Los Angeles and San Francisco. High-rise buildings are
00:43:28common there, and they're particularly vulnerable against underground shakes.
00:43:33The San Andreas earthquake might cause a whole lot of damage both to cities and countryside.
00:43:39In the worst-case scenario, the ground might break apart, destroying buildings, farms,
00:43:44and changing the landscape altogether. Still, scientists believe that the probability of
00:43:49such a quake is only 7% for the next 30 years. So, there's a rather big chance, um, 93%,
00:43:57that we'll never see that in our lifetime.
00:44:00Yet there's another earthquake hazard not so far away from the previous one – the
00:44:05megathrust in Chile. The country sits right above the subduction zone, an area where two
00:44:11tectonic plates meet and go one beneath the other. At the place of their meeting, stress
00:44:17has accumulated because of their continuous movement, and once that strain is too much,
00:44:22a major earthquake occurs. Chile has experienced a lot of quakes in the recent years, and scientists
00:44:28are worried those might be preparing the area for a really big one. They believe a great
00:44:34earthquake is due to happen before the end of the century, and it might be devastating
00:44:38to the coastal area. Even smaller quakes cause tsunamis that flooded the west coast, and
00:44:43a huge one like that is likely to raise a wave of incredible height.
00:44:49On the bright side, Chile now knows to prepare in advance for the coming natural disasters,
00:44:54and geologists are pretty sure people will be able to evacuate before the earthquake
00:44:59strikes.
00:45:00In September of 1859, astronomer Richard Carrington was looking at the Sun and suddenly saw a
00:45:07bright flare on its surface. He made a note of it in his records, but only realized how
00:45:12important it was a couple of days later. The energy from that flare reached Earth and struck
00:45:18it directly, causing northern lights to appear above Cuba and burning telegraph lines all
00:45:24around the world. This was dubbed the Carrington event, and it was a solar storm.
00:45:30Such storms hit the Earth fairly often, but none of them were so powerful as the Carrington
00:45:35event, neither before nor after. But in 2012, astronomers registered a similar solar flare
00:45:42whose energy nearly hit our planet once again. If it had been just a week earlier, we'd
00:45:48have been in big trouble. Today, humanity relies on electricity in almost every aspect
00:45:53of life, and a powerful solar storm would mess with the electromagnetic field of Earth
00:45:58a lot. All electric appliances would either shut down or short-circuit, and huge transformers
00:46:05powering basically everything would go out of order for good. It would take years to
00:46:10repair them, and the cost of such a massive blackout would count in trillions of dollars.
00:46:15The worst of it is that science is almost unable to predict solar storms, and even if
00:46:20we could know about them in advance, we'd be powerless to stop them. The flare happens
00:46:25in a matter of seconds, and it takes about 8 minutes for the particles to reach the Earth's
00:46:30atmosphere, causing the disturbance. The power outage would come a bit later, in a day or
00:46:36so, when a massive cloud of plasma gets to our planet. At the moment, there's no protection
00:46:41against solar flares. And the chances of one powerful enough to cut all of our electricity
00:46:46in the next few years are quite high – about 12%. The only good thing about all this is
00:46:52that we now know of such a possibility and can at least prepare in advance. Hey, don't
00:46:58forget to pack some underwear and socks – you'll always need those!
00:47:02Ah, a purple sunset. You must've seen one of those at least once in your life. Normally,
00:47:09it's nothing ominous and has to do with the way light travels. The light that the
00:47:14Sun produces is white. When it goes through a prism, you see light waves of different
00:47:18colors – from red and orange to blue, green, and indigo. Light normally travels in a straight
00:47:25line if there's no obstacle in its way. The shorter light waves, including blues and
00:47:30purples, are scattered easier when they meet with those obstacles, like molecules and aerosols
00:47:35in the atmosphere. Because the Sun is low on the horizon at sunset and sunrise, its
00:47:40light has to pass through more molecules that scatter the violet and blue light. The colors
00:47:46that your eyes pick up, then, are yellow, orange, and red. But with the right conditions,
00:47:52you can see the gorgeous purple sky. Sometimes, purple sky appears for much scarier
00:47:57reasons. It can be caused by hurricanes, wildfires, or dust storms. The concentration of vapor
00:48:03in the air increases, and the light scatters more than usual. Dust, a setting Sun, and
00:48:09low cloud cover all contribute to this natural show, too. The sky turns orange and red at
00:48:15dusk if there's still enough light. Then, it gives off pink hues, which mix up with
00:48:20the dark blue sky above. Now, do you remember what happens when you mix pink and blue? You
00:48:26get the color purple. Not every hurricane makes the sky turn purple,
00:48:32and trying to predict if it's going to happen is like trying to forecast a rainbow. Still,
00:48:37people reported several major hurricanes made the skies turn purple.
00:48:42Green skies might look just as spectacular as purple ones, but they actually also scream
00:48:48danger. They're usually there to tell you a thunderstorm, hailstorm, or tornado is somewhere
00:48:54nearby. The unique color is a result of yellow sun rays getting mixed with the blue light
00:49:00coming from storm clouds. So, you're enjoying a nice day by the ocean
00:49:05with a fresh breeze in your hair, when suddenly, you notice the water starts retreating from
00:49:11the beach at a huge speed. This is a sign for you to start running as fast and far away
00:49:16from the beach as you can. This most likely means that a tsunami is on the way. A quick
00:49:22reaction maximizes your chances of survival. If you notice, the sea level is rising, but
00:49:29it doesn't seem too extreme. It could be another sign of an approaching tsunami. It
00:49:34happens in 40% of cases, and the incoming water is the first tsunami wave. The next
00:49:40one, way larger and more dangerous, usually follows in about 10 minutes.
00:49:46Another thing about tsunamis is that they like to arrive with some loud sounds. People
00:49:50describe them as thunder, the sound of a locomotive, a helicopter, or just a loud boom.
00:49:57Do you see a channel of choppy water on the beach? It's in your best interest to stay
00:50:01away from the water. There might be a rip current under the surface that can be extremely
00:50:07dangerous. Sometimes, waves hit the shore in a weird way, which forms these rip currents.
00:50:13You might see a strange break in the waves, or an area with a different color than the
00:50:17rest of the water. Random bits of seaweed going in all directions is another rip current
00:50:23warning sign. If you happen to find yourself caught in a rip current, try to stay afloat,
00:50:29but don't try to go against the current. You'll only waste precious energy. Scream
00:50:34for help and try to float your way along the beach. Once you break out of the current,
00:50:39swim diagonally to the shore. The next time you spot conically shaped clouds
00:50:44in the sky, remember it's a good time to start looking for some shelter. If it just
00:50:49stays like that, a severe storm is on the way. But if a cloud of that shape starts spinning
00:50:55around, it means it's about to transform into a tornado.
00:51:01If you have bees nearby, they can save you from big trouble one day. These hard-working
00:51:06little guys get more active than usual when they feel like a storm is on the way. They
00:51:11speed up to collect more nectar before it hits them, and once they're done with it,
00:51:16they'll always come back to the hive 10-15 minutes before heavy rain, even when there
00:51:20are no obvious signs of it coming. Their secret is super-sensitive hairs on the back that
00:51:26can pick up electrostatic build-ups from storm clouds.
00:51:31For centuries, people have noticed that animals act weirdly a couple of days before big seismic
00:51:36events. Dogs can't start barking, cows halt their milk, and toads, rats, and snakes leave
00:51:43their homes. It looks like animals can feel smaller initial shock waves that humans don't
00:51:48even notice. Scientists have tried to find some legit explanation for it and run endless
00:51:54tests and experiments. But so far, they're still on their way to explaining this mystery.
00:52:00Can you smell ozone in the air? When a thunderstorm is on the way, it's the most distinct and
00:52:05pungent smell you can pick up. An electrical charge of lightning sets it free from higher
00:52:11altitudes. The other, more pleasant smell of rain is petrichor. Rainwater wakes up molecules
00:52:17on plants, trees, concrete, and asphalt. Their aroma spreads all over the place. You can
00:52:23even feel that smell in your own mouth. All those positive ions in the air that a lightning
00:52:29bolt sets free gets mixed with ozone and your saliva, and that's how you get that bitter
00:52:35metallic taste. When lightning is about to strike, you might
00:52:39hear bizarre crackling, buzzing, or vibrating sounds coming from metal objects nearby. Your
00:52:45palms may begin to sweat, and then you can feel your hair stand on end. That's a clear
00:52:51call for action, and that action is to run for your life. Positive charges are going
00:52:56through your body trying to reach toward the negatively charged part of the storm. Trust
00:53:01me, you don't want these charges to meet. If you see no shelter that you can reach fast,
00:53:07try to make yourself smaller than the objects around you. Drop down your umbrella and stay
00:53:12away from wire fences, metal pipes, rails, and other metallic objects. And don't lie
00:53:18flat on the ground – it's likely wet, which means it's a great conductor of electricity.
00:53:24If you suddenly notice crevices in the asphalt next to your house, it could be a sinkhole
00:53:29warning sign. Inspect your house on the inside – does that door begin to jam? Or maybe
00:53:36there's a gap where the walls meet the ceiling. Uneven kitchen cabinets and drawers, slanted
00:53:41floors, stairs that begin to slope, water leaking after every rain, and displaced moldings
00:53:47are all signs that a sinkhole is about to open. To find out if it's definitely a sinkhole
00:53:53and how dangerous it is, you gotta consult with an engineering company. If you find a
00:53:59sinkhole that's already there, you gotta stay away from the sinkhole area. Fence or
00:54:04rope it off to make it less dangerous for others. You'll need professional help to
00:54:08fix it.
00:54:10Some volcanoes scream when they're about to erupt. Small earthquakes, which often happen
00:54:15before, produce a hum. It's mostly non-audible to human ears, but sometimes it reaches a
00:54:22frequency that lets you hear it as a strange rumbling or hissing sound coming from the
00:54:27ground. This noise is known as a harmonic tremor. With some volcanoes, it's the sound
00:54:33of magma bubbles vibrating when they're going through crevices in the crust of the
00:54:37Earth. But it's not always like this. If scientists managed to understand what exactly
00:54:43causes these volcanic screams, they could create a limited early warning system for
00:54:48volcanic eruptions.
00:54:50If you're out in the wild, pay attention to the water in creeks, streams, and rivers.
00:54:55If its level is quickly falling, even if it's raining, this might be a sign of a nearing
00:55:01landslide. And if you hear a faint rumbling noise or unusual sounds, like boulders knocking
00:55:07together, it could mean debris is on its way to you. It's a sign to head to safety immediately,
00:55:13like right now.
00:55:16You feel some rumbling from below. No, it's not your tummy. It's low and ominous. You
00:55:22look up and see strange lights hanging above the ground. They look like shimmering balls
00:55:27of light hovering high up in the sky. Your throat goes dry, and you gulp. That's what
00:55:33they call the earthquake lights. This phenomenon is poorly understood, but witnesses say they've
00:55:39seen it in different shapes and sizes. It could be in the form of light balls, sheet
00:55:44lightning, streamers, and a steady glow in the sky.
00:55:48Soon after, a strong earthquake follows. Scientists can't explain why those lights appear, and
00:55:54they don't always do either. Some believe that's a reaction of underground gases released
00:55:59into the atmosphere. Sure enough, an earthquake begins, but lucky you, it's not as strong
00:56:06as you expected. The ground is shaking, but you even manage to keep your balance. It stops
00:56:11as abruptly as it began, and you walk home. On the way home, you see a flash and hear
00:56:17a whip crack. Lightning has struck a lone tree near where you just stood. It's caught
00:56:22on fire, and there's a column of flames rising to the sky. Still no rain, and the pillar
00:56:29becomes taller and taller. Have you heard of such a thing as a fire tornado? These phenomena
00:56:35occur when the wind is caught in a circle close to the ground because of the difference
00:56:40in air pressure. Such mini-tornadoes are usually easy to notice. Small rubble, dust, sand,
00:56:46and leaves rise into the air and start flying in rapid circles. But then, if there's a source
00:56:52of fire nearby, the funnel can catch it and blow it stronger like bellows. The flames
00:56:58go round and round, reaching ever higher and eventually creating a swirling, blazing tower.
00:57:05Luckily, fire tornadoes are short-lived and don't normally cause much damage. But don't
00:57:10try to hide from the storm under that tree. You can find this unusual plant in Florida
00:57:15and in some parts of the Caribbean coast. Externally, it doesn't look special at all.
00:57:21A gray trunk, green leaves, and fruit similar to small apples. What you must remember is
00:57:26never to pluck these apples and never stand next to the tree, especially if it's raining.
00:57:33This is the Manchineel tree, which is considered the most dangerous in the world. Its trunk,
00:57:38bark, branches, and fruit contain poisonous juice. One drop of this corrosive acidic
00:57:44liquid can harm your skin, a lot. The tree can secrete this juice, and if you accidentally
00:57:50touch it, you risk burning your hand. When it rains, water droplets fall on the tree
00:57:57and mix with the poison. Water can also bounce off the bark and get on your skin. That's
00:58:02why you shouldn't stand nearby either. There are almost no other shrubs or mushrooms growing
00:58:08around. Animals avoid these trees, and people don't chop them and don't pluck the fruit.
00:58:14You can't make a bonfire from their branches. Burning wood emits poisonous smoke that can
00:58:19damage your eyes. Locals know this tree well, but tourists and travelers might accidentally
00:58:24get harmed. That's why most Manchineel trees are marked with paint or have a warning sign.
00:58:32In western Venezuela, locals living close to the Catatumbo River aren't afraid of lightning
00:58:37because they see it almost every single night. It starts at around 7 o'clock and doesn't
00:58:43stop until dawn. The everlasting Catatumbo lightning did once stop for a few months,
00:58:49from January to March 2010. It was probably due to drought, or maybe the charge ran out.
00:58:56In 1991, a scientist suggested that the phenomenon happens because of cold and warm air currents
00:59:02meeting in the area. Another theory is that the lightning could be due to the presence
00:59:06of uranium in the bedrock.
00:59:10Not all lightning happens inside clouds. There's a rare phenomenon called a dirty thunderstorm.
00:59:16The lightning happens above a volcano. The most famous is in Japan. It erupts almost
00:59:21every day and spits black clouds high into the air. So it's super scary volcano clouds
00:59:28plus lightning! Whoa! Regular lightning happens during a storm when ice crystals bump into
00:59:34each other. In a dirty thunderstorm, bits of volcanic ash collide, create friction,
00:59:39and spark up the sky.
00:59:42In the hottest and one of the driest places on Earth, Africa's Danakil Desert, temperatures
00:59:47often rise above 120 degrees Fahrenheit. The out-of-this-world landscape has many active
00:59:53volcanoes and geysers that spit out toxic gases like chlorine and sulfur. The vibrantly
01:00:00green, electric blue, and yellow waters are all rain and seawater warmed up by magma.
01:00:06One wrong step here and you'd be gone for good.
01:00:10This happened in June 2009. People in certain areas in Japan left their homes after a heavy
01:00:16downpour, only to find fish, frogs, and tadpoles everywhere. Fields, roads, lawns, and rooftops
01:00:24were littered with these aquatic creatures. One man was shocked to see 13 carp on and
01:00:30around his truck. Apparently, he stopped to count them. No one knows for sure where the
01:00:35bizarre rain came from, but the most popular theory claims that a powerful water spout
01:00:40picked up all these creatures. Then, it carried them through the upper atmosphere and dropped
01:00:45the animals on the unsuspecting people below.
01:00:48And now, welcome to Abraham Lake in Canada. It's completely frozen. You step onto the
01:00:54transparent ice and look down at what lies beneath. No fish, just some mysterious frozen
01:01:00bubbles. They look like small clouds frozen in ice, or jellyfish who forgot to pack a
01:01:05winter jacket. There are thousands of these little bubbles made up of methane, but don't
01:01:11try to dig a hole in the ice to touch it. Methane is highly flammable. It's created
01:01:16by methane-producing bacteria that eats leaves, grass, insects, or any other organic stuff
01:01:22that gets into the lake. When the methane touches the frozen water, it turns into tens
01:01:27of thousands of frozen little balls. When the ice melts, they burst open and sizzle.
01:01:33Similar lakes can be found near some shores of the Arctic Ocean. There, the size of the
01:01:38bubbles can reach several times the size of hot air balloons. Beautiful for sure, but
01:01:43not exactly safe.
01:01:45The next shocking lake is in Indonesia, the island of Java. You come to a majestic volcano,
01:01:52overgrown with grass and trees. The volcano seems to be asleep, but smoke is pouring out
01:01:58of it. You climb to the summit. Exhausted, tired, sweaty, you're ready to cool off.
01:02:05Nice work, you made it to the top. You look into the mouth of the volcano. Hmm, no boiling
01:02:10lava, just a beautiful, bright, turquoise lake down there. It looks like an oasis. Perfect
01:02:16time for a refreshing dip. You run down and get ready to jump in, but that's not water,
01:02:22that's acid! Sulfurous gases get into the lake from under the volcano. The lake itself
01:02:28is full of metals. When the gases touch them, they form that beautiful turquoise water.
01:02:33I mean, acid.
01:02:35Better head back to the nearest village, rest, and come back at night when it's cooler.
01:02:40In the dark, the lake seems to glow. Right above it, you see light-filled, exploding
01:02:45little clouds. The sulfurous gases rise out of the lake, combine with the air, and flash
01:02:51bright blue. Still, don't get too close.
01:02:56The sea turns sinister red, and no living being can survive in it. Must be some dark
01:03:01magic. In fact, it's tiny algae that spread uncontrollably, giving the water this specific
01:03:08tint called the red tide. They have toxins that destroy sea mammals, birds, and turtles,
01:03:14as well as creatures that feed on them. For humans, contact with it ends in breathing
01:03:19problems or seafood poisoning.
01:03:22Sometimes even huge ships sink in the open seas for no visible reason. That reason is
01:03:28often the pockets of bubbles that underwater volcanoes produce even while they're sleeping.
01:03:33Those productive magma factories are hidden under 8,500 feet of water. When they wake
01:03:38up, they act just like land volcanoes, and they can cause destructive tsunamis.
01:03:45This tree looks like a bottle. No wonder it's called the bottle tree. It grows in Namibia
01:03:50and attracts many tourists. But don't get too close to the tree because it's one of
01:03:55the most dangerous on Earth. Milky juice flows inside the trunk. It's highly toxic to the
01:04:01human body. On the bright side, though, the trees have beautiful pink-white leaves with
01:04:06a red core.
01:04:07There's a tree growing in Western Australia that was once used as a prison. A cell for
01:04:12criminals existed inside the Boab Prison Tree for a long time. People were usually kept
01:04:18there temporarily just for one night. After that, they were taken to their final destination.
01:04:24The prison was built more than 1,500 years ago and has been perfectly preserved to this
01:04:29day. Tourists visiting this place can sneak a peek inside.
01:04:34The Baltic Sea Anomaly In 2011, a diving team came down to the bottom
01:04:40of the northern part of the Baltic Sea. They went on a treasure hunt. But what they came
01:04:44upon was a pretty weird object. When they took photos and showed them to others, many
01:04:50believed it was a sunken spaceship of another civilization. Other people thought that some
01:04:57natural causes formed the object, but the metals inside the structure definitely couldn't
01:05:02have been formed naturally. Now, some scientists even believe it was something that appeared
01:05:08way back in the Ice Age. Maybe it was even a meteorite that ended up trapped under ice
01:05:14back then.
01:05:17A maelstrom is a whirlpool, some sort of a powerful rotational current that forms when
01:05:22two currents collide and create a circular vortex. Even fearless Vikings were afraid
01:05:28of maelstroms because those were forces so powerful that they could sink large ships.
01:05:34These whirlpools remain dangerous even today, but luckily, not for big modern ships that
01:05:39are large enough to withstand the power of maelstroms. But a cruise ship that gets into
01:05:45a maelstrom usually faces massive waves that can rock even big vessels from side to side
01:05:51pretty intensely. A maelstrom can be so strong, it can turn into some sort of an underwater
01:05:58black hole. Yep, black holes are not only present in the cold expanse of space, you
01:06:04can find them here on our home planet too, swirling in the oceans. They're similar to
01:06:10those in space since they're compacted so tightly that nothing they trap can escape.
01:06:17Underwater black holes often span up to 93 miles in diameter, and if you got into one
01:06:23of those, you probably wouldn't even know it. These black holes act like vortices, but
01:06:29because of their size, even professionals can hardly see their boundaries.
01:06:35Here's something relaxing. Next time you go to the beach, pay attention, and maybe you'll
01:06:40see an optical phenomenon called the green flash. You can see it shortly after sunset
01:06:46or right before sunrise. It occurs when the sun is almost completely below the horizon,
01:06:52while its rim, the upper one, is still visible. For just a second or two, that upper edge
01:06:59of the sun will appear green. It's because you're looking at the sun through thicker
01:07:04parts of the atmosphere as it's moving down in the sky. As it's dipping below the horizon,
01:07:10light refracts, or bends, in the atmosphere and gets dispersed. Wait for a clear day with
01:07:18no clouds or haze on the horizon to see this phenomenon better.
01:07:24You've been looking forward to a nice swim, only to realize that the water in the ocean
01:07:28is red? Better avoid going in. Florida is known for its red tides. It occurs when the
01:07:36concentration of specific microscopic algae is higher than normal. Thousands of species
01:07:43of algae in marine and fresh waters are mostly harmless to animals and humans. They even
01:07:48help us, since they're an important source of oxygen. But some, like the algae that makes
01:07:54the ocean red, can be extremely dangerous for marine animals, like sea turtles, fish,
01:08:00and seabirds. This kind can grow out of control and produce neurotoxins harmful to humans,
01:08:08especially those who have some respiratory issues. Such people should avoid red tide
01:08:13areas, especially when winds are strong enough to push the algae toward the shore.
01:08:20Volcanoes can spew poisonous gas, ash, and red-hot lava. Those are the most obvious dangers
01:08:26most of us already know about. But submarine volcanoes can be very tricky in their own
01:08:31way. Sometimes, when they're located in shallow waters, they reveal their presence by blasting
01:08:37debris of rock and steam high above the surface. Since submarine volcanoes are surrounded by
01:08:44an unlimited supply of water, they can behave differently from those on land. When they
01:08:50erupt, seawater gets into active submarine vents. Lava can be spreading across a shallow
01:08:57seafloor, or sometimes even flowing into the sea from land volcanoes. When in water, it
01:09:03may cool down so quickly that it shatters into rubble and sand. So, there are large
01:09:09amounts of volcanic debris left there. You know those popular black sand beaches in Hawaii?
01:09:15That's how they formed. Hot lava and powerful eruptions certainly don't sound safe. But
01:09:22submarine volcanoes in deeper waters are equally dangerous. Even though they're not necessarily
01:09:28erupting, they produce pockets of bubbles. These bubbles reduce the density of the surrounding
01:09:33waters, which can even sink ships. The worst thing is that when you look at the surface
01:09:40of the ocean, you can't understand something's wrong. But at the same time, tiny bubbles
01:09:46are there, causing ships to lose buoyancy, and with very little warning. A cross-sea
01:09:54is a rare phenomenon, beautiful to observe, but also very dangerous. It's when you see
01:09:59square waves, which are more common in shallow parts of the ocean. That's something you can
01:10:04often see in France, or on certain beaches of Tel Aviv. But it can also happen in many
01:10:11coastal areas across the world. A cross-sea occurs when two wave patterns travel at oblique
01:10:18angles. They form this checkerboard-like pattern. It mostly happens when two swells meet, or
01:10:25when a swell pushes waves in one direction, while a strong wind pushes them in another.
01:10:31These square waves can be dangerous for swimmers and boaters. The waves produced by strong
01:10:37ocean currents can be pretty unpredictable, and tall, sometimes up to almost 10 feet.
01:10:42This phenomenon is sometimes called white walls. These waves can be so powerful that
01:10:48they can turn over even big boats. If you fill a clear glass with some ocean water,
01:10:55and take a closer look, you'll see it's full of very small particles. Seawater contains
01:11:00dissolved salts, fats, algae, proteins, detergents, and other bits of artificial and organic matter.
01:11:09If you shake that glass, you'll see tiny bubbles forming on its surface. That's how sea foam
01:11:15forms when waves and winds agitate the ocean. When you see thick sea foam, algal blooms
01:11:21might have caused it. When big blooms of algae fall apart in the sea, large amounts of that
01:11:26matter move in the direction of dry land. Most kinds of sea foam aren't dangerous to
01:11:33humans, but when blooms of algae fall apart, it can have a negative impact on both the
01:11:39environment and people. For example, when sea foam bubbles pop, the toxins they contain
01:11:45get released into the air, and they can irritate your eyes or cause some other health issues.
01:11:53You can see a tidal bore in the areas where a river empties into a sea or an ocean. It's
01:11:58a powerful tide that goes against the current and pushes up the river. A tidal bore falls
01:12:04into a category of something called the surge, which is a sudden change in depth. A tidal
01:12:10bore is a positive surge, which means it pushes up a river, making it much deeper. A negative
01:12:17surge is when the river suddenly becomes very shallow. You won't see tidal bores everywhere.
01:12:24The river must be fairly shallow with a narrow outlet to the sea. The place where the sea
01:12:29and the river meet must be flat and wide. Also, the area between low and high tide must
01:12:35be at least 20 feet across. Of course, there are some exceptions, like the Amazon River,
01:12:43the world's largest one. The mouth of the Amazon is not narrow, but the river experiences
01:12:48tidal bores. That's because its mouth is shallow and has many sandbars and low-lying islands.
01:12:55The tidal bore is so strong there that the river doesn't even have a delta. Its sediment
01:13:01goes directly into the Atlantic Ocean, where fast-moving currents take it away. A tidal
01:13:07bore is often unpredictable and can be extremely rough. In many cases, it changes the color
01:13:13of the river from greenish or blue to brown. It can damage vegetation or even tear trees
01:13:19out of the ground. So, recreation sports like kayaking and river surfing can be hazardous
01:13:25in these areas. Even if you just want to take a look at a tidal bore, be careful. Tidal
01:13:32waves can sweep over lookout points and drag whatever or whoever is there into the churning
01:13:38river.
01:13:39Guajan Volcano in Indonesia is not your ordinary lava belching mountain. Instead of producing
01:13:46black smoke and red lava, as most volcanoes do, this eccentric guy lets out a blue flame
01:13:52and electric blue lava. This phenomenon occurs because the volcano contains some of the highest
01:13:58levels of sulfur in the world, and when the sulfuric gases interact with scorching air
01:14:03and get lit by the molten lava, they start to turn blue. Unfortunately, you can see this
01:14:08mesmerizing sight only at night, but you can smell it all day long.
01:14:13By the way, the world's largest acid lake is also located inside this crater. The Dead
01:14:19Sea has a high concentration of salt and minerals compared to other seas, even though it's
01:14:24technically a lake. Swimming is almost impossible, but people go there for the natural chemicals
01:14:30for the body. Floating on the surface is a great way to relax. This ancient body of water
01:14:35got its name because no macroscopic organisms can live there since it's 9.6 times saltier
01:14:41than oceans. Only a few bacteria and fungi can be found enjoying the salt. It's also
01:14:47Earth's lowest elevation on land at 1,400 feet below sea level.
01:14:54An underground crystal cave exists in Mexico, and it looks like some interstellar world.
01:15:00It's roughly 1,000 feet beneath the surface, with each spike measuring up to 35 feet in
01:15:05length and weighing up to 55 tons. These are some of the largest crystals in the world.
01:15:12Leskintyre Beach is an endless strand of white sand dunes in azure water, but don't let the
01:15:17tropical vibes fool you. It's located in Scotland. That's why it mostly looks like this during
01:15:23May and June only. In December, the place gets only an average of one hour of sunshine
01:15:28per day, making it way more dramatic and monochrome.
01:15:33The Georgia Guidestones is a collection of giant stones in a star pattern. It has inscriptions
01:15:38in 8 languages, including Hindi, Chinese, and Swahili. It also has an astronomical calendar
01:15:45finished in 1980 and was built to last centuries. No one knows who built it or why.
01:15:53All the way over in sunny California is Sequoia National Park, home to the giant forest. It's
01:15:59been around for thousands of years. More than 8,000 of these colossal trees rule the land,
01:16:05including 10 of the largest living plants in the world. The General Sherman sequoia
01:16:09is estimated to be up to 2,700 years old and is recognized as the world's largest known
01:16:15living tree by volume.
01:16:19The famous stone heads of Easter Island have been around for hundreds of years. No one
01:16:23knows exactly why they were built. Some scientists think that local people believed the statues
01:16:28would make the soil more fertile. Soil analysis proved the heads did their job well. It's
01:16:34the best agricultural spot on the island.
01:16:38The chemical composition of the ancient hot springs in Pamukkale, Turkey, makes the water
01:16:43pouring over the edge look magical. They're not only good for cleansing your body, but
01:16:48the mind too.
01:16:50All the way in Saudi Arabia is a rock sliced perfectly in the middle with two pieces sitting
01:16:55parallel. What makes Al-Nasla so unique is that it wasn't artificially done, but is
01:17:01a result of nature's work over the years.
01:17:04This glacier may look like someone dropped tons of red paint in the middle of Antarctica,
01:17:09but it's actually the natural color. Blood falls is a result of extreme salted water
01:17:14mixed with iron oxide, giving out this eerie vibe in the middle of nowhere.
01:17:20In early May 2018, New England observed one of the scariest and most dangerous phenomena
01:17:25ever, a super long-track tornado. The frightening natural phenomenon started not far from Charleston,
01:17:32New Hampshire, and traveled toward the town of Webster in Merrimack County. It took the
01:17:37tornado 33 minutes to cover 36 miles and become the third on the list of the longest-track
01:17:43tornadoes in New England.
01:17:46In the Philippines, you can swim in some of the most crystal-clear waters and discover
01:17:50an underwater world below you in the province of Palawan. The municipality of Koran has
01:17:56white sandy beaches with many small boats riding through the many amazing sceneries.
01:18:03Tristan da Cunha is a small volcanic archipelago in the Atlantic, with the only neighboring
01:18:08cities of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Cape Town, South Africa. It takes 7 days by ship
01:18:14to get to this unique place. If you want to escape from the rest of the world, staying
01:18:19with the 280 locals will make you feel like you're away from everything.
01:18:25During the first week of January 2018, unusually cold weather in the Northeast United States
01:18:31froze the Atlantic Ocean in North Thalmouth, Massachusetts. What's more, the ocean was
01:18:36frozen so thoroughly that people were walking on the waves. Now, that's obviously something
01:18:41you don't see every day.
01:18:44Red sand is what makes this beach unique and why tourists flock to Tianjin, China. A red-colored
01:18:50plant called a suede salsa dwells in the saltwater. The whole beach is covered in red
01:18:55with only the top layer of the sea visible.
01:18:59If there ever was a thing that said, I defy gravity out loud, it's the stone of Devasco
01:19:04in Argentina. The huge 300-ton boulder stands precariously on the edge of a cliff and rocks
01:19:11a little bit from side to side in the wind. People even checked it by putting glass bottles
01:19:16under one of its edges. They exploded with another movement of the rock. Unfortunately
01:19:21today, you can't see this wonder of nature as it was a century ago. In 1912, the boulder
01:19:27suddenly dropped from its perch, which it had occupied for literally hundreds of years.
01:19:33The people of the nearby town of Tandil were so sad about this event that 95 years later,
01:19:38in 2007, they decided to restore the stone. They made a plastic replica of the rock and
01:19:45put it on the same spot and even in the same position. So, even today, coming by Tandil,
01:19:51you can see its famous balancing boulder. More of a symbol now, of course, because it's
01:19:56no longer rocking and only weighs 9 tons, but instantly recognizable nonetheless.
01:20:03Socotra is an alien-like island off the coast of Yemen in the Indian Ocean with one of the
01:20:08most unique trees ever seen. It's called the dragon tree, and it can only be found
01:20:14on this amazing island. In 2008, it was labeled as a World Heritage Site.
01:20:21If you ever see a tight-burning column of air, don't panic – it's not the end
01:20:25of the world! The creepy combination of whirlwind sounds and scorching inferno means that you
01:20:30have crossed paths with a fire tornado, also known as fire twister or fire whirl. This
01:20:37dangerous phenomenon occurs mostly during wildfires. These fires create a big area of
01:20:42super-hot air just above the ground. When this scorching air gets mixed with the cooler
01:20:47air higher up, it results in a whirlwind that churns up burning debris and flames. The most
01:20:53powerful fire tornadoes can stretch hundreds of feet into the air.
01:20:58The House of Mystery in Gold Hill, Oregon amazes its visitors with gravity-defying effects.
01:21:04You can't stand straight there, always leaning to the side and having to hold on to something
01:21:09for balance. Balls roll upwards. There's also a broom that stands perfectly still wherever
01:21:15you put it, unlike virtually everything else in the shack. The local Native American tribes
01:21:20call this place the Forbidden Ground, even before the house was built there, and they
01:21:26avoid approaching it. The owners of the shack, though, decided to turn it into an attraction,
01:21:31and they succeeded. They created an atmosphere of mystery around the place, and spread the
01:21:36news about it in newspapers and later on the Internet, and voila! A perfect anomaly
01:21:42is made. In fact, it's no more than a curiosity. A human-made optical illusion that tricks
01:21:48your eyes and other senses.
01:21:50If you travel to the Philippines, Indonesia, or Papua New Guinea, you'll have a chance
01:21:55to see some of the most unusual and cheerful trees in the world. The trunk of the Rainbow
01:22:00Eucalyptus looks as if it had been painted orange, green, red, purple, yellow, brown,
01:22:06blue, hey, you name it! Some trees are so bright that they seem artificial. The Rainbow
01:22:12Eucalyptus regularly sheds strips of bark, which reveals a bright green layer underneath.
01:22:18A bit later, this green layer gradually changes its color. And since the shedding happens
01:22:23at a different time in different places on the trunk, the tree starts to look multicolored
01:22:28and very attractive.
01:22:31Yemen is home to the oldest skyscrapers in the world and the oldest metropolis. The ancient
01:22:36city of Shabam is considered to be the Manhattan of the desert due to the collection of mud
01:22:41buildings popping out of the desert floor. It used to be a caravan stop during ancient
01:22:46times.
01:22:51That's it for today, so hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like
01:22:55and share it with your friends. Or if you want more, just click on these videos and
01:22:59stay on the Bright Side!