By Ruth Cawley
Across the globe, Mother Nature works her magic by showcasing the most mysterious and wonderful phenomena like the renowned Northern Lights or a solar eclipse. When science meets mystery, the end result leaves people speechless with awe and curiosity about how these feats are possible in the first place. The most unusual sights are often the most astounding, such as those listed here.
1) Blood Falls, Antarctica
At first glance, it seems as though blood is seeping out of the snowy Taylor Glacier in Antarctica and staining the surrounding ice in scarlet. If you look again, it becomes clear that this is not blood, but water that has been dyed red by iron-rich saltwater lakes trapped under the glacier for approximately two million years.
The red effect is caused by the trapped water oxidising when it meets air and produces the rust-like colour. The submerged lakes are highly concentrated in salt and spent two millennia without exposure to heat, oxygen, or light.
Colloquially known as Blood Falls, there are tours available from helicopters or cruise ships due to the remote and tricky nature of its location in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Helicopters leave from Scott Base or McMurdo Station and cruise ships travel through the Ross Sea. Due to its unique visuals and scientific roots, Blood Falls offers an eerie, yet fascinating, sight to travellers.
2) Great Blue Hole, Belize
Located off the Ambergris Caye, the Great Blue Hole of Belize is a circular underwater sinkhole reaching immense measurements of approximately 410 feet in depth and almost 1,000 feet in width. It ranks among the largest of its kind of geological structures in the world. Stalactites found at the bottom of the sinkhole date back to over 150,000 years ago.
Studies indicates that the Great Blue Hole was first formed during the last Ice Age when the ocean levels significantly dropped. It was initially a limestone cave that collapsed, creating the perfect circular shape. When sea levels rose again, the caves were flooded with seawater. The Great Blue Hole is a designated UNESCO World Heritage site and is part of the surrounding Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System.
The clear blue waters attract scuba divers from around the globe and make it an ideal location for a coastal day trip. Over the years, the Great Blue Hole has been the subject of many documentaries and studies in mainstream media, having been featured on the Discovery Channel and National Geographic.
3) Lake Natron, Tanzania
The natural marvel known as Lake Natron lies in the Gregory Rift in Tanzania. Similarly to the Antarctic Red Falls, the water is a blood-red colour, giving the lake an eerie appearance to onlookers. The startling and mysterious impression is accentuated by the fact that any living thing that dies in the lake is calcified and visible on the water’s surface.
This bizarre phenomenon is caused by the lake having a pH as high as 12, which preserves animals’ corpses in a mummified state. Its extreme salinity and alkalinity create an inhospitable environment to most living things, except for specialized algae and bacteria. Hence, the scarlet colour emerges from the microorganisms that thrive in the salty conditions. The name ‘Natron’ is derived from the sodium carbonate decahydrate (chemically referred to as natron) which causes the high pH. The chemicals in the bedrock and lava layers consist mostly of carbonate that originated in the Ice Age, and which intensify the water’s salinity.
Lake Natron is considered to be shallow at almost ten feet in depth. However, it reaches a whopping fifty-seven kilometres in length and twenty-two kilometres in width. The lake’s surrounding wetlands is the only known regular mating grounds for lesser flamingos in Africa, although the space is threatened by construction plans. Millions of flamingos live in the wetlands, making it a prime location for birdwatching. People cannot swim in Lake Natron as the high causticity of the water that would severely damage human skin. There are guided walking tours of the area as well as hikes to the nearby waterfalls or mountains.
4) Frozen Methane Bubbles, Canada
For a truly unforgettable experience, it is worth visiting Abraham Lake in Alberta, Canada and take in the water’s stunning frozen methane bubbles. This fascinatingly eerie phenomenon occurs in many Canadian lakes but is most prominent at Abraham Lake. The bubbles resemble frozen orbs suspended in time, appearing milky white or translucent against the deep blue water. In sunlight, they create a seemingly otherworldly visual for photographers and tourists.
When organic matter (e.g. plants, dead leaves) settle at the bottom of the lake, bacteria break them down and methane is released as a byproduct. During warmer months, the methane simply rises to the surface and dissipates into the air. However, in colder weather, the lake freezes, and the bubbles are trapped under the ice. As more gas rises and ice thickens, additional bubbles get trapped in successive layers, creating the mesmerizing ‘stacked’ effect.
This is an ideal location for adventurous photographers and tourists looking for stunning scenery. Due to the methane levels and cold temperatures, swimming and boating activities are not allowed at Lake Abraham. The optimal time to visit the lake is between January and mid-February when the bubbles are at their best.
5) Door to Hell, Turkmenistan
For a more surprising experience, look no further than the Door to Hell in Turkmenistan for a day trip. Also known as the Darvaza Crater, it stretches across the Karakum desert at approximately thirty-nine metres wide and thirty metres in depth.
Unlike the other phenomena listed here, the Door to Hell is a purely manmade mishap that transitioned into an unprecedented natural spectacle. In 1972, a failed Soviet natural gas drilling operation was ignited by geologists to eliminate methane gas before it reached lethal levels. The rig mistakenly collapsed into a giant subterranean natural gas cavern which had a much higher volume of poisonous gases than anticipated. The fire was expected to extinguish within a few days – however, it continues to burn as strongly today as it did over fifty years ago. It resembles a fiery pit straight out of a horror film.
The Door to Hell is considered an unmissable tourist attraction although there is no official centre nearby. However, yurts have been set up in the area for accommodation and there are some rough roads that visitors can travel on. Since 2013, explorers have ventured into its depths to collect soil samples and search for hidden treasures.
6) Underwater Waterfall Illusion, Mauritius
Nature likes to play tricks on people when it can! Off the coast of Mauritius, a stunning optical illusion was created over eight million years ago when the Mascarene Islands were formed from volcanic activity.
The Mascarene Islands lie upon a submarine plateau or “ocean shelf” which is only around one hundred and fifty metres deep. However, there is a drop-off of over 4,000 metres beyond this point. The movement of sand and silt deposits along the underwater slopes create a cascading effect as it slides over the shelf. Thus, it is more of a ‘sandfall’ than a waterfall. An amazing visual effect is produced as a result.
The only real way to see the “waterfall” spectacle is to fly over the islands and view its entire formation from above. Helicopter tours are available for visitors to get amazing photograph opportunities of the illusion as well as the stunningly clear waters and islands. Swimming and surfing are also permitted in this area. Alternatively, visitors can hike Le Morne Brabant and take in brilliant views of the islands and reefs.
7) Catatumbo Lightning, Venezuela
Catatumbo lightning refers to an atmospheric phenomenon where a lightning storm occurs for about 140-160 nights per year, lasting up to ten hours each night. This takes place over the mouth of the Catatumbo River in Venezuela. The word ‘Catatumbo’ means House of Thunder in the indigenous dialect of the people near Lake Maracaibo which is connected to the river in question.
Warm air from the Caribbean mixes with cold air from the Andes Mountains, creating an ‘everlasting storm’ (electrical charge) and producing nearly continuous flashes of lightning. Its frequency has been recorded at almost 16-40 flashes per minute and thus creates the world’s highest density of lightning.
Visitors can partake in the Catatumbo Lightning Tour which lasts for three days and two nights. Nearby villages offer an authentic cultural experience, knowledge on local flora and fauna as well as the use of canoes on the lakes. Witnessing the Catatumbo Lightning at work could completely change your perception of nature and how beautifully wild it can be.
Each of these phenomena depict the strange and startling beauty of the natural world, providing us with unforgettable sights that defy logic and inspire awe. There is something truly magical about these occurrences, making us more invested in learning about our planet and travelling to far-off locations to explore as much as possible.