Mysterious Natural Phenomena Scientists Are Still Trying to Understand

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Transcript

00:00:00You're in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, one of the driest places on Earth.

00:00:06But this desert has a beautiful secret.

00:00:09Every 3 to 5 years, flowers pop up out of nowhere.

00:00:12It's so famous, it's also called the flowering desert.

00:00:16Seeds lie around in the ground just waiting for some rain.

00:00:20When the desert gets enough water, about 200 types of flowers sprout up.

00:00:25The yellow sands of the Atacama turn purple, white, green, and even pink.

00:00:30Another mystical phenomenon that can be seen in the desert is called a sand waterfall.

00:00:36When the wind brings a lot of sand to the edge of the canyon, it begins to fall down.

00:00:41Now amplify this effect 100 times, and you get a sand waterfall in Saudi Arabia.

00:00:47It really is like Niagara Falls, only there's not a drop of water.

00:00:51The locals say this phenomenon warns of an impending sandstorm.

00:00:56Fairy rings, also known as elf rings or pixie rings, are mysterious circles of mushrooms

00:01:02that appear in grasslands and forested areas.

00:01:05There's a lot of debate about why these fairy rings form a nearly perfect circle.

00:01:10Some superstitions claim that fairy dances would burn the ground, causing mushrooms to

00:01:15rapidly grow.

00:01:17In southern India, between July and September 2001, people witnessed one of the strangest

00:01:23weather phenomena in recorded history.

00:01:26The rain was red.

00:01:28What many would've thought to be a typical rainstorm left them shocked.

00:01:33The color was bright enough to stain clothes.

00:01:35There were other colors too, such as green, yellow, brown, and even black.

00:01:40In the middle of a monsoon, red rain started to fall, and so did periodically for several

00:01:45weeks.

00:01:46Many researchers have found this unusual rain is stained either by dust or algae, so don't

00:01:52try to catch any on your tongue.

00:01:54Scientists aren't entirely sure how the algae got all the way up there.

00:01:58This does make events like this a little unsettling.

00:02:03People who live in rural central Norway, over the Hestalen Valley, can often witness floating

00:02:08lights of white, yellow, and red cross the sky.

00:02:12The lights appear both at day and night, and once back in the 80s, ahem, the 1980s,

00:02:18they were spotted 15 to 20 times in a single week.

00:02:21The Hestalen lights can last just a few seconds, but sometimes they can last more than an hour.

00:02:28The lights move, seeming to float or even sway around.

00:02:32Some scientists believe that the reason for these lights is due to ionized iron dust.

00:02:37Others say it's a combination that includes sodium, oxygen, and hydrogen.

00:02:42Many people claim they're just misidentified aircrafts.

00:02:46Norway!

00:02:47Snow doughnuts are one of the rarest meteorological sights to see, with perfect weather conditions

00:02:52needed just to create them.

00:02:54Found in any snow-covered mountain area, like the Rocky Mountains, the wind, temperature,

00:02:59snow, ice, and moisture all have to work together for us to see these phenomenal rings.

00:03:05A thin layer of wet snow on the ground.

00:03:08Under that layer, ice or powdered snow.

00:03:11And a strong enough breeze to roll the doughnut down a hill, just like a snowball.

00:03:17Once it stops rolling, it can be the size of a baseball or as large as a car tire.

00:03:22It all depends on how strong the wind is.

00:03:24A newly formed snow doughnut won't stay around for very long, so hurry up with that

00:03:29camera and watch your head!

00:03:32Can you believe there's another place on Earth with its own ecosystem and atmosphere,

00:03:36similar to another planet?

00:03:38Well, start believing!

00:03:40Smoviel Cave, located in southeastern Romania, remained closed in complete darkness for a

00:03:46whopping 5.5 million years.

00:03:48It wasn't until workers discovered the cave, when they were looking for a place to build,

00:03:53that anyone learned about it.

00:03:55Scientists carved out an opening to the cave and found that a completely sustained ecosystem

00:04:00was thriving inside.

00:04:02As a pathway was carved through the rock past numerous tunnels, scientists found a lake

00:04:07of sulfuric water that stank like rotten eggs.

00:04:11The air was filled with hydrogen sulfide and had 100 times more carbon dioxide than Earth's

00:04:16atmosphere contains.

00:04:18Needless to say, this air is completely toxic.

00:04:21What's even crazier is that a whole ecosystem has been existing in this cave, with 33 species

00:04:27that can't be found anywhere else on Earth.

00:04:30This cave gives us a glimpse of what could possibly exist on other planets with completely

00:04:35different atmospheres.

00:04:37How it managed to exist on Earth all this time without anyone knowing is rather unbelievable,

00:04:43isn't it?

00:04:44Now check these trees out.

00:04:46They're called Indian rubber trees.

00:04:48Their strong roots grow not underground, but on the surface.

00:04:52With the help of special frames and fasteners, people have learned to control how these roots

00:04:57grow.

00:04:58Let's say a tree is next to a small pit.

00:05:00You need to make a bridge from one end of this pit to the other.

00:05:04You direct the growing tree roots in the needed direction.

00:05:08Over time, the roots penetrate the ground and strengthen under endless downpours.

00:05:13It takes about 15 years to create one bridge.

00:05:17Here's another amazing tree called the Tree of Life.

00:05:20It grows in Bahrain's desert.

00:05:22The tree has been standing on top of this sandy hill for more than 400 years, surrounded

00:05:27by miles of sand.

00:05:28It's extremely hot here, and there's no moisture.

00:05:32Despite this, the tree has green leaves, and it continues to grow.

00:05:36So far, scientists haven't figured out yet how the tree gets moisture and nutrients.

00:05:41There are only places with oil deposits around.

00:05:45Locals think the tree is sacred.

00:05:47After all, it demonstrates the magic of life and the power of nature.

00:05:51Some experts are sure it's all about the roots.

00:05:54They go so deep that they can reach underground sources of water.

00:05:59So there you are.

00:06:01You've been driving for hours through the night.

00:06:03You didn't have any chance to sleep, so your mind is hanging by a thread.

00:06:08You stop the car and go out to stretch your limbs.

00:06:11And then you look up into the sky and see a beautiful sunrise.

00:06:15Whoa, wait, there are three suns in the sky.

00:06:19You rub your eyes, but nope, there are still three bright stars in the sky.

00:06:24No, our home star hasn't been torn into three pieces, nor has it been visited by two

00:06:29other stars.

00:06:31This is called a sun dog.

00:06:33It occurs mostly during severe frosts.

00:06:36Small ice crystals in the sky bend the light.

00:06:39As a result, you may see three bright spots in the sky instead of just one.

00:06:43This phenomenon is officially called a halo.

00:06:46Usually it's just a circle around the sun.

00:06:49You can even see a halo at night, too.

00:06:51Just look at a street lamp, and you'll see a bright circle around it.

00:06:55Sometimes, a halo can take on a fancier shape.

00:06:58If there's a lot of ice in the air, the light is warped even more.

00:07:02Just like in a room with a dozen mirrors.

00:07:05Then the halo can take on the shape of a human eye.

00:07:09Because of this phenomenon, a false dawn can also occur.

00:07:13While you're looking at the horizon, the dawn begins, and the edge of the sun appears.

00:07:18A little bit more, and wait, the sun starts to just dissolve in the sky.

00:07:24After a few moments, it's dark again.

00:07:27And only a minute later, the real sun shows its face.

00:07:31It was the same light curvature effect you saw before with the three suns.

00:07:35Only now, the light is curved vertically, not horizontally.

00:07:39And instead of the real sun, its reflection in ice crystals in the sky appeared.

00:07:44But the sunrise with three stars on the horizon is actually real.

00:07:49Not on Earth, though, but 340 light-years away.

00:07:53There's a star system at the center of which lurks a star almost twice the size of the

00:07:58sun.

00:07:59And there are two smaller stars orbiting around this giant.

00:08:02The strange world has a planet too.

00:08:05Sunsets and dawns there really happen with three stars.

00:08:09If you brought your significant other to a park bench to watch a sunset here, your date

00:08:14would go just fine.

00:08:16Whatever that means.

00:08:18And since we're talking about the most baffling natural phenomenon, it would be a crime not

00:08:23to mention snow in a desert.

00:08:25Yep, in the winter of 2018, the inhabitants of the Sahara Desert, one of the driest and

00:08:31hottest places on this planet, woke up to discover a thick blanket of snow covering

00:08:36the sand.

00:08:37In some places, the layer of snow enveloping the dunes reached a staggering 15 inches.

00:08:43Meteorologists, however, had an explanation for this exciting phenomenon.

00:08:48They stated that cold pools of air, combined with the precipitation from the most recent

00:08:53storm, resulted in a snowfall instead of rain.

00:08:57So what do you do in that case?

00:08:59Build snow camels?

00:09:00Hmm, one hump or two.

00:09:03Now picture this.

00:09:05You're watching a volcano erupt, which is a scary view by itself.

00:09:09But suddenly, you notice ominous bright flashes lighting up the sky over the volcano.

00:09:15It takes the nightmarishness of the experience to a whole new level!

00:09:19Some cause static electricity, which occurs when dense ash particles rub together not

00:09:25very high above the ground.

00:09:27The other source of volcanic lightning is high above the surface, near the stratosphere,

00:09:31where chaotically moving ice crystals set free powerful jolts.

00:09:37Salar del Uyuni feels like you're standing on top of a large mirror, but it's actually

00:09:41a salt flat of more than 4,000 square miles.

00:09:45It's located in Bolivia, South America's highest elevated country.

00:09:50This natural mirror is a remnant of prehistoric lakes that had evaporated a long time ago.

00:09:57Even though it may look flat, GPS technology proved that some of the landscape has some

00:10:02little defaults that are all less than an inch small.

00:10:05The place is so bogged that it has around 10 billion tons of salt.

00:10:10If you get there at the right time, some of the nearby lakes overflow with a small layer

00:10:15of water, which acts as the mirror of the sky.

00:10:18Many locals extract salt and lithium from there.

00:10:21Don't forget to pass by the world's first salt hotel when you visit!

00:10:25You can find a real rainbow mountain in Peru.

00:10:28Scientists still can't explain it.

00:10:30The colorful peak is hard to reach, but seeing the blue, red, green, yellow, and pink colors

00:10:35in nature is something to remember!

00:10:39What looks like frozen flying saucers is, in fact, pockets of highly flammable and combustible

00:10:45methane gas.

00:10:47Trapped underwater, it forms psychedelic landscapes and stunning patterns.

00:10:51Typical for northern lakes, such as Lake Abraham in Alberta, Canada, these bubbles appear when

00:10:57dead animals, leaves, and plants fall into the water and get consumed by bacteria.

00:11:02These bacteria later excrete methane gas.

00:11:05Wow, I can smell it from here!

00:11:09In late March 2018, Eastern Europe witnessed an event as beautiful as it was spooky.

00:11:15Skiers glided down tangerine slopes under the red-tinted sky.

00:11:20Puzzled and excited, people described this experience as walking on Mars or skiing down

00:11:25sand dunes.

00:11:27But however mysterious this phenomenon seems, it has a disappointingly simple explanation.

00:11:33The sponsor of the extraterrestrial landscape was a powerful sandstorm that had arrived

00:11:38from the Sahara Desert.

00:11:40This storm had brought along dust, sand, and pollen particles that colored the snow orange.

00:11:45It's not a one-time natural phenomenon.

00:11:48Meteorologists say that orange snow covers the lands of Eastern Europe at least once

00:11:52every five years.

00:11:54Meanwhile, don't eat the orange snow!

00:11:58On February 20 and 21 of 2018, people in the northeastern part of the US experienced one

00:12:04of the most extraordinary weather events of recent times, and it was… a heat wave.

00:12:09Yep, in February!

00:12:10In fact, it was the most impressive winter heat wave since official weather records started

00:12:16in the 1800s.

00:12:18For example, in Freiburg, Maine, people were taking off their coats after the temperature

00:12:22had risen to a baffling 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

00:12:26In Fitchburg, Massachusetts, confused people put on sandals when they saw the temperature

00:12:30outside – 80 degrees.

00:12:32The same was happening in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where the temperature reached 83, and in Wells,

00:12:38Maine, where the thermometer showed 77 degrees.

00:12:43Around 11,000 years ago, in present-day Turkey, with no cities or metal tools whatsoever,

00:12:49some incredibly skilled craftsmen completed Gobekli Tepe.

00:12:53How they managed to chip and lift limestone blocks three times as heavy as a T-Rex and

00:12:58what they symbolize is still unknown.

00:13:03One mind-blowing fact about Devil's Tower in Wyoming, USA, is that scientists can't

00:13:09explain how it came to existence in the first place.

00:13:12You see, it's an 867-foot rock formation with walls so steep they're basically vertical.

00:13:19This piece of stone just arose amid the rolling plains of Wyoming with nothing like it for

00:13:24miles and miles around.

00:13:26So how is it that such a flat landscape could've suddenly given birth to something so tall?

00:13:32Theories abound, but nobody has the answer yet.

00:13:36Croatia's Plitvice Lakes National Park is a major tourist attraction and a World Heritage

00:13:43Site with many unique animals and plants teeming around.

00:13:47It looks like an epic movie set with infinite waterfalls flowing from every direction and

00:13:52the clear lakes all around.

00:13:55In the mid-1980s, a scuba diver discovered the Yanaguni Monument off the coast of Japan.

00:14:02Scientists are positive this collection of structures is thousands of years old, but

00:14:06they still can't decide if it's natural or man-made.

00:14:10In case it proves to be an ancient city, the new mystery is what lost civilization built

00:14:15it and how did it make it to the bottom of the sea?

00:14:19The shape and formations of these rocks aren't a result of some human's work.

00:14:23They were created by intense volcanic eruptions.

00:14:27Scientists are still confused why the Giant's Causeway in Ireland is shaped in such a weird

00:14:32way.

00:14:34Back in 1812, for an unknown reason, an English farmer paid a local painter to remove tons

00:14:40of soil on a hillside and fill the contours with chalk.

00:14:45The painter ran away with the money, so the farmer had to pay a second time to get the

00:14:49Alton Barnes White Horse finished.

00:14:53Black Falls in Iceland get their name from the dark lava columns surrounding it.

00:14:58The base of the waterfall has sharp rocks.

00:15:00The entire structure was the inspiration for Icelandic architecture seen in some of their

00:15:05famous buildings.

00:15:08You can see hair ice in the forest on a humid winter night.

00:15:12Resembling cotton candy or a white hair wig, unusual ice crystals grow on rotting wood.

00:15:18Unfortunately, this beauty melts as soon as the sun comes up.

00:15:22Only recently have scientists discovered what creates hair ice.

00:15:26All this time it was, are you ready?

00:15:29Fungus.

00:15:30Yep.

00:15:31It allows the ice to form super-thin hairs and helps them to support this form throughout

00:15:35the night.

00:15:36When this particular type of fungus isn't present, instead of fragile hair, ice forms

00:15:41a crust-like structure.

00:15:44One of the most common causes of wildfires is lightning from thunderstorms.

00:15:49But have you ever heard of a wildfire that triggered a thunderstorm?

00:15:53Well, now you know!

00:15:55It happened on May 11, 2018, not far from Amarillo, Texas.

00:16:00Then the super-powerful Mallard Fire not only created a massive dense cloud high in the

00:16:05air, its heat also caused a violent thunderstorm that later dumped tons of quarter-sized hailstones

00:16:1260 miles away in Wheeler County, Texas.

00:16:17Carhenge is the weirdest landmark of Nebraska.

00:16:20Its author studied the real Stonehenge and created his own version out of old cars as

00:16:25a tribute to his father.

00:16:27Some cars stand like monoliths, others are connected into arches.

00:16:35When asked why he did all this, the creator of the construction said, why not?

00:16:42Another Stonehenge lookalike was found on the bottom of Lake Michigan in 2007.

00:16:47There's a group of rocks in a circle and carvings of a mastodon.

00:16:51This beast ceased existing over 10,000 years ago, so the carving has to be older than that.

00:16:57Its location is kept secret from the public.

00:16:59Good luck finding it!

00:17:02Canada's Hudson Bay is probably the only place in the world where gravity is indeed

00:17:07lower than anywhere else on the planet.

00:17:10Even skeptics can't smirk at it because the difference has been measured with precision

00:17:14equipment.

00:17:15So does it mean that the gravity here is as low as, say, on the Moon?

00:17:20Unfortunately, or is it luckily, I'm not sure yet.

00:17:23The difference is minuscule.

00:17:25The exact value is 0.005, or 1 200th of a percent.

00:17:31You won't be able to feel it even if you try your hardest, but it's still there.

00:17:36Scientists say this anomaly exists because of the ice sheet that covered the area about

00:17:4010,000 years ago.

00:17:42It compressed the rocks so much that they still can't fully recover, shifting the

00:17:46gravitational field in Hudson Bay.

00:17:49Sometime in the future, though, the gravity will return to normal in this area as well.

00:17:55In 2010, fossilized fish were uncovered 250 miles west of the Nile River, where the Sahara

00:18:02Desert was as arid as ever.

00:18:04This chance finding led scientists to believe there could've been a sea where the Sierra

00:18:09is now.

00:18:10So they conducted a geological survey of the area, and it yielded unexpected results.

00:18:16They found evidence of something huge under the sands, and it wasn't part of any sea

00:18:20at all.

00:18:23For several months, the research continued with GPS equipment on land, and later, when

00:18:28all the ground data was collected, scientists took a look at the area from a satellite.

00:18:33The view was astounding.

00:18:35It turned out there was an enormous basin underneath the desert, with another, smaller

00:18:40one nearby.

00:18:41Along the shores of these basins, ancient human settlements had been found previously,

00:18:46and now the researchers finally had the answer as to why exactly they had chosen those spots

00:18:51to live.

00:18:52There had been a lake of impressive proportions – over 42,000 square miles of freshwater

00:18:58in total, about half the size of Lake Michigan.

00:19:04Huaygen volcano in Indonesia is not your ordinary lava belching mountain.

00:19:09Instead of producing black smoke and red lava, as most volcanoes do, this eccentric guy lets

00:19:15out a blue flame, and electric blue lava.

00:19:18This phenomenon occurs because the volcano contains some of the highest levels of sulfur

00:19:23in the world, and when the sulfuric gases interact with scorching air and get lit by

00:19:28the molten lava, they start to turn blue.

00:19:31Unfortunately, you can see this mesmerizing sight only at night, but you can smell it

00:19:36all day long.

00:19:38By the way, the world's largest acid lake is also located inside this crater.

00:19:43The Dead Sea has a high concentration of salt and minerals compared to other seas, even

00:19:48though it's technically a lake.

00:19:50Swimming is almost impossible, but people go there for the natural chemicals for the

00:19:55body.

00:19:56Floating on the surface is a great way to relax.

00:19:59This ancient body of water got its name because no macroscopic organisms can live there since

00:20:04it's 9.6 times saltier than oceans.

00:20:07Only a few bacteria and fungi can be found enjoying the salt.

00:20:11It's also Earth's lowest elevation on land at 1,400 feet below sea level.

00:20:18An underground crystal cave exists in Mexico, and it looks like some interstellar world.

00:20:25It's roughly 1,000 feet beneath the surface, with each spike measuring up to 35 feet in

00:20:29length and weighing up to 55 tons.

00:20:33These are some of the largest crystals in the world.

00:20:36Leskintar Beach is an endless strand of white sand dunes in azure water.

00:20:41But don't let the tropical vibes fool you.

00:20:44It's located in Scotland.

00:20:45That's why it mostly looks like this during May and June only.

00:20:49In December, the place gets only an average of 1 hour of sunshine per day, making it way

00:20:54more dramatic and monochrome.

00:20:57The Georgia Guidestones is a collection of giant stones in a star pattern.

00:21:02It has inscriptions in 8 languages, including Hindi, Chinese, and Swahili.

00:21:07It also has an astronomical calendar finished in 1980 and was built the last centuries.

00:21:13No one knows who built it or why.

00:21:17All the way over in sunny California is Sequoia National Park, home to the Giant Forest.

00:21:23It's been around for thousands of years.

00:21:25More than 8,000 of these colossal trees rule the land, including 10 of the largest living

00:21:31plants in the world.

00:21:32The General Sherman Sequoia is estimated to be up to 2,700 years old and is recognized

00:21:38as the world's largest known living tree by volume.

00:21:43The famous stone heads of Easter Island have been around for hundreds of years.

00:21:48No one knows exactly why they were built.

00:21:50Some scientists think that local people believed the statues would make the soil more fertile.

00:21:55Soil analysis proved the heads did their job well.

00:21:58It's the best agricultural spot on the island.

00:22:02The chemical composition of the ancient hot springs in Pamukkale, Turkey, makes the water

00:22:07pouring over the edge look magical.

00:22:10They're not only good for cleansing your body, but the mind too.

00:22:14All the way in Saudi Arabia is a rock sliced perfectly in the middle with two pieces sitting

00:22:19parallel.

00:22:20What makes al-Nasla so unique is that it wasn't artificially done, but is a result of nature's

00:22:26work over the years.

00:22:28This glacier may look like someone dropped tons of red paint in the middle of Antarctica,

00:22:33but it's actually the natural color.

00:22:36Blood falls is a result of extreme salted water mixed with iron oxide, giving out this

00:22:41eerie vibe in the middle of nowhere.

00:22:45In early May 2018, New England observed one of the scariest and most dangerous phenomena

00:22:50ever – a super-long-track tornado.

00:22:53The frightening natural phenomenon started not far from Charleston, New Hampshire, and

00:22:58traveled toward the town of Webster in Merrimack County.

00:23:01It took the tornado 33 minutes to cover 36 miles and become the third on the list of

00:23:07the longest-track tornadoes in New England.

00:23:10In the Philippines, you can swim in some of the most crystal-clear waters and discover

00:23:15an underwater world below you in the province of Palawan.

00:23:19The municipality of Coron has white sandy beaches with many small boats riding through

00:23:24the many amazing sceneries.

00:23:27Tristan da Cunha is a small volcanic archipelago in the Atlantic with the only neighboring

00:23:32cities of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Cape Town, South Africa.

00:23:37It takes 7 days by ship to get to this unique place.

00:23:40If you want to escape from the rest of the world, staying with the 280 locals will make

00:23:45you feel like you're away from everything.

00:23:49During the first week of January 2018, unusually cold weather in the Northeast United States

00:23:55froze the Atlantic Ocean in North Thalmouth, Massachusetts.

00:23:59What's more, the ocean was frozen so thoroughly that people were walking on the waves.

00:24:04Now that's obviously something you don't see every day.

00:24:08Red sand is what makes this beach unique and why tourists flock to Tianjin, China.

00:24:14A red-colored plant called a suede salsa dwells in the saltwater.

00:24:18The whole beach is covered in red, with only the top layer of the sea visible.

00:24:24If there ever was a thing that said, I defy gravity out loud, it's the stone of Devasco

00:24:29in Argentina.

00:24:30The huge 300-ton boulder stands precariously on the edge of a cliff and rocks a little

00:24:36bit from side to side in the wind.

00:24:39People even checked it by putting glass bottles under one of its edges.

00:24:42They exploded with another movement of the rock.

00:24:45Unfortunately today, you can't see this wonder of nature as it was a century ago.

00:24:50In 1912, the boulder suddenly dropped from its perch, which it had occupied for literally

00:24:56hundreds of years.

00:24:57The people of the nearby town of Tandil were so sad about this event that 95 years later,

00:25:03in 2007, they decided to restore the stone.

00:25:07They made a plastic replica of the rock and put it on the same spot and even in the same

00:25:12position.

00:25:13So, even today, coming by Tandil, you can see its famous balancing boulder.

00:25:18More of a symbol now, of course, because it's no longer rocking and only weighs 9 tons,

00:25:23but instantly recognizable nonetheless.

00:25:27Socotra is an alien-like island off the coast of Yemen in the Indian Ocean with one of the

00:25:33most unique trees ever seen.

00:25:35It's called the Dragon Tree, and it can only be found on this amazing island.

00:25:40In 2008, it was labeled as a World Heritage Site.

00:25:45If you ever see a tight-burning column of air, don't panic, it's not the end of the

00:25:49world!

00:25:50The creepy combination of whirlwind sounds and scorching inferno means that you have

00:25:55crossed paths with a fire tornado, also known as fire twister or fire whirl.

00:26:01This dangerous phenomenon occurs mostly during wildfires.

00:26:05These fires create a big area of super-hot air just above the ground.

00:26:10When this scorching air gets mixed with the cooler air higher up, it results in a whirlwind

00:26:14that churns up burning debris and flames.

00:26:17The most powerful fire tornadoes can stretch hundreds of feet into the air.

00:26:22The House of Mystery in Gold Hill, Oregon amazes its visitors with gravity-defying effects.

00:26:29You can't stand straight there, always leaning to the side and having to hold on

00:26:33to something for balance.

00:26:35Balls roll upwards.

00:26:36There's also a broom that stands perfectly still wherever you put it, unlike virtually

00:26:41everything else in the shack.

00:26:43The local Native American tribes called this place the Forbidden Ground, even before the

00:26:48house was built there, and they avoid approaching it.

00:26:52The owners of the shack, though, decided to turn it into an attraction, and they succeeded.

00:26:57They created an atmosphere of mystery around the place, and spread the news about it in

00:27:01newspapers and later on the Internet, and voila!

00:27:05A perfect anomaly is made.

00:27:07In fact, it's no more than a curiosity.

00:27:10A human-made optical illusion that tricks your eyes and other senses.

00:27:15If you travel to the Philippines, Indonesia, or Papua New Guinea, you'll have a chance

00:27:19to see some of the most unusual and cheerful trees in the world.

00:27:23The trunk of the Rainbow Eucalyptus looks as if it had been painted orange, green, red,

00:27:29purple, yellow, brown, blue, hey, you name it!

00:27:33Some trees are so bright that they seem artificial.

00:27:36The Rainbow Eucalyptus regularly sheds strips of bark, which reveals a bright green layer

00:27:41underneath.

00:27:42A bit later, this green layer gradually changes its color, and since the shedding happens

00:27:47at a different time in different places on the trunk, the tree starts to look multicolored

00:27:52and very attractive.

00:27:55Yemen is home to the oldest skyscrapers in the world and the oldest metropolis.

00:28:00The ancient city of Shabam is considered to be the Manhattan of the desert due to the

00:28:05collection of mud buildings popping out of the desert floor.

00:28:08It used to be a caravan stop during ancient times.

00:28:13Ah, a purple sunset.

00:28:18You must've seen one of those at least once in your life.

00:28:21Normally it's nothing ominous and has to do with the way light travels.

00:28:25The light that the Sun produces is white.

00:28:28When it goes through a prism, you see light waves of different colors, from red and orange

00:28:33to blue, green, and indigo.

00:28:36Light normally travels in a straight line if there's no obstacle in its way.

00:28:40The shorter light waves, including blues and purples, are scattered easier when they meet

00:28:45with those obstacles, like molecules and aerosols in the atmosphere.

00:28:50Because the Sun is low on the horizon at sunset and sunrise, its light has to pass

00:28:54through more molecules that scatter the violet and blue light.

00:28:58The colors that your eyes pick up, then, are yellow, orange, and red.

00:29:03But with the right conditions, you can see the gorgeous purple sky.

00:29:07Sometimes purple sky appears for much scarier reasons.

00:29:11It can be caused by hurricanes, wildfires, or dust storms.

00:29:15The concentration of vapor in the air increases, and the light scatters more than usual.

00:29:20Dust, a setting sun, and low cloud cover all contribute to this natural show, too.

00:29:26The sky turns orange and red at dusk if there's still enough light.

00:29:30Then it gives off pink hues, which mix up with the dark blue sky above.

00:29:35Now do you remember what happens when you mix pink and blue?

00:29:39You get the color purple.

00:29:41But every hurricane makes the sky turn purple, and trying to predict if it's going to happen

00:29:46is like trying to forecast a rainbow.

00:29:49Still, people reported several major hurricanes made the skies turn purple.

00:29:55Green skies might look just as spectacular as purple ones, but they actually also scream

00:30:00danger.

00:30:01They're usually there to tell you a thunderstorm, hailstorm, or tornado is somewhere nearby.

00:30:08The unique color is a result of yellow sun rays getting mixed with the blue light coming

00:30:13from storm clouds.

00:30:15So you're enjoying a nice day by the ocean with a fresh breeze in your hair, when suddenly

00:30:21you notice the water starts retreating from the beach at a huge speed.

00:30:25This is a sign for you to start running as fast and far away from the beach as you can.

00:30:31This most likely means that a tsunami is on the way.

00:30:34A quick reaction maximizes your chances of survival.

00:30:39If you notice the sea level is rising, but it doesn't seem too extreme, it could be another

00:30:44sign of an approaching tsunami.

00:30:46It happens in 40% of cases, and the incoming water is the first tsunami wave.

00:30:52The next one, way larger and more dangerous, usually follows in about 10 minutes.

00:30:58Another thing about tsunamis is that they like to arrive with some loud sounds.

00:31:03People describe them as thunder, the sound of a locomotive, a helicopter, or just a loud

00:31:08boom.

00:31:09Do you see a channel of choppy water on the beach?

00:31:12It's in your best interest to stay away from the water.

00:31:16There might be a rip current under the surface that can be extremely dangerous.

00:31:21Sometimes waves hit the shore in a weird way, which forms these rip currents.

00:31:25You might see a strange break in the waves, or an area with a different color than the

00:31:29rest of the water.

00:31:31Breaking bits of seaweed going in all directions is another rip current warning sign.

00:31:37If you happen to find yourself caught in a rip current, try to stay afloat, but don't

00:31:42try to go against the current.

00:31:44You'll only waste precious energy.

00:31:46Scream for help and try to float your way along the beach.

00:31:50Once you break out of the current, swim diagonally to the shore.

00:31:55The next time you spot conically shaped clouds in the sky, remember it's a good time to

00:31:59start looking for some shelter.

00:32:02If it just stays like that, a severe storm is on the way.

00:32:05But if a cloud of that shape starts spinning around, it means it's about to transform

00:32:11into a tornado.

00:32:13If you have bees nearby, they can save you from big trouble one day.

00:32:18These hard-working little guys get more active than usual when they feel like a storm is

00:32:22on the way.

00:32:23They speed up to collect more nectar before it hits them, and once they're done with

00:32:28it, they'll always come back to the hive 10-15 minutes before heavy rain, even when

00:32:33there are no obvious signs of it coming.

00:32:36Their secret is super-sensitive hairs on the back that can pick up electrostatic build-ups

00:32:41from storm clouds.

00:32:43For centuries, people have noticed that animals act weirdly a couple of days before big seismic

00:32:48events.

00:32:49Dogs can't start barking, cows halt their milk, and toads, rats, and snakes leave their

00:32:55homes.

00:32:56It looks like animals can feel smaller initial shock waves that humans don't even notice.

00:33:02Scientists have tried to find some legit explanation for it and run endless tests and experiments.

00:33:08But so far, they're still on their way to explaining this mystery.

00:33:12Can you smell ozone in the air?

00:33:15When a thunderstorm is on the way, it's the most distinct and pungent smell you can pick

00:33:19up.

00:33:20An electrical charge of lightning sets it free from higher altitudes.

00:33:24The other, more pleasant smell of rain is petrichor.

00:33:28Rainwater wakes up molecules on plants, trees, concrete, and asphalt.

00:33:33Their aroma spreads all over the place.

00:33:35You can even feel that smell in your own mouth.

00:33:38All those positive ions in the air that a lightning bolt sets free gets mixed with ozone

00:33:44and your saliva, and that's how you get that bitter metallic taste.

00:33:50When lightning is about to strike, you might hear bizarre crackling, buzzing, or vibrating

00:33:55sounds coming from metal objects nearby.

00:33:58Your palms may begin to sweat, and then you can feel your hair stand on end.

00:34:03That's a clear call for action, and that action is to run for your life.

00:34:08Positive charges are going through your body trying to reach toward the negatively charged

00:34:12part of the storm.

00:34:13Trust me, you don't want these charges to meet.

00:34:17If you see no shelter that you can reach fast, try to make yourself smaller than the

00:34:21objects around you.

00:34:23Drop down your umbrella and stay away from wire fences, metal pipes, rails, and other

00:34:28metallic objects.

00:34:30And don't lie flat on the ground – it's likely wet, which means it's a great conductor

00:34:35of electricity.

00:34:37If you suddenly notice crevices in the asphalt next to your house, it could be a sinkhole

00:34:42warning sign.

00:34:43Inspect your house on the inside – does that door begin to jam?

00:34:48Or maybe there's a gap where the walls meet the ceiling.

00:34:51Uneven kitchen cabinets and drawers, slanted floors, stairs that begin to slope, water

00:34:57leaking after every rain, and displaced moldings are all signs that a sinkhole is about to

00:35:03open.

00:35:04To find out if it's definitely a sinkhole and how dangerous it is, you gotta consult

00:35:09with an engineering company.

00:35:11If you find a sinkhole that's already there, you gotta stay away from the sinkhole area.

00:35:16Fence or rope it off to make it less dangerous for others.

00:35:19You'll need professional help to fix it.

00:35:23Some volcanoes scream when they're about to erupt.

00:35:26Small earthquakes, which often happen before, produce a hum.

00:35:30It's mostly non-audible to human ears, but sometimes it reaches a frequency that lets

00:35:35you hear it as a strange rumbling or hissing sound coming from the ground.

00:35:40This noise is known as a harmonic tremor.

00:35:43With some volcanoes, it's the sound of magma bubbles vibrating when they're going through

00:35:48crevices in the crust of the Earth.

00:35:50But it's not always like this.

00:35:53If scientists managed to understand what exactly causes these volcanic streams, they could

00:35:58create a limited early warning system for volcanic eruptions.

00:36:02If you're out in the wild, pay attention to the water in creeks, streams, and rivers.

00:36:07If its level is quickly falling, even if it's raining, this might be a sign of a

00:36:12nearing landslide.

00:36:15And if you hear a faint rumbling noise or unusual sounds, like boulders knocking together,

00:36:20it could mean debris is on its way to you.

00:36:23It's a sign to head to safety immediately, like right now.

00:36:28You're hiking in the wilderness, looking for a safe spot to set up camp.

00:36:33All you can hear are leaves and branches crackling under your footsteps.

00:36:37Some squirrels are running up a tree over there.

00:36:40But suddenly, something unexpected happens.

00:36:43You notice something weird in the distance in between the trees.

00:36:46It kinda looks like a concrete structure of some kind.

00:36:50Weird.

00:36:51At this point, you're at least 20 miles deep into the woods, and there are no nearby towns

00:36:56or villages, as far as you know.

00:36:59So you decide to go off the trail with your friends to get a closer look.

00:37:04As you get nearer, you realize that it's leading to… nowhere.

00:37:07Hmm, what's it doing here, in the middle of literally nowhere?

00:37:12And it doesn't even lead to anything!

00:37:15You put on your Sherlock Holmes cap and investigate.

00:37:18So, maybe there used to be an old house or mansion here that collapsed over the years,

00:37:24and the only thing left is a staircase?

00:37:27But weirdly enough, after circling the bizarre structure, you realize there's no trace

00:37:33of any ruins or even foundations.

00:37:35It's like someone just sliced a staircase off their house, cake-style, and plopped it

00:37:41here for no reason.

00:37:43Okay?

00:37:44You and your friends aren't really into getting a whole lot closer.

00:37:48Something feels wrong.

00:37:50The longer you look at this weird structure, the more you feel a super creepy presence.

00:37:56Something tells you you should probably leave the area as fast as possible.

00:38:01As weird as this sounds, discoveries of random staircases illogically found in the woods

00:38:06are surprisingly common.

00:38:09Some are made of wood, others of brick or stone.

00:38:12Some look ancient, while others look like they were finished yesterday.

00:38:16The one thing they all have in common – they all lead to absolutely nowhere, and they're

00:38:21all found in super mysterious locations.

00:38:25One of the most famous ones is in Chesterfield, New Hampshire.

00:38:28A long, medieval-looking staircase made of stones with Roman arches in the middle of

00:38:34the woods.

00:38:35It's believed to have been part of Madame Antoinette Sherry's castle.

00:38:39She was a big singer back in Paris.

00:38:41The castle dates back about 100 years, and it was later discovered again in 1962.

00:38:47This time, there was nothing but a staircase.

00:38:51Another mysterious ancient staircase dates back to 9,000 years ago.

00:38:56It's in a forest in Italy.

00:38:58It looks like a series of stairs that lead to a tiny platform at the top.

00:39:03Why go through all the trouble of building the thing if it leads to… nowhere?

00:39:08Some scientists think it could've been some sort of ritual tower, but your guess is as

00:39:13good as theirs.

00:39:16There's an anomaly in the Indian Ocean known as the Indian Ocean Geoid Low, or IOGL.

00:39:23It produces the largest distorting natural gravitational force in the world.

00:39:28Heavy mineral deposits, many deep-sea trenches, and magma reservoirs disturb the magnetic

00:39:34field in this area.

00:39:35Earth's gravity changes in different places around the planet.

00:39:39It allows researchers to look for patterns and figure out what's happening beneath

00:39:43the surface.

00:39:45Higher gravity fields usually mean denser materials below, and vice versa.

00:39:50Some scientists believe that the anomaly might be a dent in the planet's mantle that

00:39:55is working its way up to the crust.

00:39:58The Niihau Island actually rejects the fruits of today's advancements.

00:40:03There are no cars in sight since the locals get around on foot or by bicycles.

00:40:09No wonder their legs have great definition.

00:40:12They thrive without running water, Internet, or shops.

00:40:16The only school on the entire island is powered by solar energy with a backup generator.

00:40:21And what's awesome is that it's the only school in the state that's powered by the

00:40:26sun.

00:40:27Being a resident of the island, the local explains some ground rules the permanent residents

00:40:32must abide by.

00:40:33If they do break these rules, they can be evicted.

00:40:38Not far from Bangkok, in northeastern Thailand, there's a 75-million-year-old rock formation.

00:40:45These rocks look like three whales swimming together.

00:40:48The beautiful design created by nature became known as Three Whales Rock.

00:40:54Millions of years ago, this area was just a desert, but the land was changing.

00:40:59Gradually, sandstone got pulled apart by the movements of tectonic plates and erosion.

00:41:05That's how these spectacular formations were created.

00:41:08If you decide to explore the system of trails around Three Whales Rock, you'll find waterfalls

00:41:14and an abundance of fauna and flora there.

00:41:18Located on Gamal and Gaiden peninsulas, these expansive pit holes were discovered in 2014.

00:41:24They seem to be still changing and evolving.

00:41:27The pits grow wider, and people find them more often.

00:41:30Of course, there's no shortage of theories about how they appeared.

00:41:35Suggestions range from meteorite impacts to the activity of other civilizations, but the

00:41:40most common explanation is that methane gas reacted to water molecules after the planet's

00:41:46permafrost started to melt.

00:41:48This resulted in bubbles of methane bursting through the ice.

00:41:52The craters could be thousands of years old, but nobody knows for sure.

00:41:57You're driving to the state of New Mexico, to the small town of Taos.

00:42:022% of the locals hear a strange buzzing in the air every day.

00:42:07Some residents believe the sound is somehow connected with technologies used by guests

00:42:12from other galaxies.

00:42:16Also there is a theory that something sinister lives in the town.

00:42:19They say Taos is cursed.

00:42:22An evil spirit or a phantom punishes people for something their ancestors did in the past.

00:42:28Scientists still can't explain the nature of this sound.

00:42:31Another theory says it's caused by unusual acoustics of the location, while others think

00:42:36the buzzing is a hallucination.

00:42:39Some can hear it because everybody talks about something, and our minds create an illusion

00:42:43of the sound that doesn't really exist.

00:42:46The sound isn't the same for everyone either.

00:42:49For some, it's a low hum.

00:42:51For others, it's more of a buzzing sound.

00:42:54But this is not the only place where you can hear the strange noises.

00:42:58It's called the hum, and people worldwide claim to have heard it.

00:43:02Some dwellers of a small village in Scotland describe it as a low, thick hum, while some

00:43:08residents of Florida heard a similar sound too.

00:43:12It's not exactly known where this phenomenon appeared, but the first time the media started

00:43:17talking about it was in the 1970s in England.

00:43:21Also there are written records of a mysterious buzzing dating back almost 200 years.

00:43:27According to some estimates, only about 2% of people on the planet can hear the hum.

00:43:32Perhaps their ears pick up some low-frequency waves, or the reason is something else entirely.

00:43:38Maybe, just maybe, they hear humming because the person doing it doesn't know the words

00:43:44to the song.

00:43:45Yeah, that joke is also 200 years old.

00:43:49A volcano in Indonesia spews bright blue lava and produces electric blue and purple flames.

00:43:57This phenomenon occurs because the volcano has some of the highest levels of sulfur

00:44:02in the world.

00:44:03You can also know you're near it by its foul stench.

00:44:06But I digress.

00:44:09And when sulfuric gases interact with scorching hot air and get lit by the molten lava, they

00:44:15turn blue.

00:44:16You can also find the world's largest acid lake inside this crater.

00:44:20Yep, it's a real stinker.

00:44:24Water rivers and lakes are called brine pools for a reason.

00:44:28High salinity makes the water in them denser than the seawater around.

00:44:32That's why it sinks to the bottom, forming rivers and lakes.

00:44:36Those have waves of their own, and these waves can sometimes lap up against the shorelines.

00:44:42If you went down there in a submarine, it would easily float on the surface of a brine

00:44:46pool.

00:44:47But without a submarine, swimming in such a lake would be too risky.

00:44:51They contain too much toxic methane and hydrogen sulfide.

00:44:54Yeah, I'd pass on that too.

00:44:57But hey, be my guest!

00:44:59Cave of Crystals in Mexico is home to the world's most unique crystal formations.

00:45:05Thanks to super-rare conditions in the cave, crystals there grow to unbelievable sizes.

00:45:10The air inside is incredibly humid.

00:45:13The water contains tons of minerals that boost the growth of the Milky Way giants.

00:45:18Some of them are longer than telephone poles.

00:45:22Cylindrical snow donuts occur when a wind gust starts to roll some snow across a snowy

00:45:27area.

00:45:28As if making a snowball.

00:45:30If it was a real thing, it would eventually become too heavy for the wind to move.

00:45:35But a snow donut's center is hollowed out.

00:45:38This happens because its inner layer is too thin and is blown away when the donut is formed.

00:45:44This makes the thing lighter than a snowball.

00:45:46That's also why it rolls further.

00:45:48Unfortunately, snow donuts are rare because they need very precise conditions to appear.

00:45:55The Danikil Depression in Ethiopia is probably one of the most bizarre-looking places you'll

00:46:00ever see.

00:46:02It started with neon-colored hot springs, lava pools, and vast salt flats.

00:46:07You've gotta be especially careful there.

00:46:10Toxic gases are swirling over hydrothermal fields, and many pools are super-acidic.

00:46:16So don't go swimming.

00:46:18Until at least 30 minutes after lunch.

00:46:20Just kidding.

00:46:22And finally, there's nothing mysterious about 28,000 rubber ducks found in the sea in 1992.

00:46:29That's when a ship transporting bath toys got lost in the ocean while traveling from

00:46:34Hong Kong to the US.

00:46:36Some of these ducks are still floating in the ocean several decades later.

00:46:40They've been spotted in South America, Alaska, Hawaii, and even Australia.

00:46:46And they make bath time lots of fun.

00:46:49Ooh rubber ducky!

00:46:51Rocks rolling down the slopes of a rumbling volcano, pushing other bigger rocks on their

00:46:56way, and eventually tumbling down into the ocean in a humongous cascade, causing a wave

00:47:03the height of which the world's never seen before.

00:47:06This is what might happen if the Halina Slump of the Hawaiian Big Island falls off into

00:47:11the water.

00:47:12The Kilauea Volcano is far from dormant.

00:47:15The latest eruption occurred in 2018.

00:47:18Its eruptions are usually accompanied by earthquakes of different magnitudes, and with each quake,

00:47:23the magma rocks on the slopes of the volcano shift down.

00:47:27These rock formations are called slumps, and the Halina Slump is the most notorious of

00:47:32them all.

00:47:33In 1868, the shift of this slump caused a tidal wave rising as tall as 60 feet.

00:47:39But what's most troubling is that some 110,000 years ago, a landslide here led to one of

00:47:46the most powerful earthquakes ever, which, in turn, led to a mega-tsunami of over a thousand

00:47:52feet in height.

00:47:53Scientists are worried that such an event may repeat in the future.

00:47:56If that happens, the wave might engulf the whole of Hawaii and easily reach both North

00:48:02and South American coasts.

00:48:04Geologists are quick to reassure, though, that a landslide like this is unlikely to

00:48:09occur anytime soon.

00:48:10It's just too early for that.

00:48:13But when it finally does, the consequences will be catastrophic.

00:48:17Have a nice day!

00:48:19Yellowstone National Park in the Western USA is world-famous for its dazzling views and

00:48:25especially the colorful Grand Prismatic Spring at its very heart.

00:48:30We should all stay aware that Yellowstone is, first and foremost, an enormous caldera

00:48:35– basically, a slumbering supervolcano.

00:48:38The difference between a regular volcano, like Kilauea from earlier, and a supervolcano

00:48:43is that the latter is thousands of times more powerful.

00:48:47Imagine an eruption spewing tons of huge rock and rivers of hot lava, pumping out clouds

00:48:53of ash that make countries stop air travel for weeks.

00:48:56And now multiply all of this by a thousand.

00:49:00This is what a Yellowstone eruption would look like.

00:49:03At first, a huge area in the middle of the National Park would shake, crumble, and then

00:49:08blast upwards in a megaton explosion.

00:49:11Lava flows and magma rocks would cover the area of about 40 square miles – roughly

00:49:16half of Washington, D.C.

00:49:18But the greatest danger is the volcanic ash.

00:49:21The ashen plume would rise miles above and get carried by the wind in every direction.

00:49:27Since the eruption would be far from ordinary, the spread and damage would also be much greater

00:49:32than usual.

00:49:33The ash is thick and heavy, so it would cover a vast area in a blanket, destroying crops

00:49:39and even buildings.

00:49:40Worse still, it would spread in the air and block out the sun, leading to a drastic drop

00:49:46in temperature and an artificial winter.

00:49:49Even regular volcanoes can lower temperatures worldwide by a few degrees.

00:49:53A supervolcano may potentially cause a new ice age.

00:49:57Luckily, the chances of Yellowstone's supervolcano erupting in the near future, or at all, are

00:50:03extremely low.

00:50:04There have been only three of those in the history of Earth, and there's no evidence

00:50:08such a disaster should repeat.

00:50:11Scientists estimate the probability at 0.00014%, which is lower than the chances of an asteroid

00:50:18wiping us all out.

00:50:20Speaking of which…

00:50:22If dinosaurs could talk, and were at least still alive for that matter, they'd tell

00:50:26you that asteroid threat is as real as it gets.

00:50:30Scientists at NASA say they've tracked 90% of all near-Earth asteroids of significant

00:50:35size, and none of them are a matter of any concern.

00:50:38But there are still the other 10% in the great unknown.

00:50:43What's more, asteroids can change their line of flight because of the pull of other celestial

00:50:47bodies and eventually turn our way.

00:50:51Lucky us!

00:50:52Now, if an asteroid big enough, like a mile across, hits the Earth, it will first cause

00:50:57an explosion powerful enough to erase a dozen big cities in a matter of seconds.

00:51:03Then the impact will raise a cloud of dust and debris that will block out the Sun, just

00:51:07like the ash cloud from a volcano, and cause a centuries-long winter on the whole planet.

00:51:13Even if it falls into the ocean, which is more likely, a resulting wave will rise several

00:51:18miles high, washing coastal cities off the face of the planet.

00:51:22But at least there won't be a new Ice Age.

00:51:24Although scientists are pretty sure there's no such threat in the near future, it can't

00:51:29be ruled out completely, and humanity needs at least 5 years to prepare for this event.

00:51:35If a big near-Earth asteroid suddenly changes its course and turns right toward our planet,

00:51:40we won't stand a chance against it.

00:51:43Future movie, anyone?

00:51:44A much more probable calamity, though, rests right beneath our feet.

00:51:48It's the San Andreas Fault in California.

00:51:51The fault has been ready for rupture for years now, and scientists estimate that an earthquake

00:51:56along this line is likely to occur in the next three decades.

00:52:01And when it happens, it won't be nice.

00:52:03They expect a magnitude of 8.0, which is comparable to some of the most devastating quakes in

00:52:09history.

00:52:10It's all the more dangerous since California is home to some of the most populated cities

00:52:15in the western U.S., including Los Angeles and San Francisco.

00:52:19High-rise buildings are common there, and they're particularly vulnerable against

00:52:23underground shakes.

00:52:25The San Andreas earthquake might cause a whole lot of damage both to cities and countryside.

00:52:31In the worst-case scenario, the ground might break apart, destroying buildings, farms,

00:52:36and changing the landscape altogether.

00:52:38Still, scientists believe that the probability of such a quake is only 7% for the next 30

00:52:44years.

00:52:45So there's a rather big chance, um, 93%, that we'll never see that in our lifetime.

00:52:52Yet there's another earthquake hazard not so far away from the previous one.

00:52:57The megathrust in Chile.

00:52:59The country sits right above the subduction zone, an area where two tectonic plates meet

00:53:05and go one beneath the other.

00:53:07At the place of their meeting, stress is accumulated because of their continuous movement,

00:53:12and once that strain is too much, a major earthquake occurs.

00:53:16Chile has experienced a lot of quakes in the recent years, and scientists are worried those

00:53:21might be preparing the area for a really big one.

00:53:24They believe a great earthquake is due to happen before the end of the century, and

00:53:29it might be devastating to the coastal area.

00:53:32Even smaller quakes cause tsunamis that flooded the West Coast, and a huge one like that is

00:53:37likely to raise a wave of incredible height.

00:53:40On the bright side, Chile now knows to prepare in advance for the coming natural disasters,

00:53:46and geologists are pretty sure people will be able to evacuate before the earthquake

00:53:51strikes.

00:53:52In September of 1859, astronomer Richard Carrington was looking at the Sun and suddenly saw a

00:53:59bright flare on its surface.

00:54:01He made a note of it in his records, but only realized how important it was a couple of

00:54:06days later.

00:54:07The energy from that flare reached Earth and struck it directly, causing northern lights

00:54:12to appear above Cuba and burning telegraph lines all around the world.

00:54:17This was dubbed the Carrington event, and it was a solar storm.

00:54:22Such storms hit the Earth fairly often, but none of them were so powerful as the Carrington

00:54:27event, neither before nor after.

00:54:30But in 2012, astronomers registered a similar solar flare whose energy nearly hit our planet

00:54:37once again.

00:54:38If it had been just a week earlier, we'd have been in big trouble.

00:54:41Today humanity relies on electricity in almost every aspect of life, and a powerful solar

00:54:47storm would mess with the electromagnetic field of Earth a lot.

00:54:51All electric appliances would either shut down or short-circuit, and huge transformers

00:54:56powering basically everything would go out of order for good.

00:55:01It would take years to repair them, and the cost of such a massive blackout would count

00:55:05in trillions of dollars.

00:55:07The worst of it is that science is almost unable to predict solar storms, and even if

00:55:12we could know about them in advance, we'd be powerless to stop them.

00:55:16The flare happens in a matter of seconds, and it takes about 8 minutes for the particles

00:55:21to reach the Earth's atmosphere, causing the disturbance.

00:55:24The power outage would come a bit later, in a day or so, when a massive cloud of plasma

00:55:29gets to our planet.

00:55:31At the moment, there's no protection against solar flares.

00:55:34And the chances of one powerful enough to cut all of our electricity in the next few

00:55:38years are quite high – about 12%.

00:55:42The only good thing about all this is that we now know of such a possibility and can

00:55:47at least prepare in advance.

00:55:49Hey, don't forget to pack some underwear and socks, you'll always need those!

00:55:55You feel some rumbling from below.

00:55:57No, it's not your tummy, it's low and ominous.

00:56:01You look up and see strange lights hang above the ground.

00:56:05They look like shimmering balls of light hovering high up in the sky.

00:56:09Your throat goes dry, and you gulp.

00:56:11That's what they call the earthquake lights.

00:56:14This phenomenon is poorly understood, but witnesses say they've seen it in different

00:56:19shapes and sizes.

00:56:21It could be in the form of light balls, sheet lightning, streamers, and a steady glow in

00:56:25the sky.

00:56:26Soon after, a strong earthquake follows.

00:56:30Scientists can't explain why those lights appear, and they don't always do either.

00:56:35Some believe that's a reaction of underground gases released into the atmosphere.

00:56:40Sure enough, an earthquake begins, but lucky you, it's not as strong as you expected.

00:56:46The ground is shaking, but you even manage to keep your balance.

00:56:50It stops as abruptly as it began, and you walk home.

00:56:54On the way home, you see a flash and hear a whip crack.

00:56:58Lightning has struck a lone tree near where you just stood.

00:57:01It's caught on fire, and there's a column of flames rising to the sky.

00:57:07Still no rain, and the pillar becomes taller and taller.

00:57:11Have you heard of such a thing as a fire tornado?

00:57:14These phenomena occur when the wind is caught in a circle close to the ground because of

00:57:18the difference in air pressure.

00:57:20Such mini-tornadoes are usually easy to notice.

00:57:24Small rubble, dust, sand, and leaves rise into the air and start flying in rapid circles.

00:57:30But then, if there's a source of fire nearby, the funnel can catch it and blow it stronger

00:57:36Like bellows, the flames go round and round, reaching ever higher and eventually creating

00:57:41a swirling, blazing tower.

00:57:44Luckily, fire tornadoes are short-lived and don't normally cause much damage.

00:57:49But don't try to hide from the storm under that tree.

00:57:52You can find this unusual plant in Florida and in some parts of the Caribbean coast.

00:57:57Externally, it doesn't look special at all.

00:58:00A gray trunk, green leaves, and fruit similar to small apples.

00:58:04What you must remember is never to pluck these apples and never stand next to the tree,

00:58:09especially if it's raining.

00:58:12This is the Manchineel tree, which is considered the most dangerous in the world.

00:58:17Its trunk, bark, branches, and fruit contain poisonous juice.

00:58:22One drop of this corrosive acidic liquid can harm your skin, a lot.

00:58:27The tree can secrete this juice, and if you accidentally touch it, you risk burning your

00:58:31hand.

00:58:33When it rains, water droplets fall on the tree and mix with the poison.

00:58:38Water can also bounce off the bark and get on your skin.

00:58:41That's why you shouldn't stand nearby either.

00:58:44There are almost no other shrubs or mushrooms growing around, animals avoid these trees,

00:58:49and people don't chop them and don't pluck the fruit.

00:58:53You can't make a bonfire from their branches.

00:58:56Burning wood emits poisonous smoke that can damage your eyes.

00:59:00Locals know this tree well, but tourists and travelers might accidentally get harmed.

00:59:05That's why most Manchineel trees are marked with paint or have a warning sign.

00:59:11In western Venezuela, locals living close to the Catatumbo River aren't afraid of lightning

00:59:17because they see it almost every single night.

00:59:19It starts at around 7 o'clock and doesn't stop until dawn.

00:59:24The everlasting Catatumbo lightning did once stop for a few months, from January to March

00:59:302010.

00:59:31It was probably due to drought, or maybe the charge ran out.

00:59:35In 1991, a scientist suggested that the phenomenon happens because of cold and warm air currents

00:59:41meeting in the area.

00:59:43Another theory is that the lightning could be due to the presence of uranium in the bedrock.

00:59:49Not all lightning happens inside clouds.

00:59:51There's a rare phenomenon called a dirty thunderstorm.

00:59:55The lightning happens above a volcano.

00:59:58The most famous is in Japan.

00:59:59It erupts almost every day and spits black clouds high into the air.

01:00:04So it's super scary volcano clouds plus lightning!

01:00:09Regular lightning happens during a storm, when ice crystals bump into each other.

01:00:14In a dirty thunderstorm, bits of volcanic ash collide, create friction, and spark up

01:00:19the sky.

01:00:21In the hottest and one of the driest places on Earth, Africa's Danakil Desert, temperatures

01:00:27often rise above 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

01:00:30The out-of-this-world landscape has many active volcanoes and geysers that spit out toxic

01:00:35gases like chlorine and sulfur.

01:00:38The vibrantly green, electric blue, and yellow waters are all rain and seawater warmed up

01:00:44by magma.

01:00:45One wrong step here, and you'd be gone for good.

01:00:49This happened in June 2009.

01:00:52People in certain areas in Japan left their homes after a heavy downpour, only to find

01:00:57fish, frogs, and tadpoles everywhere.

01:01:00Fields, roads, lawns, and rooftops were littered with these aquatic creatures.

01:01:06One man was shocked to see 13 carp on and around his truck.

01:01:10Apparently, he stopped to count them.

01:01:13No one knows for sure where the bizarre rain came from, but the most popular theory claims

01:01:18that a powerful water spout picked up all these creatures.

01:01:21Then it carried them through the upper atmosphere and dropped the animals on the unsuspecting

01:01:26people below.

01:01:27And now, welcome to Abraham Lake in Canada.

01:01:31It's completely frozen.

01:01:33You step onto the transparent ice and look down at what lies beneath.

01:01:37No fish, just some mysterious frozen bubbles.

01:01:40They look like small clouds frozen in ice, or jellyfish who forgot to pack a winter jacket.

01:01:46There are thousands of these little bubbles made up of methane.

01:01:50But don't try to dig a hole in the ice to touch it.

01:01:53Methane is highly flammable.

01:01:55It's created by methane-producing bacteria that eats leaves, grass, insects, or any other

01:02:00organic stuff that gets into the lake.

01:02:03When the methane touches the frozen water, it turns into tens of thousands of frozen

01:02:07little balls.

01:02:09When the ice melts, they burst open and sizzle.

01:02:12Similar lakes can be found near some shores of the Arctic Ocean.

01:02:15There, the size of the bubbles can reach several times the size of hot air balloons.

01:02:21Beautiful for sure, but not exactly safe.

01:02:24The next shocking lake is in Indonesia, the island of Java.

01:02:29You come to a majestic volcano, overgrown with grass and trees.

01:02:34The volcano seems to be asleep, but smoke is pouring out of it.

01:02:39You climb to the summit.

01:02:40Exhausted, tired, sweaty, you're ready to cool off.

01:02:44Nice work, you made it to the top.

01:02:46You look into the mouth of the volcano.

01:02:49No boiling lava, just a beautiful, bright, turquoise lake down there.

01:02:53It looks like an oasis, perfect time for a refreshing dip.

01:02:57You run down and get ready to jump in, but that's not water, that's acid!

01:03:02Sulfurous gases get into the lake from under the volcano.

01:03:06The lake itself is full of metals.

01:03:08When the gases touch them, they form that beautiful turquoise water, I mean acid.

01:03:14Better head back to the nearest village, rest, and come back at night when it's cooler.

01:03:19In the dark, the lake seems to glow.

01:03:22Right above it, you see light-filled, exploding little clouds.

01:03:26The sulfurous gases rise out of the lake, combine with the air, and flash bright blue.

01:03:31Still, don't get too close.

01:03:35The sea turns sinister red, and no living being can survive in it.

01:03:40Must be some dark magic.

01:03:41In fact, it's tiny algae that spread uncontrollably, giving the water this specific tint called

01:03:48the red tide.

01:03:49They have toxins that destroy sea mammals, birds, and turtles, as well as creatures that

01:03:54feed on them.

01:03:55For humans, contact with it ends in breathing problems or seafood poisoning.

01:04:02Sometimes even huge ships sink in the open seas for no visible reason.

01:04:06That reason is often the pockets of bubbles that underwater volcanoes produce even while

01:04:11they're sleeping.

01:04:12Those productive magma factories are hidden under 8,500 feet of water.

01:04:17When they wake up, they act just like land volcanoes, and they can cause destructive

01:04:22tsunamis.

01:04:24This tree looks like a bottle.

01:04:26No wonder it's called the bottle tree.

01:04:28It grows in Namibia and attracts many tourists.

01:04:32But don't get too close to the tree because it's one of the most dangerous on Earth.

01:04:36Milky juice flows inside the trunk.

01:04:39It's highly toxic to the human body.

01:04:41On the bright side, though, the trees have beautiful pink-white leaves with a red core.

01:04:47There's a tree growing in Western Australia that was once used as a prison.

01:04:51A cell for criminals existed inside the Boab Prison Tree for a long time.

01:04:56People were usually kept there temporarily just for one night.

01:05:00After that, they were taken to their final destination.

01:05:03The prison was built more than 1,500 years ago and has been perfectly preserved to this

01:05:08day.

01:05:10Tourists visiting this place can sneak a peek inside.

01:05:13Hey, ever heard of a fire rainbow?

01:05:16Yeah, me neither.

01:05:18How about a circumhorizontal arc?

01:05:21Didn't think so, but just so you know, they're one and the same thing.

01:05:25At first glance, it looks like a painting, or like a rainbow-colored splash in the sky.

01:05:31Despite the name, they have nothing in common with either fire or rain.

01:05:36This phenomenon happens on rare occasions when the sun shines through a particular type

01:05:40of ice cloud formation.

01:05:43The rainbow halos are just as unique.

01:05:45Again, a specific type of ice crystals and clouds needs to be present for the surface

01:05:51of the Earth to bend light from the sun into a perfect ring.

01:05:55The same thing can happen with moonlight.

01:05:57The only difference will be that moon halos are usually white, and sun halos can be rainbow-colored.

01:06:04When visiting regions with high altitudes, you may be one of the lucky people to stumble

01:06:10upon penitentes.

01:06:11They're basically naturally formed ice spikes.

01:06:14For them to be formed, they need a really cold and elevated environment where the air

01:06:19is dry.

01:06:20The sunlight turns ice directly into vapor, rather than melting it into water.

01:06:25And that's why these blades of snow and ice start to pop up on the surface of the

01:06:29Earth.

01:06:30As cute as they may be, they can end up as tall as 15 feet!

01:06:36What happens when small, individual droplets of lava meet the wind?

01:06:40Pele's hair, basically.

01:06:43Let me explain.

01:06:44The word Pele comes from an ancient Hawaiian symbol for volcanoes.

01:06:48Whenever the wind picks up little drops of lava, it stretches them into hair-like strands,

01:06:54similar to the process of glass wire creation.

01:06:57These delicate strands can stretch as far as 6 feet.

01:07:02On rare occasions, it can rain without any clouds.

01:07:05But does it really?

01:07:07Let's look at the science behind this rare phenomenon.

01:07:10It's sometimes called a sun shower, just because it looks like the rain is falling

01:07:15straight from the sun.

01:07:17Let's be clear, though.

01:07:18There is no way rain can ever come down directly from a star.

01:07:22Rain clouds are at a bit of a distance from that specific location.

01:07:26With sun rays being angled, the clouds become out of sight.

01:07:30Add a little wind to blow the rain in your direction, and ta-da!

01:07:35You get sun showers!

01:07:37Located in Bolivia is a place called Salar de Uyuni.

01:07:41It's the largest salt flat in the world.

01:07:44It's also the home of half of the world's lithium, which is a crucial component for

01:07:48making batteries.

01:07:50But what else is so special about this place?

01:07:52Well, whenever the rain season comes, it turns this piece of flat land into a perfectly reflective

01:07:59mirror lake.

01:08:01What comes to your mind when you hear about the Blood Falls?

01:08:03A horror movie?

01:08:05Well, they are merely a series of waterfalls located in one of the driest regions of Antarctica.

01:08:11They emerge from an underground lake filled with a special kind of bacteria.

01:08:16These little organisms use sulfates as fuel instead of sugars, which makes them very intriguing

01:08:22for scientists.

01:08:23The water contained in this lake is so full of iron that it basically just rusts when

01:08:28it meets the air.

01:08:29Hence, the reddish color of the waterfall, which also gives it its trademark name.

01:08:35Okay, we all know the song, but it's not really made up.

01:08:39There is actually such a thing called a desert rose.

01:08:42It's not a plant, though, but a unique form of the mineral gypsum.

01:08:46It develops in dry sandy places that can occasionally flood.

01:08:50This constant switching between a wet and dry environment lets the gypsum crystals emerge

01:08:56between grains of sand, trapping them and forming a rose-like shape.

01:09:01Ever heard of the Eye of Sahara?

01:09:04Scientists are still trying to figure out how it was formed.

01:09:07You can only see it if you fly above it, but it's basically a naturally formed dome

01:09:12that dates back to approximately 100 million years ago.

01:09:16And no, I wasn't around then.

01:09:18It has a rough diameter of 25 miles and consists of a bunch of concentric rings.

01:09:24The biggest one, or the central area, measures about 19 miles in diameter.

01:09:30Astronauts were some of the first people to notice it, and it's been studied ever since.

01:09:35In fact, even to this day, when landing in Florida, they know they're almost home when

01:09:40they see the Eye of Sahara.

01:09:43One of the most beautifully colored trees in the world is located in the Philippines

01:09:47and Indonesia.

01:09:48It's called the rainbow eucalyptus.

01:09:51It got its name because of its bark that switches colors and peels away as the tree ages.

01:09:57The bright green bark is the youngest, as it contains a substance called chlorophyll,

01:10:02usually found in leaves.

01:10:04It then switches to purple, and then to the color red.

01:10:07And finally, it turns brown as it grows and loses the chlorophyll.

01:10:12Now, don't be tricked into thinking that's a whole forest.

01:10:16It's one single tree.

01:10:18And no, it's not some sort of optical illusion either.

01:10:21Let me explain.

01:10:23Underneath that soil, there is a complex network of roots that connects around 47,000 tree-like

01:10:29shapes you see above the ground.

01:10:32It's called the quaking aspen.

01:10:34Some of these trees are among the oldest and largest organisms in the world.

01:10:39Now, here's a good destination for all travelers.

01:10:42Or maybe not so good, after all.

01:10:45The most lightning-stricken area in the world, according to recent data released by NASA,

01:10:50is Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela.

01:10:53Out of all the days in a year, 300 of them featured thunderstorms in this location.

01:10:59Makes this area so unique, though, that storms happen so often?

01:11:02Well, it's because where cool mountain air meets the warm moist breeze and generates

01:11:08electricity over the lake.

01:11:11The Eternal Flame Falls are located in upstate New York, near the Canadian border.

01:11:17In this region, there is a tiny waterfall with a big secret – a spark about 8 inches

01:11:22tall.

01:11:24Turns out there's a natural gas seep that provides fuel to the flame behind the waterfall.

01:11:29The waterfall provides enough coverage so that it stays lit pretty much every time.

01:11:34Hikers do enjoy to relight it if they see that it's been blown out.

01:11:38This phenomenon is actually quite common, but this one gained more popularity because

01:11:43it is younger than most.

01:11:45And it looks very good in pictures, let's be honest.

01:11:48I've heard of yellow sand, white sand, and even black sand here and there.

01:11:53But I've never heard of green beaches until now.

01:11:56Papakolea, also known as Green Sand Beach, is located in Hawaii and is one of the few

01:12:02beaches in the world that features green sand.

01:12:06The unique coloring comes from olivine rock that was formed when a nearby volcano erupted.

01:12:12Actually in Hawaii, all the volcanoes are nearby.

01:12:16Move over, green sands, because some of the other beaches around the world can even glow

01:12:21at night.

01:12:22And it's completely natural.

01:12:23The culprit?

01:12:25A little thing called photoplankton, or microalgae as they're sometimes called.

01:12:30They're basically little plants that contain chlorophyll and need sunlight in order to

01:12:35live and grow.

01:12:37Most photoplankton kinds are able to float in the upper part of the ocean, where the

01:12:41sunlight can still reach them beneath the water.

01:12:44When the photoplankton gets agitated by the movement of waves and currents, they emit

01:12:49light, which looks like some glow during the night.

01:12:52These special microorganisms are found on beaches in a lot of places around the world,

01:12:57such as the Maldives, Puerto Rico, and the Everglades.

01:13:02At the base of a mountain located just outside of Afton, Wyoming, is a little river called

01:13:08the Intermittent Spring.

01:13:10There are only 3 of this kind in the whole world, but what makes this little string of

01:13:14water so mysterious?

01:13:16Well, the fact that it starts and stops every few minutes.

01:13:20Scientists have yet to pinpoint precisely why this happens.

01:13:23They speculate that it's basically just a siphon effect that happens deep within the

01:13:27ground that causes the river to just start and stop so often.

01:13:32Should you ever be interested in checking it out, be sure to do so in the late summer,

01:13:37as that's when the intermittent spring is most active.

01:13:40Do you see the irony here?

01:13:42You can only see the spring in the summer?

01:13:45Okay, I'm done.

01:13:46You're taking a stroll on a warm summer afternoon.

01:13:50The grass is green, the sun is in the sky, and suddenly, you feel yourself sinking.

01:13:55You begin to panic, but then immediately you bounce back up.

01:13:59You test your footing and jump slightly.

01:14:01The grass bounces with you, like a trampoline.

01:14:04This phenomenon is caused by soil liquefaction.

01:14:08Excess water from heavy rain or floods becomes trapped in the soil, causing it to be waterlocked.

01:14:13This makes the ground temporarily act like a giant water bed.

01:14:18While it may be tempting to run and bounce on the springy grass, it's best to tread carefully.

01:14:23The grass could potentially break open, and if someone fell through, it would be incredibly

01:14:28tricky for them to get back out again.

01:14:31An erupting volcano is already a pretty terrifying sight, with clouds of dark smoke and flowing

01:14:36molten hot lava.

01:14:37What's even more terrifying is that they can produce lightning.

01:14:42Volcanic lightning is pretty hard to study, so scientists don't know exactly what causes

01:14:46it.

01:14:47A common theory is that during an eruption, the ash picks up so much friction that it

01:14:50creates a buildup of static electricity.

01:14:53This static electricity then triggers the volcanic lightning.

01:14:57A fire whirl, or fire tornado, is exactly what it sounds like.

01:15:01They occur when ground winds pick up flames and escalate the embers into a whirling force.

01:15:06These spinning columns of fire can reach up to 1,000 feet tall, but luckily, they only

01:15:11last for a couple of minutes.

01:15:13Fire tornadoes are pretty rare, but they can be extremely dangerous.

01:15:17In Tokyo in 1923, a large city-wide fire produced a gigantic fire tornado.

01:15:23The tornado lasted 15 minutes and devastated the city, causing significant damage and leaving

01:15:2838,000 people injured.

01:15:32On a cold and cloudless winter night, you might have been lucky enough to witness colorful

01:15:36beams of blue and orange light reaching up towards the sky.

01:15:40These are called light pillars.

01:15:42They occur when light is reflected from tiny ice crystals that float about in the atmosphere.

01:15:47These pillars are more common in cold, northern countries like Canada or Russia.

01:15:52We've all seen the colorful rainbow arches that the sun produces.

01:15:56It's much rarer to see a rainbow light up in the sky, produced by the moon.

01:16:00This is called a moonbow.

01:16:02It's bright and colorful like a rainbow, and occurs when moonlight reflects off water droplets

01:16:06in the sky.

01:16:08Moonbows are incredibly rare and can only occur in specific conditions.

01:16:12The moon must be very low, the sky has to be dark, and rain must fall directly opposite

01:16:17from the moon to create this lunar rainbow.

01:16:21If you're taking a moonlit stroll along the beach at night, you might come across the

01:16:25strange phenomena of a bioluminescent beach.

01:16:28This occurs when a microorganism in the water called plankton are agitated by the movement

01:16:33of the waves and give off a bright blue color.

01:16:36These microorganisms tend to live in warmer waters, so you can find these luminescent

01:16:40beaches in places like the Maldives, Puerto Rico, and even Florida.

01:16:46In Antarctica, you'll find the famous Blood Falls.

01:16:49Blood-red colored water pours out of the Taylor Glacier from an underground lake.

01:16:54Scientists originally believed that the striking color was caused by a microorganism, similar

01:16:58to the luminescent beach's glowing plankton.

01:17:01But after further studies, it was discovered that the water has abnormally high levels

01:17:05of iron that oxidize and turn to rust the second they hit fresh air.

01:17:11In colder climates where lakes are frozen all year round, if you look pretty closely

01:17:15beneath the icy waters, you'll notice frozen bubbles trapped in the ice.

01:17:19These are small pockets of methane gas.

01:17:22Bacteria in the water feast on other organisms and digest them to produce methane.

01:17:27The methane turns into floating bubbles in the frozen water, trapped beneath layers of

01:17:31ice.

01:17:32Asperatus clouds are one of the rarest events in nature.

01:17:36This cloud formation consists of incredibly dark and storm-like waves of clouds.

01:17:40Although these clouds appear ominous and look like they carry a heavy storm, they usually

01:17:45dissipate without ever affecting the weather.

01:17:47These clouds most commonly appear in the Great Plains of the United States, but they haven't

01:17:52been observed since 2009.

01:17:55Despite being a famously harsh climate, the desert can produce some beautiful things,

01:18:00like desert roses.

01:18:01These are intricate rose-like formations of crystal clusters.

01:18:05The intense switch between dry and wet conditions forms the crystals and traps grains of sand

01:18:11within them to give them their signature color.

01:18:15From afar, you could easily mistake a water spout as a large tornado traveling over a

01:18:20body of water.

01:18:21In reality, water spouts are a type of funnel-shaped cloud.

01:18:25They are rotating columns of cloud-filled wind which often take on a darker color.

01:18:30Water spouts are much weaker and smaller than tornadoes, and they aren't strong enough

01:18:33to suck anything into them.

01:18:35This phenomenon typically occurs in tropical climates, and they usually dissipate before

01:18:39reaching land.

01:18:42Lenticular clouds are flat clouds that lay on top of the other, looking like stacks of

01:18:46pancakes in the sky.

01:18:48They typically form in high altitudes where geographic features like mountains or tall

01:18:52buildings interrupt the airflow.

01:18:54Because of their unique shape, lenticular clouds have been suggested as an explanation

01:18:59for some UFO sightings.

01:19:02As our climate changes, new natural phenomena develop.

01:19:06One of these is exploding permafrost.

01:19:08The increasing temperature in arctic zones is causing the permafrost to melt.

01:19:12Just like in frozen lakes, bubbles of methane gas are trapped in the permafrost.

01:19:17As the permafrost begins to melt, the gas is released.

01:19:20This results in large explosions in the ground, which leave behind massive holes.

01:19:25The first case of this was reported in 2013, and several more have been reported since.

01:19:32When you think of icebergs, you usually think of a large chunk of pristine white ice.

01:19:37But in Antarctica, you find icebergs striped with colors of green, blue, yellow, and more.

01:19:42The different colors are caused due to the ice forming in special conditions.

01:19:46Green typically appears when water that is rich in algae freezes.

01:19:49Blue stripes are more often freshly frozen water.

01:19:52Other colors are typically caused by sediments of debris picked up by the water as it freezes.

01:19:59Nacreous clouds are some of the rarest clouds on the planet.

01:20:02They typically occur at high altitudes and are only visible within two hours after sunset.

01:20:07The clouds appear beautiful as they display light waves of various colors.

01:20:11But don't be fooled.

01:20:12These clouds are actually a pretty dangerous sight.

01:20:16Nacreous clouds are incredibly destructive to our atmosphere.

01:20:19Their presence encourages the chemical reaction that breaks down our ozone layer.

01:20:23The ozone layer is an essential shield protecting us from the sun's harmful rays.

01:20:28The more depleted it is, the more at risk we are of global warming.

01:20:33The last place you might expect to find a natural fire is in the middle of a waterfall.

01:20:38But it's more common than you think.

01:20:40In upstate New York, in the middle of a small running waterfall is an eternal flame around

01:20:448 inches tall.

01:20:46Beneath the waterfall is a natural gas seep, a low pressure of gas that escapes from underground

01:20:51into the Earth's atmosphere.

01:20:53The small fire is sheltered enough by rocks from the waterfall's spray to stay lit permanently.

01:20:59Typically, green sand isn't what you'd imagine when you think of tropical beaches.

01:21:04But in Hawaii and other volcanic islands around the globe, you'll find beaches covered with

01:21:08dark green sand.

01:21:10This remarkable color is due to the erosion of olivine, a type of rock formed by nearby

01:21:15volcanic eruptions.

01:21:16Over the years, the rock slowly withers into sand and washes onto the shore, resulting

01:21:21in these strange colored beaches.

01:21:24Penitentes are fields of ice spikes, formed in high altitudes.

01:21:29These occur when sunlight beams directly onto ice, turning it into water vapor rather than

01:21:34melting them.

01:21:35The sun beams vaporize small dimples in the snow's surface, resulting in sharp crystal-like

01:21:40formations.

01:21:41The spike can grow as tall as 15 feet.

01:21:44Mammatus clouds are some of the most unusual and distinctive formations of clouds.

01:21:49The clouds can extend over hundreds of miles and appear like the sky has been blanketed

01:21:54with cotton balls.

01:21:55The clouds themselves are harmless, but they often signify that a dangerous storm is nearby.

01:22:00So if you see them, head inside.

01:22:04A green flash sunset is a rare phenomenon that occurs briefly at sunset or sunrise,

01:22:09when the sun is almost entirely out of the sky.

01:22:12In the right conditions, onlookers can witness a distinct green flash, making the sun appear

01:22:17bright green.

01:22:18This is caused by sunlight reflecting off the Earth's atmosphere, causing the light

01:22:22to refract into different colors.

01:22:24The sun appears green, but really, it's just an optical illusion.

01:22:32In Russia, on the shores of the Baltic Sea, there's an enigmatic national park.

01:22:37The Dancing Forest is a place that no scientist has managed to explain so far.

01:22:42The pine trees of the forest are all crooked and twisted into loops and spirals.

01:22:47The forest didn't appear until the early 60s, when the pines were planted in order

01:22:51to make the sand dune in that area more stable.

01:22:54One theory is that it's the unstable sand that made the trees twist in such a way.

01:23:00Other theories for the crooked trees are strong winds, or even supernatural powers.

01:23:05Some people say the forest is a place where positive and negative energies meet, twisting

01:23:09the trees.

01:23:11Local legend says that if a person climbs through one of the rings of a tree, it'll

01:23:16add an extra year to this person's life, or they'll be granted a wish.

01:23:20I like that one.

01:23:21Speaking of bizarre trees, and I was, one grows in the region of Piedmont, Italy.

01:23:27There, a cherry tree grows on the top of a mulberry tree.

01:23:31The strange thing is that both trees are perfectly healthy.

01:23:37A continuous storm at Saturn's north pole has an odd shape – a hexagon.

01:23:42This is probably because of the gradient of the winds.

01:23:45The total length of this cloud pattern is 9,000 miles, which is about 1,200 miles longer

01:23:51than the Earth's diameter.

01:23:53The hexagon has been observed for many years, but it gets even more mysterious because it

01:23:58changes color too.

01:24:00It used to be turquoise, but it has recently shifted to a golden color.

01:24:05The reason for the color change is that the pole gets exposed to sunlight as the seasons

01:24:10change.

01:24:13Rain isn't unusual for Oakville, Washington.

01:24:15However, this one still doesn't have any solid scientific explanation.

01:24:20Instead of common raindrops, people watch translucent jelly-like blobs fall from the

01:24:26skies.

01:24:27These blobs covered about 20 square miles.

01:24:30Those who got really close to the rain experience flu-like symptoms.

01:24:34What were the blobs?

01:24:36Researchers claim that the blobs contain human white blood cells.

01:24:40Later tests showed no presence of nuclei.

01:24:43Some people claim the blobs might've been evaporated jellyfish resulting in rain.

01:24:48Or maybe even waste from a commercial plane.

01:24:53Walking rocks, also known as sailing rocks, move across the Death Valley National Park

01:24:58in California without any external intervention, leaving long trails in the dirt and sand along

01:25:04their way.

01:25:06Various time-lapse footages of the moving rocks have been taken.

01:25:10Scientists even installed GPS navigators on some of the rocks, and it showed that the

01:25:14rocks move at a considerable speed.

01:25:17Some researchers believe that the movement is due to thin sheets of ice that form overnight

01:25:22at freezing temperatures in the valley, letting the rocks move until it melts during the day.

01:25:28Or there was a Rolling Stones concert.

01:25:30Nah.

01:25:33The Batageka Crater in Siberia looks like a doorway to the underworld.

01:25:39It's about a half-mile long and over 280 feet deep, but it never stops growing.

01:25:44As it gets deeper, it exposes more underground layers.

01:25:48The layers show what our planet looked like thousands of years ago, as the slumps reveal

01:25:53the used-to-be climates.

01:25:55The crater appeared back in the 60s, and it all started with rapid deforestation.

01:26:00Trees no longer cast shade on the ground, and it got hotter.

01:26:04The permafrost melted, resulting in the crater formation.

01:26:09The throbbing hum in Taos, New Mexico, has driven locals wild since the 1990s.

01:26:20The low-frequency hum deprives people of sleep and depletes their energy.

01:26:25Even though scientists have tried to find the source of the hum, they still haven't

01:26:29pinpointed its origin.

01:26:31Different variations of the hum have also been heard in the UK, Australia, Canada, and

01:26:36other areas of the US.

01:26:38Luckily, only about 2% of the world's population can hear it.

01:26:42The hums have been blamed on mechanical devices, multiple disturbances of auditory systems,

01:26:47and even animals.

01:26:49The West Seattle hum, for example, was blamed on toadfish.

01:26:55Fairy rings, also known as elf rings or pixie rings, are mysterious rings of mushrooms that

01:27:01appear in grasslands and forested areas.

01:27:03There's a lot of debate about why these fungi form a nearly perfect circle.

01:27:09Some superstitions claim that fairy dances would burn the ground, causing mushrooms to

01:27:13rapidly grow.

01:27:16In Costa Rica, there's an assortment of about 300 spherical stone balls.

01:27:22Locals call them las bolas, which is simply the balls in English.

01:27:26These stones have an almost perfect round shape.

01:27:29Some of them are huge, weighing up to 16 tons each.

01:27:33They're also made of different materials – gabbro, limestone, and sandstone.

01:27:37They're considered to have been put in straight lines in front of the chiefs' houses, but

01:27:42there's no precise information of their origin.

01:27:45Some myths claim that these stones originated in Atlantis.

01:27:51If you ever travel to the Mekong River in late October, you have a chance of seeing

01:27:56glowing balls rising from the water and beelining up into the air.

01:28:01Locals call these glowing balls the Naga fireballs.

01:28:04The size of the lights vary.

01:28:06The reddish balls can be as tiny as a spark and as large as a basketball.

01:28:11There can be dozens to thousands of balls a night.

01:28:15Myths don't have any solid explanation for why it happens, but it could be due to

01:28:19flammable gases released by the marshy environment.

01:28:22Some superstitious locals are sure it's all because of a giant serpent living in the

01:28:27Mekong.

01:28:28Great balls of fire!

01:28:32In Minnesota, on the north shore of Lake Superior, there's a park known for the Devil's Kettle.

01:28:38This is a waterfall that splits in two.

01:28:41One part of the river continues, while the other part disappears into a hole in the ground.

01:28:46Whatever object you throw into the Devil's Kettle won't reappear.

01:28:50Scientists still haven't fully explained where the water that drops into the hole goes.

01:28:55Devil's Kettle is considered to be unsafe for people because it's nearly impossible

01:29:00to trace the flow.

01:29:01Yeah, not a place to go tubing.

01:29:05Grunions are fish known for their bizarre mating ritual.

01:29:09The females climb out of the water and onto the shore.

01:29:12They dig their tails into the sand in order to lay eggs.

01:29:15The legs stay hidden in the sand, waiting.

01:29:18Ten days later, the high tide comes, washing the newly hatched young to the sea.

01:29:24Scientists still can't give any solid explanation for this way of breeding.

01:29:30People who live in rural central Norway, over the Hestalen Valley, can often witness floating

01:29:35lights of white, yellow, and red cross the sky.

01:29:39The lights appear both at day and night, and once back in the 80s, they were spotted 15-20

01:29:45times in a single week.

01:29:47The Hestalen lights can last just a few seconds, but sometimes they can last more than an hour.

01:29:53The lights move, seeming to float or even sway around.

01:29:57Some scientists believe that the reason for these lights is due to ionized iron dust.

01:30:02Others say it's combustion that includes sodium, oxygen, and hydrogen.

01:30:07Many people claim they're just misidentified aircrafts.

01:30:12Yellowstone Park has a famous boiling lake, but it's not the world's only place of boiling

01:30:17water.

01:30:18Deep in the Amazon, there's the 4-mile Chennai-Timpishka River that's always hot.

01:30:24The name means boiled by the sun.

01:30:26Well, it's not exactly boiling, but it can reach 196°F – enough to cook pasta!

01:30:33Ooh, let's try that!

01:30:35The lowest temperature in these waters is about 113°F.

01:30:39This river still can't be scientifically explained because it would require close proximity

01:30:44to a volcano for the water to reach such temperatures.

01:30:48However, the closest volcano is 400 miles away.

01:30:52But there could be a fault between the Earth that could explain this phenomenon.

01:30:58In western Venezuela, locals living close to the Catatumbo River aren't afraid of

01:31:03lightning because they see it almost every single night.

01:31:07It starts at around 7 o'clock and doesn't stop until dawn.

01:31:11The everlasting Catatumbo lightning did once stop for a few months, from January to March

01:31:162010.

01:31:18It was probably due to drought, or maybe the charge ran out.

01:31:22In 1991, a scientist suggested that the phenomenon happens because of cold and warm air currents

01:31:28meeting in the area.

01:31:30Another theory is that the lightning could be due to the presence of uranium in the bedrock.

01:31:35Speaking of lightning, I got a bolt, bye!

01:31:38The Baltic Sea Anomaly In 2011, a diving team came down to the bottom

01:31:44of the northern part of the Baltic Sea.

01:31:46They went on a treasure hunt, but what they came upon was a pretty weird object.

01:31:51When they took photos and showed them to others, many believed it was a sunken spaceship

01:31:57of another civilization.

01:32:00Other people thought that some natural causes formed the object, but the metals inside the

01:32:05structure definitely couldn't have been formed naturally.

01:32:08Now, some scientists even believe it was something that appeared way back in the Ice Age.

01:32:15Maybe it was even a meteorite that ended up trapped under ice back then.

01:32:21A maelstrom is a whirlpool, some sort of a powerful rotational current that forms when

01:32:26two currents collide and create a circular vortex.

01:32:31Even fearless Vikings were afraid of maelstroms because those were forces so powerful that

01:32:36they could sink large ships.

01:32:38These whirlpools remain dangerous even today, but luckily not for big modern ships that

01:32:44are large enough to withstand the power of maelstroms.

01:32:48The cruise ship that gets into a maelstrom usually faces massive waves that can rock

01:32:53even big vessels from side to side pretty intensely.

01:32:58A maelstrom can be so strong, it can turn into some sort of an underwater black hole.

01:33:04Yep, black holes are not only present in the cold expanse of space.

01:33:08You can find them here on our home planet too, swirling in the oceans.

01:33:13They're similar to those in space since they're compacted so tightly that nothing they trap

01:33:18can escape.

01:33:21Underwater black holes often span up to 93 miles in diameter, and if you got into one

01:33:27of those, you probably wouldn't even know it.

01:33:30These black holes act like vortices, but because of their size, even professionals can hardly

01:33:36see their boundaries.

01:33:39Here's something relaxing.

01:33:41Next time you go to the beach, pay attention, and maybe you'll see an optical phenomenon

01:33:46called the green flash.

01:33:48You can see it shortly after sunset or right before sunrise.

01:33:52It occurs when the sun is almost completely below the horizon, while its rim, the upper

01:33:57one, is still visible.

01:34:01For just a second or two, that upper edge of the sun will appear green.

01:34:06It's because you're looking at the sun through thicker parts of the atmosphere as it's moving

01:34:10down in the sky.

01:34:12As it's dipping below the horizon, light refracts, or bends, in the atmosphere and gets dispersed.

01:34:21Wait for a clear day with no clouds or haze on the horizon to see this phenomenon better.

01:34:28You've been looking forward to a nice swim, only to realize that the water in the ocean

01:34:32is red?

01:34:34Better avoid going in.

01:34:36Florida is known for its red tides.

01:34:39It occurs when the concentration of specific microscopic algae is higher than normal.

01:34:46Thousands of species of algae in marine and fresh waters are mostly harmless to animals

01:34:51and humans.

01:34:52They even help us, since they're an important source of oxygen.

01:34:56But some, like the algae that makes the ocean red, can be extremely dangerous for marine

01:35:02animals like sea turtles, fish, and seabirds.

01:35:07This kind can grow out of control and produce neurotoxins harmful to humans, especially

01:35:13those who have some respiratory issues.

01:35:15Such people should avoid red tide areas, especially when winds are strong enough to push the algae

01:35:21toward the shore.

01:35:24Volcanoes can spew poisonous gas, ash, and red-hot lava.

01:35:28Those are the most obvious dangers most of us already know about.

01:35:33Submarine volcanoes can be very tricky in their own way.

01:35:36Sometimes, when they're located in shallow waters, they reveal their presence by blasting

01:35:41debris of rock and steam high above the surface.

01:35:46Since submarine volcanoes are surrounded by an unlimited supply of water, they can behave

01:35:51differently from those on land.

01:35:53When they erupt, seawater gets into active submarine vents.

01:35:59Hot lava can be spreading across a shallow seafloor, or sometimes even flowing into the

01:36:04sea from land volcanoes.

01:36:06When in water, it may cool down so quickly that it shatters into rubble and sand.

01:36:12So, there are large amounts of volcanic debris left there.

01:36:15You know those popular black sand beaches in Hawaii?

01:36:19That's how they formed.

01:36:22Hot lava and powerful eruptions certainly don't sound safe, but submarine volcanoes

01:36:27in deeper waters are equally dangerous.

01:36:30Even though they're not necessarily erupting, they produce pockets of bubbles.

01:36:35These bubbles reduce the density of the surrounding waters, which can even sink ships.

01:36:42The worst thing is that when you look at the surface of the ocean, you can't understand

01:36:46something's wrong.

01:36:47But at the same time, tiny bubbles are there, causing ships to lose buoyancy, and with very

01:36:54little warning.

01:36:57Cross-sea is a rare phenomenon, beautiful to observe, but also very dangerous.

01:37:03It's when you see square waves, which are more common in shallow parts of the ocean.

01:37:08That's something you can often see in France or on certain beaches of Tel Aviv.

01:37:13But it can also happen in many coastal areas across the world.

01:37:19A cross-sea occurs when two wave patterns travel at oblique angles.

01:37:23They form this checkerboard-like pattern.

01:37:26It mostly happens when two swells meet, or when a swell pushes waves in one direction,

01:37:31while a strong wind pushes them in another.

01:37:36These square waves can be dangerous for swimmers and boaters.

01:37:39The waves produced by strong ocean currents can be pretty unpredictable and tall, sometimes

01:37:44up to almost 10 feet.

01:37:46This phenomenon is sometimes called white walls.

01:37:50These waves can be so powerful that they can turn over even big boats.

01:37:56If you fill a clear glass with some ocean water and take a closer look, you'll see

01:38:01it's full of very small particles.

01:38:04Seawater contains dissolved salts, fats, algae, proteins, detergents, and other bits of artificial

01:38:10and organic matter.

01:38:13If you shake that glass, you'll see tiny bubbles forming on its surface.

01:38:18That's how seafoam forms when waves and winds agitate the ocean.

01:38:23When you see thick seafoam, algal blooms might have caused it.

01:38:27When big blooms of algae fall apart in the sea, large amounts of that matter move in

01:38:31the direction of dry land.

01:38:35Most kinds of seafoam aren't dangerous to humans.

01:38:38But when blooms of algae fall apart, it can have a negative impact on both the environment

01:38:44and people.

01:38:45For example, when seafoam bubbles pop, the toxins they contain get released into the

01:38:50air and they can irritate your eyes or cause some other health issues.

01:38:57You can see a tidal bore in the areas where a river empties into a sea or an ocean.

01:39:02It's a powerful tide that goes against the current and pushes up the river.

01:39:07A tidal bore falls into a category of something called the surge, which is a sudden change

01:39:13in depth.

01:39:14A tidal bore is a positive surge, which means it pushes up a river, making it much deeper.

01:39:20A negative surge is when the river suddenly becomes very shallow.

01:39:26You won't see tidal bores everywhere.

01:39:28The river must be fairly shallow with a narrow outlet to the sea.

01:39:32The place where the sea and the river meet must be flat and wide.

01:39:36Also, the area between low and high tide must be at least 20 feet across.

01:39:43Of course, there are some exceptions, like the Amazon River, the world's largest one.

01:39:49The mouth of the Amazon is not narrow, but the river experiences tidal bores.

01:39:54That's because its mouth is shallow and has many sandbars and low-lying islands.

01:39:59The tidal bore is so strong there that the river doesn't even have a delta.

01:40:04Its sediment goes directly into the Atlantic Ocean, where fast-moving currents take it

01:40:09away.

01:40:11A tidal bore is often unpredictable and can be extremely rough.

01:40:15In many cases, it changes the color of the river from greenish or blue to brown.

01:40:21It can damage vegetation or even tear trees out of the ground.

01:40:25So recreation sports like kayaking and river surfing can be hazardous in these areas.

01:40:32Even if you just want to take a look at a tidal bore, be careful.

01:40:36Tidal waves can sweep over lookout points and drag whatever or whoever is there into

01:40:42the churning river.

01:40:43Ah, Kyiv, you've been dreaming of getting here for years.

01:40:48Getting out your trusty camera, you start taking pictures of the cathedrals, aviation

01:40:53museum, and the Dnipro River, when without warning, there's an enormous boom behind

01:40:59you.

01:41:00Turning around, you see something towering in the distance.

01:41:03It looks like a gigantic explosion.

01:41:05Uh-oh, time to leave fast!

01:41:08In June 2020, what the people of Kyiv were looking at was an anvil cloud, a rare storm

01:41:14formation in the sky.

01:41:17Forming when strong air currents carry water vapor upwards, the air expands and spreads

01:41:22out as it hits the bottom of the stratosphere.

01:41:25It pushes the dense cloud into the cool anvil shape you see, and sometimes it even gets

01:41:31to be a mushroom.

01:41:34Anvil clouds produce some of the most dangerous lightning of all storms, one that's called

01:41:39a bolt out of the blue.

01:41:41This lightning strike seems to magically come out of the blue sky with the storm being many

01:41:46miles away.

01:41:48This type of bolt comes from the top of the anvil and can be 10 times more powerful than

01:41:53a typical lightning strike.

01:41:56People got so frightened after witnessing a giant cloud just 60 miles away thinking

01:42:02something terrible must've happened.

01:42:04The locals had pictures of the large billow on social media before officials could explain

01:42:09what was going on.

01:42:11Authorities managed to calm everyone's fears by informing them it was nothing more than

01:42:16a natural phenomenon, and a beautiful one at that.

01:42:21Before dissipating, these clouds typically stay in one area regardless of how strong

01:42:26the wind is.

01:42:28Touring around the northern tip of Queensland, Australia, way away from those creepy crawlies,

01:42:33it's time to take a break and relax at the beach.

01:42:37Getting comfortable, you notice a great big shadow passes over you, then another, and

01:42:43yet another.

01:42:45Looking up, this weird weather is simply stunning.

01:42:48The clouds are called morning glory, a very rare type of cloud that almost seems to roll

01:42:54across the sky, looking like a massive tube.

01:42:58These clouds can measure up to 600 miles long, even appearing in large groups as well.

01:43:05This phenomenon is the result of an updraft pushing through the cloud, creating a rolling

01:43:11appearance, while moist cooler air at the back causes them to sink downward.

01:43:18In India, between July and September 2001, people witnessed one of the strangest weather

01:43:24phenomenon in recorded history.

01:43:27The rain was red.

01:43:29What many would've thought to be a typical rainstorm left them shocked.

01:43:34The color was bright enough to stain clothes.

01:43:37There were other colors too, such as green, yellow, brown, and even black.

01:43:42In the middle of a monsoon, red rain started to fall, and did so periodically for several

01:43:49weeks.

01:43:50Researchers have found this unusual rain is stained either by dust or algae, so don't

01:43:56try to catch any on your tongue.

01:43:59Scientists aren't entirely sure how the algae got all the way up there.

01:44:03This does make events like this a little unsettling.

01:44:07Like to take a bubble bath to relax after an exhausting day, but taking too long to

01:44:12fill the bathtub?

01:44:14Problem solved!

01:44:15Head to any coastline after a big storm and take a dip.

01:44:20Foamy tides aren't native to any one place or location.

01:44:23They can be formed anywhere in the world.

01:44:26They're most likely to happen along rocky coastlines, like the coast of San Francisco,

01:44:32Northern Ireland, or the Mooloolaba, Australia.

01:44:35Each coast has differing conditions forming the sea foams.

01:44:40If you scoop up seawater into a glass and look at it closely, you'll see it's full

01:44:45of tiny particles.

01:44:47Many things like plants, chemicals, and lots of salt and minerals create the perfect formula

01:44:52for foam.

01:44:54When powerful currents and wind mix it all together, we get something that resembles

01:44:59a cappuccino top floating on top of the water.

01:45:04When freezing temperatures hit orchards in Michigan, all kinds of unusual things happen.

01:45:09Like ghost apples.

01:45:10No, they're not going to scare you at all.

01:45:14But if you plan on sneaking away one winter to find one, be warned!

01:45:19Everything has to be perfect for this to occur, and it's going to be freezing cold.

01:45:24This is actually a rare weather phenomenon caused by having the apples freeze where they

01:45:29are with rain coating the fruit in a thin layer of ice.

01:45:34The apples then thaw and leak out like applesauce, leaving just the beautiful ice shell behind.

01:45:42The Catatumbo River in Venezuela might be the most electric place in the world, with

01:45:47nearly 300 storm days per year.

01:45:51The lightning storms are so consistent, they're predicted for 3 months in advance.

01:45:57During the wet season in October, you might see 30 lightning flashes in a single minute,

01:46:02a truly shocking experience.

01:46:05With each bolt having the energy to power a single light bulb for 6 months, the impressive

01:46:10display could power all of Venezuela forever.

01:46:15At sunset, strong winds flow around the three surrounding mountains, forming storm clouds

01:46:20over the water.

01:46:22As the water droplets of humid air collide with ice crystals from the cold air, it produces

01:46:28the static charges that cause the lightning storms nearly every night.

01:46:33If that wasn't bad enough, some storms have lightning above them as well.

01:46:38Try to take a picture of this one!

01:46:41Jellyfish lightning sprites are electrical discharges high in Earth's atmosphere.

01:46:45They're associated with powerful thunderstorms, but they have nothing to do with rain.

01:46:52These sprites occur 30 to 50 miles up in the sky, in the mesosphere.

01:46:58Artificial lights at night make it a lot harder to see this faint lightning.

01:47:02If you spot one, it'll look tiny, but can be well over 30 miles wide!

01:47:09The red sprites are a type of cold plasma discharge above a thundercloud.

01:47:14They're the balance of the lightning charges between the storm clouds and the ground below.

01:47:20Don't try to find this type of donut at your favorite bakery – it won't be there!

01:47:25Snow donuts are one of the rarest meteorological sights to see, with perfect weather conditions

01:47:31needed just to create them.

01:47:34Found in any snow-covered mountain area, like the Rocky Mountains, the wind, temperature,

01:47:39snow, ice, and moisture have to all work together for us to see these phenomenal rings.

01:47:46A thin layer of wet snow on the ground.

01:47:49Under that layer, ice or powdered snow.

01:47:51Then, a strong enough breeze to roll the donut down a hill, just like a snowball.

01:47:58Once it stops rolling, it can be the size of a baseball or as large as a car tire.

01:48:04It all depends on how strong the wind is.

01:48:07A newly formed snow donut won't stay around for very long, so hurry up with that camera!

01:48:14Watching the sunset over the horizon, the beautiful purples and pink overhead are nothing

01:48:19compared to the three suns you see in front of you.

01:48:23Wow, since when did Earth get three suns?

01:48:27These phantom stars sometimes appearing besides the sun are called sun dogs.

01:48:33Maybe they're called that because they're kind of dogging the actual sun?

01:48:38Sun dogs often appear as colored areas of light at the same height above the horizon

01:48:43as the sun.

01:48:45They're mostly observed on a ring or halo, where ice crystals best reflect the light.

01:48:51There are also moon dogs that appear alongside the moon and are formed by lunar light passing

01:48:56through ice crystals, though these aren't seen nearly as much as their daytime partners.

01:49:03Taking photos in the wild, you've finally found the perfect spot to take that dream

01:49:08shot.

01:49:09The crystal-clear water, the pines, the mountains, and the flying saucer!

01:49:14Wait, a flying saucer?

01:49:16Oh, aliens are here!

01:49:20You might be thinking this if you saw a saucer-shaped cloud.

01:49:24I'm not even going to try to pronounce their name, though.

01:49:27Put that on the screen, please.

01:49:28Wait, just kidding.

01:49:30It's Autocumulus lenticularis.

01:49:32Aren't you impressed?

01:49:35These are really just unusual cloud formations over mountaintops.

01:49:39When moist air flows over a mountain, a wave is created if the temperature difference is

01:49:45perfect.

01:49:46As the air passes through the wave, evaporation occurs, and a series of these clouds may form

01:49:52into an oval shape.

01:49:54Not aliens at all!

01:49:58The sky is falling, the sky is falling!

01:50:01People who've experienced these clouds say they look like they're coming down from

01:50:05the sky.

01:50:07Mammatus clouds look like giant white lumpy marshmallows, but it might be hard to toast

01:50:13these ones.

01:50:14These weird fluffy clouds can extend hundreds of miles in any direction, remaining visible

01:50:20for short periods at the bottom of anvil or other thunderstorm clouds.

01:50:25The strange bubble shapes are formed from turbulence within the storm itself, creating

01:50:31an uneven cloud base and appearing anywhere in the world.

01:50:35Mammatus clouds form when moist air sinks into dry air.

01:50:39The air must be cooler than its surroundings, cooled with ice, or be heavy with water.

01:50:4650 ships and 20 airplanes have gone missing, many people have disappeared, and mysterious

01:50:53forces might have…

01:50:54Oh wait, the wrong script.

01:50:56This Bermuda Triangle is located in Transylvania.

01:50:59My bad.

01:51:00So, once upon a time in the heart of Transylvania, there was a mysterious place that people named

01:51:06the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania.

01:51:09Look at these twisted trees and their tangled undergrowth.

01:51:12It seems like some evil creature may appear from behind a tree at any moment.

01:51:17There might even be ghosts and mysterious creatures that came from space.

01:51:22The forest became so popular in the 1960s when a man was chilling there on a warm August

01:51:28afternoon with his girlfriend and a couple of friends.

01:51:31Suddenly, his girlfriend pointed at something unusual in the sky.

01:51:35A man came closer to the spot where she was standing and, to his surprise, saw it too.

01:51:41It was a weird silver disc shining in the sky.

01:51:44He quickly pulled out his camera and took four photos before the creepy object bolted

01:51:49away.

01:51:50The object was there for a mere two minutes, but the man developed his film and the picture

01:51:54ended up being published in local papers.

01:51:58Many people were skeptical about this.

01:52:00They claimed that those were most likely some weather balloons that looked like a spaceship

01:52:04because they were photographed in odd lighting.

01:52:07But no weather balloons, blimps, or any other objects were in the sky above the forest on

01:52:12that day.

01:52:13Spooky, huh?

01:52:14That's not the only campfire legend from that area.

01:52:18Studies say that those who ventured too deep into the murky depths of this creepy place

01:52:23often did not return, which is how it got its nickname in the first place.

01:52:28There was a shepherd who entered the forest together with his 200 sheep.

01:52:32They were never found again.

01:52:34People have also been whispering stories about a five-year-old girl who disappeared one day.

01:52:39She re-emerged one day, five years later, wearing the same clothes as the day she went

01:52:45missing.

01:52:46Plus, she hadn't aged a day.

01:52:49There are people who entered the forest and did manage to return, but with severe burns,

01:52:54high fever, and some other health issues they didn't have before.

01:52:58Some were sure that happened because the subsoil had lots of natural uranium with a high level

01:53:03of radioactivity.

01:53:05And according to others, it's not unusual that you come to this forest and feel like

01:53:09someone's watching you or your electronic devices just switch off.

01:53:14And now, here's something that's not a legend.

01:53:17The forest has a rich history.

01:53:20Some sources say it was home to the oldest settlement in Romania, dating all the way

01:53:25back to 6,500 BCE.

01:53:29Trees themselves are pretty mysterious.

01:53:31They grow in creepy spirals or have some unexpected zigzag patterns.

01:53:36Even though some scientists have come there to explore this phenomenon, they couldn't

01:53:40find the answer to why they're like this.

01:53:43It seems as if trees are twisting their limbs so they can reach out and grab you when you're

01:53:47not looking.

01:53:48And that's what's interesting.

01:53:50Each of these twisted trees spirals in a clockwise direction.

01:53:55But legends say lots of inexplicable things have happened in a specific part of the forest

01:53:59where you can't find trees or any other types of vegetation.

01:54:04It's a perfect circle called the clearing.

01:54:07The perfect name for a horror movie inspired by all these stories.

01:54:12The soil in this area with no vegetation has been tested and no one has found any weird

01:54:17stuff or anomalies that could potentially stop plants from growing there.

01:54:21Some locals believe the forest has positive energy, which is why it's good to make a wish

01:54:26there.

01:54:27But many more people let their imagination run wild, telling stories about paranormal

01:54:32activities happening there, like mysterious spheres popping out in the middle of the forest

01:54:37or extraterrestrial lights.

01:54:40Either way, you and your castle can step aside, Dracula, cause you're not the only scary story

01:54:45from Transylvania.

01:54:46Here's another reason you won't be able to sleep well tonight.

01:54:50The Isla de la Munecas, or the Island of the Dolls.

01:54:54In the middle of the eerie and murky waters of canals near Mexico City, there's a small

01:54:59island.

01:55:00It may look charming at first, until you realize it's home to hundreds of dolls hanging from

01:55:06the trees and scattered throughout the overgrown vegetation.

01:55:10These dolls are old and decaying, they've lost their color over time, and their once

01:55:14cheerful faces are now twisted into expressions of despair and horror.

01:55:21There is a sad story behind this disturbing place.

01:55:24It says the island used to be home to a reclusive man, who left his family more than 50 years

01:55:30ago to live alone on the island.

01:55:33He started obsessively collecting dolls that were lost in the canal.

01:55:37The story says he even traded products he grew to locals to get more dolls.

01:55:42The man didn't clean these dolls nor show any interest in fixing them, he would just decorate

01:55:48his island with them regardless of the state in which he found them.

01:55:52Even those that looked good ended up ruined due to winds and rain.

01:55:56They weren't just outside, his cabin was full of these scary dolls too.

01:56:02Many people were terrified of this place, claiming it was cursed, but others believed

01:56:06the dolls safeguarded the island.

01:56:09Moving to the suburbs of North London, where you can find the mysterious Highgate Cemetery.

01:56:15It's definitely not a typical resting place for the dearly departed.

01:56:19This cemetery has so many peculiar graves, including those of Karl Marx and Douglas Adams.

01:56:25But that's not what draws visitors to its gates.

01:56:28People come there because of the legends claiming that this place is haunted by all

01:56:32sorts of spooky creatures, including vampires.

01:56:36Yup, stories about shadowy figures hovering over graves with glowing red eyes and sharp

01:56:41fangs never get boring.

01:56:44But this place wasn't always this creepy.

01:56:47It was established in the middle of the 19th century, once neglected and overgrown with

01:56:51crumbling monuments and vegetation that seemed to swallow up graves.

01:56:56But these legends became popular along with the place itself in the 1970s, after the cemetery

01:57:01had appeared in several horror movies.

01:57:04Some visitors there are even self-proclaimed vampire hunters.

01:57:09There's this peaceful and charming village called Pluckley, just a short drive away from

01:57:13London.

01:57:14At least that's what it seems at first sight.

01:57:17People whisper Pluckley could be the most haunted village in England.

01:57:21As you go through its winding streets, you'll come across many spots legends say are haunted.

01:57:28Many of them are connected to the Derring family, which held the title of Lords of the

01:57:32Manor for over four centuries.

01:57:35What gives the sense of old times is the round-topped windows on many buildings.

01:57:40Legend has it, hundreds of years ago, Lord Derring escaped when his enemies captured

01:57:45him.

01:57:46He jumped through one of these windows head-first.

01:57:49In commemoration of this pretty Derring act, every window in the manor house and the village

01:57:54was made in the same style.

01:57:56Even though the manor house burned down in 1951, the legacy of Lord Derring's escape

01:58:01lives on in the charming village of Pluckley.

01:58:05Some say Pluckley is surrounded by the so-called Screaming Wood.

01:58:09There are many legends about paranormal events that have occurred there.

01:58:13There are nice walking trails in this wood, but to be honest, I'd only be brave enough

01:58:17to hit them during the day.

01:58:19And how about the Crooked Forest?

01:58:21It's in Poland, and it consists of 400 pine trees whose trunks take a sharp 90-degree

01:58:27turn and then become weirdly curved, like the letter J.

01:58:32Someone planted them in the early 1930s, but it's still not completely clear how all these

01:58:37trees got the same curve.

01:58:39One scientist said this looked like a typical response to gravity.

01:58:43Spirits have a special mechanism that allows them to reorient themselves when the stem

01:58:47is horizontal to gravity.

01:58:49So these trees may have been grown this way for making boats or furniture.

01:58:55Of course, human imagination goes way beyond science, so many tried to explain the existence

01:59:00of these trees with stories of spirits that possessed these trees or mysterious creatures

01:59:05from space that made them this way.

01:59:07Ok, I'm on.

01:59:09Let me just grab my popcorn.

01:59:11Pilar de Uyuni feels like you're standing on top of a large mirror, but it's actually

01:59:16a salt flat of more than 4,000 square miles.

01:59:19It's located in Bolivia, South America's highest elevated country.

01:59:23This natural mirror is a remnant of prehistoric lakes that had evaporated a long time ago.

01:59:29Even though it may look flat, GPS technology proved that some of the landscape has some

01:59:33little defaults that are all less than an inch small.

01:59:37The place is so bogged that it has around 10 billion tons of salt.

01:59:41If you get there at the right time, some of the nearby lakes overflow with a small layer

01:59:46of water, which acts as the mirror of the sky.

01:59:49Many locals extract salt and lithium from here.

01:59:51Don't forget to pass by the world's first salt hotel when you visit!

01:59:57You can find a real rainbow mountain in Peru.

02:00:01Scientists still can't explain it.

02:00:02The colorful peak is hard to reach, but seeing the blue, red, green, yellow, and pink colors

02:00:07in nature is something to remember.

02:00:11Baratara Gorge Waterfall has 3 natural bridges for anyone to walk across, take awesome pictures,

02:00:18and even have picnics!

02:00:19The waterfall is a result of limestone erosion that's been going on for millions of years,

02:00:24even though it looks like someone punched a hole right in the middle.

02:00:28It's located in the village of Tanurin, which is just 2 hours away from the capital, Beirut.

02:00:36The Dead Sea has a high concentration of salt and minerals compared to other seas,

02:00:40even though it's technically a lake.

02:00:43Swimming is almost impossible, but people go there for the natural chemicals for the

02:00:47body.

02:00:48Floating on the surface is a great way to relax.

02:00:50This ancient body of water got its name because no macroscopic organisms can live there since

02:00:56it's 9.6 times saltier than oceans.

02:00:59Only a few bacteria and fungi can be found enjoying the salt.

02:01:03It's also Earth's lowest elevation on land, at 1,400 feet below sea level.

02:01:10All the way in Saudi Arabia is a rock sliced perfectly in the middle with two pieces sitting

02:01:15parallel.

02:01:16What makes Al-Nasla so unique is that it wasn't artificially done, but is a result of nature's

02:01:22work over the years.

02:01:26This glacier may look like someone dropped tons of red paint in the middle of Antarctica,

02:01:30but it's actually the natural color.

02:01:32Salt falls is a result of extreme salted water mixed with iron oxide, giving out this

02:01:38eerie vibe in the middle of nowhere.

02:01:42In Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam, you can enjoy your coffee just a few feet away

02:01:47from an actual moving train.

02:01:49The locals who live in this neighborhood have to make sure no one is on the tracks when

02:01:53the train drives by twice a day.

02:01:56On a crowded day, you would have to stick yourself on a wall behind you or head inside

02:02:00the many coffee shops nearby.

02:02:03Frozen bubbles are a common thing in Abraham Lake, Canada.

02:02:07They look like some jelly-like substance, but they're just methane gas produced by

02:02:11bacteria when they eat the organisms that sink to the bottom.

02:02:15During the process, methane bubbles are released, but since it's below freezing temperatures,

02:02:19these bubbles become frozen in place.

02:02:24Australia is home to a unique horizontal waterfall on the coast of the Kimberley region.

02:02:29It's really just a fast tidal flow moving through two narrow aligned rocks.

02:02:34The tides can rise 30 feet.

02:02:36The falls reverse whenever the tide changes.

02:02:39Also down under is the biggest single rock in the world.

02:02:42It's so big that it even looks like a large hill.

02:02:45It has a circumference of 6 miles and is 1,100 feet high.

02:02:50The edges are eroded since the rock has been around forever.

02:02:55Antelope Canyon in Arizona, also known as the place where water runs through rock, has

02:03:00two sections of slotted canyons.

02:03:03Throughout the years, the water running through sandstone has created picturesque formations

02:03:07like no other.

02:03:10In the Philippines, you can swim in some of the most crystal-clear waters and discover

02:03:15an underwater world below you, in the province of Palawan.

02:03:19The municipality of Coron has white sandy beaches with many small boats riding through

02:03:24the many amazing sceneries.

02:03:28Tristan de Cunha is a small volcanic archipelago in the Atlantic with the only neighboring cities

02:03:34of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Cape Town, South Africa.

02:03:38It takes 7 days by ship to get to this unique place.

02:03:42If you want to escape from the rest of the world, staying with the 280 locals will make

02:03:46you feel like you're away from everything.

02:03:50An island even more isolated than Tristan de Cunha is Pitcairn Island.

02:03:551,350 miles off of Tahiti, this place is a mixture of British, Polynesian, and other

02:04:01Pacific Islanders living remotely with the volcanic soil used for crops.

02:04:05The population is around 50 people.

02:04:08The little island is considered to be the second-largest marine protected area.

02:04:12If you plan on visiting, be ready for a long sea voyage on a supply ship that hosts 12

02:04:18passengers.

02:04:20This abandoned fantasy-like railway tunnel in Ukraine is one of the most romantic places

02:04:25you could visit.

02:04:26Walking through leaves and lush green plants feels like you're in a fairy tale.

02:04:32Croatia's Plitvice Lakes National Park is a major tourist attraction and a World Heritage

02:04:37Site with many unique animals and plants teeming around.

02:04:41It looks like an epic movie set with infinite waterfalls flowing from every direction and

02:04:46the clear lakes all around.

02:04:50Lake Baikal, Siberia is the oldest lake in the world and contains 20% of unfrozen freshwater

02:04:56on Earth.

02:04:57It's also the deepest lake in the world with a maximum depth of 5,400 ft.

02:05:02It's one of the most diverse places for organisms due to its age and isolation.

02:05:07More than 1,300 species of animals and 570 plants live here.

02:05:14An underground crystal cave exists in Mexico, and it looks like some interstellar world.

02:05:20It's roughly 1,000 ft beneath the surface with each spike measuring up to 35 ft in length

02:05:25and weighing up to 55 tons.

02:05:28These are some of the largest crystals in the world.

02:05:32Red sand is what makes this beach unique and why tourists flock to Tianjin, China.

02:05:37A red-colored plant called the Suida Salsa dwells in the saltwater.

02:05:42The whole beach is covered in red, with only the top layer of the sea visible.

02:05:48Also in China are the Tianzi Mountains, which inspired a famous Hollywood movie.

02:05:53These unique mountains spread across 20 square miles located in the Wuling-Yuan area.

02:05:59Millions of years of rock erosion created this amazing beauty.

02:06:05All the way over in sunny California is Sequoia National Park, home to the Giant Forest.

02:06:11It's been around for thousands of years.

02:06:13More than 8,000 of these colossal trees rule the land, including 10 of the largest living

02:06:18plants in the world.

02:06:20The General Sherman Sequoia is estimated to be up to 2,700 years old and is recognized

02:06:26as the world's largest known living tree by volume.

02:06:30Japan's Cat Island has a population of less than 10 people and over 120 cats.

02:06:38The island is located in a remote region, and the locals love it.

02:06:42If you're visiting this place, make sure to bring someone who loves cats.

02:06:47Yemen is home to the oldest skyscrapers in the world and the oldest metropolis.

02:06:52The ancient city of Shebam is considered to be the Manhattan of the desert due to the

02:06:57collection of mud buildings popping out of the desert floor.

02:07:00It was used as a caravan stop during ancient times.

02:07:04These mud brick buildings are 7 stories high and were built out of fertile soil, hay, and

02:07:09water that were made into bricks and left to bake under the sun for days.

02:07:13The ground floors were used for keeping livestock and grains, and the upper levels were places

02:07:18for socializing and catching good views.

02:07:23The chemical composition of the ancient hot springs in Pamukkale, Turkey, makes the water

02:07:28pouring over the edge look magical.

02:07:31They're not only good for cleansing your body, but the mind too!

02:07:35The shape and formation of these rocks aren't a result of some human's work.

02:07:39They were created by intense volcanic eruptions.

02:07:42Scientists are still confused why the Giant's Causeway in Ireland is shaped in such a weird

02:07:47way.

02:07:49Suqatra is an alien-like island off the coast of Yemen in the Indian Ocean, with one of

02:07:54the most unique trees ever seen.

02:07:57It's called the Dragon Tree, and it can only be found on this amazing island.

02:08:01In 2008, it was labeled as a World Heritage Site.

02:08:06Black Falls in Iceland gets its name from the dark lava columns surrounding it.

02:08:11The base of the waterfall has sharp rocks.

02:08:13The entire structure was the inspiration for Icelandic architecture seen in some of their

02:08:18famous buildings.

02:08:22Hello distinguished guests and welcome to Aquarium Bright!

02:08:26Here you will get to see the most dangerous sea and ocean creatures, but don't let what

02:08:30I said mislead you.

02:08:31It's very well possible for you to come across one of these underwater animals during a walk

02:08:36on the beach.

02:08:38So take a look at them carefully now, and you might just avoid a disaster!

02:08:44Is it fish or is it stone?

02:08:47What you're looking at is commonly known as the Stonefish, but its fancier names include

02:08:52the Dornorn and the Synansia.

02:08:55If you're into diving and observing the underwater, you might already have come across one without

02:09:00noticing.

02:09:01Its appearance makes it almost impossible to distinguish it from a real stone due to

02:09:06its grey coloration and mottled appearance, especially if you're wearing fogged snorkel

02:09:11goggles.

02:09:12So you better pay attention because otherwise, the consequences can be unfortunate since

02:09:17Stonefish are the most venomous fish known.

02:09:20Although some types of Stonefishes are known to live in rivers, and most of them are found

02:09:24in coral reefs near the tropical Pacific and Indian Oceans.

02:09:29Their needle-like dorsal fin spines stick up when they're disturbed or threatened and

02:09:33inject the poison they contain.

02:09:36The most common reason why Stonefish stings occur is swimmers stepping on them without

02:09:40realizing it.

02:09:42However, you don't need to be in the water to get stung.

02:09:45Since they can survive out of the water for up to 24 hours, you'll have to watch where

02:09:49you step when you're at the beach as well.

02:09:52Those who got stung by Stonefish describe their experience to be extremely distressing.

02:09:57Their venom can result in infection, and in some cases, it is known to cause shock and

02:10:02paralysis.

02:10:03It might come as a bit of a shock, but despite its bad reputation, Stonefish is edible if

02:10:09it's prepared properly.

02:10:11When the fish is heated, its venom breaks down.

02:10:14And if the dorsal fins, which are the main source of its venom, are removed, raw Stonefish

02:10:18is served as part of sashimi too.

02:10:22This creature might look like it came out of a science fiction movie, but it's very

02:10:26much real.

02:10:27Say hello to the blue-ringed octopuses.

02:10:30Don't be deceived by their small size, which can range between 5 to 8 inches including

02:10:35their arms, because they're packed with venom to cause great damage to as many as 26 people

02:10:41within minutes.

02:10:43Just like Stonefishes, blue-ringed octopuses are found in the Pacific and Indian Oceans,

02:10:48from Japan to Australia.

02:10:51They typically live on coral reefs and rocky areas of the seafloor.

02:10:55Some may also be found in tide pools, seagrass, and algal beds.

02:11:00Blue-ringed octopuses are not aggressive in nature.

02:11:03When they're not seeking food such as crabs or shrimps, or searching for a mate, they

02:11:08often hide in marine debris, shells, or crevices.

02:11:12Only if they're provoked, cornered, or handled that they get dangerous to humans.

02:11:17When they're threatened, they turn bright yellow or blue iridescent rings appear all

02:11:21over their body as a warning display towards the potential predators.

02:11:26Their bites usually come unnoticed, so you might not be able to realize you're bitten

02:11:30until it's too late.

02:11:32The venom of a blue-ringed octopus can cause dizziness and loss of senses and motor skills,

02:11:37and ultimately paralysis.

02:11:40So better try to keep your hands to yourself and back away in a hurry if you see one.

02:11:45Nope, it's not a flower bouquet, so don't try to pick and smell one of those pink tube-like

02:11:51things.

02:11:52What's standing before your eyes is a marine animal called a flower urchin.

02:11:57It may look gorgeous, but don't let the looks deceive you.

02:12:00It was named the most dangerous sea urchin in the 2014 Guinness World Records.

02:12:05Flower urchins inhabit the tropical areas of the Indo-West Pacific and are found among

02:12:10coral reefs, rocks, sand, and seagrass depths at depths of 0 to 295 feet.

02:12:18The most noticeable feature of them is their pedicularia, which are claw-shaped defensive

02:12:23organs that are also found in sea stars.

02:12:26What makes flower urchins differ from any other sea urchin is the fact that their pedicularia

02:12:31is, as the name suggests, flower-like, and usually pinkish-white to yellowish-white in

02:12:36color with a central purple dot.

02:12:39Hidden underneath those flowers, they possess short and blunt spines.

02:12:44Although many sea urchins deliver their venom through such spines, flower urchins deliver

02:12:49their venom through their pedicularia, or flowers.

02:12:53If they're undisturbed, the tips of these flowers are usually expanded into round, cup-like

02:12:58shapes.

02:12:59On their surface, they possess tiny sensors with which they can detect threats, and once

02:13:04they contact such threats, these flowers immediately snap shut and start injecting venom.

02:13:11What's weird is that the little claws of the flowers can sometimes break off from their

02:13:15stalks, stick to the point of contact, and continue injecting venom for hours into whoever

02:13:21touched it.

02:13:22Yeesh!

02:13:23Looks like a giant puddle of melted strawberry ice cream, right?

02:13:28You wish!

02:13:29It's a lion's mane jellyfish, which is also called giant jellyfish, arctic red jellyfish,

02:13:35or hairy jelly.

02:13:37They're known to prefer cool water, that's why they can mostly be found in the Arctic,

02:13:42northern Atlantic, and northern Pacific Oceans.

02:13:45But it's possible to spot them around the British Isles or in the Scandinavian waters,

02:13:50too.

02:13:51Lion's mane jellyfish are one of the largest known species of jellyfish.

02:13:56They get their name from their long, flowing hair-like tentacles and can reach lengths

02:14:01up to 10 feet.

02:14:03And although the average bell diameter of a lion's mane jellyfish is around 20 inches,

02:14:08they can sometimes attain a diameter of over 7 feet!

02:14:12The largest lion's mane jellyfish recorded was seen in 1865 off the coast of Massachusetts.

02:14:19It was measured to have tentacles around 125 feet long and a diameter of 7 feet.

02:14:26To help you picture it, this is longer than a blue whale!

02:14:30Lion's mane jellyfish hunt by extending their tentacles outward and creating a trap to catch

02:14:35their food.

02:14:36Since they have around 1,200 stinging tentacles, the fish would have to be extremely lucky

02:14:42to be able to escape them.

02:14:45The sting of a lion's mane jellyfish is usually not life-threatening, but you would still

02:14:49want to avoid swimming into its tentacles because it can be very painful to humans.

02:14:54And if you see one washed up on the beach, better not touch it because it can still deliver

02:14:58a sting long after they've been on the shore.

02:15:01Fun fact, the lion's mane jellyfish appears in the Sherlock Holmes story, The Adventure

02:15:06of the Lion's Mane, as a suspect.

02:15:09But don't worry, we won't give you any spoilers.

02:15:13The last marine animal you're seeing now is a sea snake, and yes, they are different from

02:15:18eels.

02:15:20There are 69 identified species of sea snakes, most of them can be found in the tropical

02:15:25and subtropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, and they have been around for millions

02:15:31of years.

02:15:32To make things easier, scientists have separated all different species of sea snakes into two

02:15:38categories, true sea snakes and sea kraits.

02:15:42Whereas true sea snakes spend almost all their time at sea, sea kraits can spend some time

02:15:47on land as well.

02:15:49If you see a snake on the beach, you can tell whether it's a land or sea snake by looking

02:15:54at its tail.

02:15:55If it's paddle-like, then that's a sea snake you got there, but make sure to keep your

02:16:00distance in both cases.

02:16:02All sea snakes need to surface regularly to breathe since they have no gills.

02:16:07That's why you can come across one while swimming.

02:16:10If that happens, you better swim away as fast as you can because most sea snakes have more

02:16:14venom than the average cobra or rattlesnake.

02:16:18However, since they only attack if provoked, bites are quite rare.

02:16:23One more cool fact about sea snakes, they are the only reptiles to give birth in the

02:16:28oceans.

02:16:29The majority of sea snakes keep the eggs within themselves and give birth to nearly fully

02:16:33formed snakes while swimming.

02:16:36That's except for the yellow-lipped sea krait though.

02:16:38They come onto land to lay eggs of their little ones.

02:16:41Remember the stonefish from the beginning of our tour?

02:16:44They're hunted by sea snakes.

02:16:46Blame the food chain.

02:16:47This is John.

02:16:49John seems to attract all kinds of bad weather and natural disasters wherever he goes.

02:16:54See for yourself.

02:16:56One day, John notices his dog is restless.

02:16:59The pooch keeps scratching the entrance door and wandering around the house.

02:17:02He even tries to hide in the corner, howling and barking.

02:17:07When some mugs start to clink in your cupboard, John realizes what it means.

02:17:11The noise is produced by foreshocks.

02:17:14Mini earthquakes leading up to the main event.

02:17:17Earthquakes often happen in clusters.

02:17:20After a few weak quakes, a much bigger one is likely to be on the way.

02:17:25Sometime before the disaster strikes, people might notice bizarre blue lights.

02:17:29Some of them seem to be coming out of the ground, others are hovering in the air.

02:17:34These are earthquake lights.

02:17:36They may appear days or mere seconds before the ground starts shaking.

02:17:42Now, John is walking along the ocean shore.

02:17:45Suddenly, he sees the water retreat from the beach really, really fast.

02:17:49Uh-oh.

02:17:50John, run away as quickly as you can and find some high ground!

02:17:54A tsunami is coming!

02:17:55And your life might depend on how fast you react.

02:17:59If John spots a bizarre and unexpected rise in sea level, it can be another sign of an

02:18:04approaching tsunami.

02:18:05This happens in 40% of cases.

02:18:09The incoming water is the first tsunami wave.

02:18:12The second one, way, way larger, will come in in about 10 minutes.

02:18:17John can also notice seawater bubbling, swirling, and creating bizarre patterns.

02:18:22It's another sure sign a tsunami is near.

02:18:25Hmm.

02:18:27John feels there's something strange about the sun.

02:18:30Through his special super dark sunglasses, he sees that there's some uneven flares around

02:18:34the star's contour.

02:18:36If these bizarre rays are accompanied by auroras all over the world, they're a sign of a

02:18:41solar storm.

02:18:43Such storms are usually caused by disturbances in the sun's magnetic field.

02:18:48In this case, the bursts of gas and radiation on the surface of the sun get so massive and

02:18:53powerful that they can even reach our planet.

02:18:56Luckily, solar storms aren't really dangerous for people, but they can mess with electricity

02:19:01and even cause blackouts.

02:19:04The sky over John's head is darkening and turning ominously green.

02:19:09Something hits him on the forehead.

02:19:10Ouch!

02:19:11He picks up the offending object.

02:19:13It's a hailstone, but it's not that cold outside, and it's not raining.

02:19:18Soon, he hears some noise.

02:19:20It's approaching rapidly and turns into a loud roar.

02:19:23It sounds as if a freight train is moving towards him, but it's not a train.

02:19:27It's a tornado.

02:19:29The funnel isn't visible behind a cloud of debris, but John can't mistake this rotating

02:19:34column of air for anything else.

02:19:37Are you on the road, John?

02:19:39Then get as far away from your car as you can.

02:19:41Fast!

02:19:42Find a ditch, lie down in it, and cover your head.

02:19:44Oh, you're inside?

02:19:46Then get away from the windows and hide underground if possible.

02:19:50And please, John, be very careful if you spot some conically shaped clouds.

02:19:55Those mean severe storms, and if you notice that such a cloud starts spinning around,

02:19:59immediately search for shelter.

02:20:02The cloud is transitioning into a tornado right in front of your eyes.

02:20:06On the bright side, John should only worry about warm conical clouds.

02:20:10Cold ones are totally harmless.

02:20:12The only problem is to figure out the temperature of the cloud he sees.

02:20:17Duh!

02:20:18Ah, look, John just spotted some weirdly shaped trees.

02:20:22They look like the letter J and grow on a slope.

02:20:25It means the ground under John's feet is likely to be unstable.

02:20:29If he keeps wandering around, it can cause a bad landslide.

02:20:34Severe waves appear when two different wave patterns crash into each other.

02:20:38This phenomenon does look kinda awesome.

02:20:40No, don't go into the water, John.

02:20:42Keep watching it from the shore.

02:20:44Cross currents in that spot can easily pull even a skilled swimmer under the surface.

02:20:49John keeps walking along the shore.

02:20:51At one point, he sees wild, choppy waves carrying ocean debris and seaweed.

02:20:57This time, he stays out of the water.

02:20:59He knows it can be a sign of a strong rip current.

02:21:02It can carry a swimmer far away into the ocean.

02:21:07How about a walk in the park?

02:21:09John likes this idea.

02:21:10The sun is shining and the sky is so blue and beautiful.

02:21:14Suddenly, he spots a rapidly growing vertical cloud.

02:21:18At first, it looks bright white.

02:21:20But as it approaches, alarmingly fast, it becomes dense and inky.

02:21:25The sky is darkening.

02:21:27It's getting windy.

02:21:29That's when the guy notices that his hair stands on end.

02:21:31It's his cue that he's about to get hit by lightning.

02:21:34At this very moment, positive charges are rising through his body.

02:21:38They're reaching towards the negatively charged part of the storm.

02:21:41If he doesn't react fast, these charges will meet.

02:21:45There's nowhere to hide, so John should crouch down and try to make himself smaller than

02:21:49the objects around him.

02:21:51Oh no, John, don't lie down on the ground.

02:21:54It may be damp and thus a great conductor of electricity.

02:21:59There are other signs that scream danger during a lightning storm.

02:22:03John's palms may begin to sweat.

02:22:05He might hear bizarre crackling and buzzing sounds coming from metal objects nearby.

02:22:10His skin can start tingling.

02:22:13There might be a strange metallic taste in his mouth.

02:22:15Plus, John is likely to smell chlorine.

02:22:18That's how ozone smells.

02:22:22Electrical charges split the molecules of nitrogen and oxygen, which are the main gases

02:22:26making up the atmosphere, into separate atoms.

02:22:29When these atoms come together again, some of them produce molecules made up of three

02:22:33oxygen atoms.

02:22:34That's ozone.

02:22:35We can smell it during a thunderstorm because downdrafts bring this gas from high altitudes

02:22:41to your level.

02:22:43Some bugs can feel a storm coming.

02:22:46They get ready for a natural disaster by freezing, so when John notices that insects around him

02:22:51look drowsy, he knows to get ready.

02:22:54Oh, and bees can predict heavy rainstorms.

02:22:58These critters begin to work much harder the day before it starts raining.

02:23:03While walking next to the river during a period of heavy rains, John hears a roaring sound.

02:23:08He feels paralyzed with fear.

02:23:10It's likely to be a flash flood moving in his direction.

02:23:13Indeed, he soon sees debris coming down with the flow.

02:23:17The water is rapidly changing its color, becoming muddier and darker.

02:23:22Flash floods are very, very dangerous.

02:23:25Take care of your safety immediately, John.

02:23:28Another day, John sees a spectacular wall cloud.

02:23:32It seems to be stretching for up to five miles.

02:23:34In the best-case scenario, it's just a severe storm coming, but if the wall cloud begins

02:23:39to move in a circle, it's a sure sign of a tornado.

02:23:44John is walking across a snowfield in the mountains, listening to the sounds the ice

02:23:48under his feet makes.

02:23:50The noise is kind of hollow.

02:23:52Hmm.

02:23:53Quickly check whether there are cracks around your footprints, John.

02:23:56If so, the chances are an avalanche is about to happen.

02:24:00Soon, John sees an avalanche moving in his direction.

02:24:03He does his best to get off the slope.

02:24:06In most cases, he could probably outrun it by heading downhill and then veering sideways,

02:24:10but not this time.

02:24:12He realizes he doesn't have enough time and heads for the nearest tree.

02:24:16If John keeps holding onto it really tightly, the avalanche might not pull him along.

02:24:21And if this doesn't work, he should try to swim up to the snow's surface while the avalanche

02:24:26is still moving.

02:24:29On a pretty nice summer evening, John notices leaves with soft stems droop all of a sudden.

02:24:35Ah, it might be because of an upcoming storm.

02:24:37Right before extreme weather arrives, the air usually becomes more humid.

02:24:42Leaves also get damp and heavy, and the wind easily flips them over.

02:24:48John lives in a pretty old house and is used to having cracks in the interior walls.

02:24:52But one day, he notices that some of them have widened.

02:24:55And look, there are a few new ones.

02:24:58It's an alarm bell.

02:24:59He lives in an area with loads of limestone, so new cracks can mean a sinkhole is about

02:25:03to open next to his house.

02:25:06John is hurrying home, trying not to waste time admiring shelf clouds.

02:25:11They look like something from a sci-fi movie.

02:25:13They form when warm and moist air gets caught in a thunderstorm updraft, and these ominous

02:25:19clouds most often mean a storm is coming.

02:25:24Earthquake lights are some of the most mysterious natural phenomena.

02:25:28They can show up before, during, or after an earthquake.

02:25:33They're usually white or blue and last for a short time, but sometimes they can last

02:25:38up to 10 minutes.

02:25:41It's hard to study them because they can happen at different distances from an earthquake

02:25:45center.

02:25:46We know that they only happen during powerful earthquakes that have a Richter scale rating

02:25:51of 5 or higher.

02:25:54Scientists believe they may be caused by the release of ionized oxygen that occurs when

02:25:58certain rocks break apart.

02:26:02This next weird phenomenon is not spontaneous, but it doesn't make it any less impressive.

02:26:08You'll need to head over to La Macarena, Colombia to see it.

02:26:11It's called the Liquid Rainbow or the River of Five Colors.

02:26:16Here you can see the river change colors from red, yellow, green, and purple depending on

02:26:21the light and water conditions.

02:26:24This amazing sight is caused by a very talented aquatic plant.

02:26:29It attaches itself to the rocks in the river and gives the water a reddish color.

02:26:34The water is also very clear with very few particles floating in it, making the red pigments

02:26:40show even clearer.

02:26:42Should you ever reach this amazing destination, you'll also meet diverse fauna hanging around

02:26:48the lake.

02:26:49Red macaws can be seen at this location as well as howler monkeys.

02:26:55Every fall and spring, a magnificent natural phenomenon takes place in the Wadden Sea region

02:27:00in Northern Europe.

02:27:03Approximately 1.5 million starlings flock at the same spot to rest in the tall grass

02:27:08for the night.

02:27:10However, before the night settles in, the starlings may be surrounded by hungry birds

02:27:15of prey.

02:27:16This creates a mesmerizing dance as the starlings form intricate patterns to escape from the

02:27:21birds of prey.

02:27:23This spectacle is referred to as the Black Sun and involves thousands of millions of

02:27:28birds flying in formation.

02:27:31The reason for their synchronized flight is that it makes it more challenging for predators

02:27:35to single out and capture some of the starlings.

02:27:40Volcanic sounds, also called volcanic acoustics, can happen before an eruption.

02:27:46They come from magma getting pressurized in cracks and pipes, bubbling explosions, and

02:27:51hot water systems near the surface of the volcano.

02:27:55As the magma rises, gas builds up and cracks the surface open.

02:27:59The gas-rich magma creates a sound like a pipe organ, which is known as a volcanic tremor.

02:28:06The sound changes over time, resembling a natural concert.

02:28:10A volcanic tremor is a sign that an eruption is coming.

02:28:14So it's best to seek shelter if you hear anything unusual near a volcanic site.

02:28:21One of the most surreal phenomena to experience on Earth is near sand dunes.

02:28:26Should you ever be at the top of a sand dune, you may be lucky enough to hear one of the

02:28:31strangest things, singing sand.

02:28:36The truth is scientists have yet to fully understand why this phenomenon occurs.

02:28:42One theory claims that the sand might produce this sound while sliding down the dunes because

02:28:47of the friction between its grains.

02:28:50But how can you recognize whether what you hear is singing sand?

02:28:54Well, it's similar to an airplane flying in the distance.

02:28:58One of the few places on Earth where sand makes such a loud noise that it can actually

02:29:03be heard by tourists is in the Namib Desert in Africa, or in the barking sands of Hawaii.

02:29:12To see a rare golden waterfall, you'll have to drive to Yosemite National Park, more precisely,

02:29:18to the Horsetail Falls.

02:29:20You will need to plan your trip ahead of time to make sure you get there either in

02:29:24the winter or early spring.

02:29:27It's the only period of the year when this beautiful sight can be spotted.

02:29:32Let's be clear, it's not real gold falling down the mountain.

02:29:35Actually, it's an optical illusion.

02:29:38When at dusk, the sunlight hits the waterfall in such a unique way that it makes it look

02:29:43like a river of lava or gold.

02:29:46In a California national park called Death Valley, there are some rocks that seem to

02:29:51move on their own and leave trails behind.

02:29:55Scientists thought the roadrunner bird could be responsible for these movements, but this

02:29:59creature is too small to drag rocks around.

02:30:02They also thought it could be the wind, but the rocks are also too heavy to be blown away.

02:30:08Scientists have been studying the rocks for years, but until 2014, they hadn't actually

02:30:14seen the rocks move, they'd just seen them in different positions at different times.

02:30:19With the help of time-lapse photography, they discovered that the movement was caused by

02:30:23a combination of rainfall, rapid temperature changes, and a bit of wind.

02:30:29When it rains, the water sometimes freezes and the rocks get stuck in the ice.

02:30:34As the temperature rises, the ice starts to melt and move slowly, dragging the rocks with

02:30:39it.

02:30:40The traces left behind solidify under the heat of the sun.

02:30:44The ice sheets that move the rocks is very thin and evaporates quickly, which is why

02:30:49it was difficult for scientists to understand this phenomenon.

02:30:54Have you ever heard of a dirty thunderstorm?

02:30:57Buckle up, because I'm about to take you on a wild ride through the world of volcanic

02:31:02lightning.

02:31:03No, it's not a new dancing technique, although that would be pretty impressive.

02:31:08It's just a funky way of saying lightning and thunder during a volcanic eruption.

02:31:12When a regular thunderstorm happens, positive and negative particles collide and create

02:31:17a big spark of lightning.

02:31:20And the rumble you hear, that's just thunder.

02:31:22But when a volcano starts to holler, some ash particles get electrified and start colliding

02:31:28with each other.

02:31:29This causes electrical discharges, making it look like there's lightning coming straight

02:31:33from the volcano.

02:31:35And with all the ash, smoke, and gas flying around, it looks like something straight out

02:31:41of a sci-fi movie.

02:31:43That's why it's sometimes called a dirty thunderstorm, too.

02:31:48Whoa!

02:31:49Did you just see that giant ray of light shooting up into the sky?

02:31:53They're called light pillars.

02:31:55And don't worry, they're not a magic trick, just a bunch of ice crystals playing tricks

02:32:00on us.

02:32:01You see, when it's cold outside, these ice crystals floating near the ground reflect

02:32:05light from unshielded lights and create these columns of light that look like they're coming

02:32:10from outer space.

02:32:12But really, it's just a bunch of little crystals showing off their reflective skills.

02:32:17And if you think those natural light pillars are cool, wait till you see the artificial

02:32:22ones.

02:32:23They can be even taller because the light from streetlights is not the same.

02:32:27Ice crystals can reflect the light even if they're a little tilted.

02:32:31Just imagine, all that light is coming from streetlights just a few feet away.

02:32:36So next time you see a light pillar, don't run for cover, just enjoy the show!

02:32:42If you come across these quirky bubble-like shapes in the sky, consider yourself lucky.

02:32:48These little gems are called mammatus clouds, and they're not your everyday run-of-the-mill

02:32:53clouds.

02:32:54Most clouds are formed when air rises, making them look like big cotton balls.

02:33:00Mammatus clouds are formed when air sinks, making them look like they're upside down.

02:33:06The air above and below such clouds creates a little turbulence, and before you know it,

02:33:12cloud particles form perfectly round orbs.

02:33:15Just don't stand there gawking at them for too long, they often signal that a thunderstorm

02:33:20is on its way.

02:33:23What do we have here?

02:33:24It looks like the sun is wearing a colorful party hat made of rainbows on top of the Ore

02:33:29Mountains in Germany.

02:33:31This phenomenon is called a sun halo by the way.

02:33:35These snow-covered trees look like they're joining in on the fun too.

02:33:39It's all thanks to those ice crystals in high clouds.

02:33:42They love to bend and reflect light, making it look like the sun is having a halo lava

02:33:47lamp dance party.

02:33:49And yes, it might mean that bad weather is just around the corner, but don't let it spoil

02:33:54your fun.

02:33:55You can still hang around and take some great pictures!

02:34:09North Yungas Road in Bolivia is one of the most picturesque and most hazardous roads

02:34:15in the world.

02:34:16Just imagine biking along a cliff trail at a mind-numbing height overlooking the lush

02:34:21Bolivian jungle and misty mountains at a distance.

02:34:25What a view!

02:34:26But as soon as you realize you're riding on a 10-foot-wide stretch of road, some of which

02:34:31isn't even paved, you might get skin crawls.

02:34:34And for good reason.

02:34:35Over 200 folks tumble to their demise each year on this devious mountain climb.

02:34:41And the absence of any guardrail doesn't help at all.

02:34:45Now if you're more into walking, consider the Hussaini Bridge in Pakistan.

02:34:50It's officially the most dangerous hanging bridge in the world, but hardly the only one

02:34:55in the country.

02:34:56It's a long and nerve-wracking traverse over Lake Borut, with many planks of the bridge

02:35:01missing, and the whole construction creaking ominously in the wind.

02:35:06Still, the place has become a major tourist attraction, although the old and broken bridge

02:35:11visible nearby only adds to the impression that you're inevitably going to fall to a

02:35:17screaming end.

02:35:19Well, at least you can be thankful that the lake beneath is not Lake Natron in Tanzania.

02:35:25If you fall into water, you still have a chance of survival.

02:35:29If you fall into the waters of Natron, not so much.

02:35:32The pH levels here are a skin-melting 10.5.

02:35:36What passes for water is more like an alkaline soup.

02:35:40No wonder this place is so peaceful.

02:35:42Pretty much nothing wants to live here.

02:35:44And yet, flocks of flamingos come to Lake Natron to breed every few seasons, and it

02:35:49becomes a white-pink paradise for the period.

02:35:53Positively.

02:35:56Which can't be said about the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia.

02:36:00Despite its beautiful, otherworldly landscape, it's perhaps the loneliest place on Earth.

02:36:06Yellow, orange, and green mounds are made of salt, sulfur, and iron, creating views

02:36:11like nowhere else on the planet.

02:36:14But the combination of temperature and toxic minerals makes this place absolutely unlivable.

02:36:20Researchers coming here haven't found even microscopic life in this valley.

02:36:24Really, like another planet.

02:36:26Beautiful and desolate.

02:36:29On the other hand, there's an island that's bubbling with life, yet still, you don't

02:36:33want to be there.

02:36:34It's called Snake Island, and the name says it all – it's chock-full of snakes.

02:36:40In fact, there are so many of them, especially the venomous varieties, that Brazil has forbidden

02:36:46access to the island to any and all visitors.

02:36:50But even if it wasn't closed off, not many would be brave enough to go to a place where

02:36:55a single step offshore could land you a venomous bite.

02:36:59I'll bet that Fly Geyser in the middle of the Nevada desert was created partly because

02:37:06humans became jealous of that.

02:37:08This place had been just another bit of desert until 1916.

02:37:12People came here to drill a water well.

02:37:15They quickly saw the error of their ways, though.

02:37:17The water came out boiling hot and unfit for drinking.

02:37:21Fifty years later, there was another attempt, but the same thing happened.

02:37:25We don't learn, do we?

02:37:27Anyway, hot water never stops spewing from under the ground, and today, we have a massive

02:37:32geyser cluster colored in shades of red, orange, and yellow.

02:37:38Now I say let's take a break from things that could bite, burn, or crush you, and take

02:37:42a walk in a serene forest.

02:37:44We're in Japan, and it's Sagano Bamboo Forest, a marvelous natural park where you

02:37:50can't help but hush your voice and just look.

02:37:53And listen, too.

02:37:55Because the sound of the wind in the bamboo trees is the first ever officially recognized

02:38:00soundscape.

02:38:02All the more surprising to find such a place just half an hour's ride from Kyoto, one

02:38:07of the busiest cities in the country.

02:38:10Take a deep breath of fresh air now, you're gonna need it.

02:38:14We're going underwater!

02:38:16Behold the Great Blue Hole, apparently named by Captain Obvious.

02:38:20It's one of the most beautiful places on the planet.

02:38:24Located off the coast of Belize, this giant sinkhole is a massive tourist attraction,

02:38:29especially popular among divers.

02:38:31It's actually a whole cave system, and they say it gets weirder and more picturesque the

02:38:36deeper you dive.

02:38:38Beware though, it's popular among sharks, too, and both bull sharks and hammerheads

02:38:43have been spotted here more than once.

02:38:46Here, have a towel and prepare for some barbecue.

02:38:50The Darvasa gas crater is waiting.

02:38:52A huge hole again, this time in the ground and burning.

02:38:57Over 50 years ago, geologists found this spot in Turkmenia, Central Asia, and were quite

02:39:02a bit alarmed.

02:39:03There was an enormous deposit of methane, a highly flammable gas, underground.

02:39:08They set it on fire to prevent the gas from spreading, and since then, the holes kept

02:39:13burning.

02:39:14It's over 200 feet across and 100 feet deep, and no one knows when it'll finally run

02:39:20out of fuel.

02:39:22Is it too hot again?

02:39:24Well, let's have a little swim with jellyfish then.

02:39:27Jellyfish Lake on one of the rock islands in Palau is perfectly described by its name.

02:39:32In 2005, there were about 30 million of these creatures here.

02:39:37Although today only 700,000 of them remain, their number is growing, and tourists can

02:39:42actually swim with them.

02:39:44Until they get stung, that is.

02:39:46Okay, kidding, these jellyfish don't have stingers, so it's safe.

02:39:50Until they decide to grow stingers, of course.

02:39:53From the depths, we're going even deeper.

02:39:56The Gomentang Caves are our next stop.

02:39:59The cave system on the island of Borneo could've been Batman's hideout, given how many bats

02:40:04live there.

02:40:05At night, these nocturnal animals fly out of the cave in the thousands, making you wonder

02:40:10why you're still there watching it.

02:40:12But if you're brave enough to go inside the cave, you can truly marvel at the variety

02:40:17given to us by nature.

02:40:19Because there, on the floor and walls of the cave, lie tons of bat droppings, giving food

02:40:25and home to millions of cockroaches, parasites, and giant centipedes.

02:40:30Wondrous.

02:40:31Okay, I'm outta here.

02:40:33If you're as easy to get away as I am, here's a place to go – Mediti National Park in

02:40:38Bolivia.

02:40:39It's one of the largest protected areas in South America, and is home to an immense

02:40:44variety of animals, birds, and insects.

02:40:47I could do without the mosquitos, but it's still among the few places where you could

02:40:51see wild macaws, monkeys, capybaras, and dozens of other creatures.

02:40:56Still, it's better to be careful because wild animals aren't always happy to see

02:41:01you, and there are known cases of attacks on tourists.

02:41:05Ever wanted to feel like Frodo Baggins in Middle-earth?

02:41:09Here's your chance!

02:41:10In Iceland, there's a slumbering volcano named Þrygugageygurð that welcomes guests

02:41:16to a tea party.

02:41:17Now, don't confuse this with another infamous Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajökull.

02:41:22Yeah, it's easy to mix them up, they sound so similar.

02:41:26Here, tourists are actually ushered down into the volcano and spend close to an hour inside,

02:41:32looking at the magmatic landscape.

02:41:35They say Þrygugageygurð can't wake up all of a sudden, but who knows?

02:41:40Don't forget to bring the ring of power, just in case!

02:41:44From the lowest dungeon to the highest peak, and here we are at Mount Hua in China.

02:41:50It's called the most dangerous hike in the world for a reason.

02:41:53It's high, it's crazy scary, and it's a hike.

02:41:57At the height of 7,000 ft, which already makes me reconsider, there are several wooden planks

02:42:02nailed to the sheer wall of the mountain.

02:42:05When you get to the start of the hike, you put on safety gear and realize there's no

02:42:09turning back.

02:42:11You have to walk all the way, and then back, but if you're lucky, you'll see a crowd

02:42:17of hundreds of tourists and decide not to spend hours waiting for your turn.

02:42:22Finally, to really creep you out, I'm taking you to Pripyat in Ukraine.

02:42:28If you watched the TV show Chernobyl, you probably know what happened in this area.

02:42:33If you didn't see it, well, don't have a meltdown.

02:42:36Much of the town is still off-limits for visitors, but there are already guided tours

02:42:41around the place.

02:42:42As haunting as it is, the landscape has some magnetic force.

02:42:46The silence makes you keep as quiet as you can.

02:42:50Also, you can see with your own eyes what happens when people abandon a whole city.

02:42:56Nature takes back what once belonged to it.

02:42:59Creeping vines along the walls and lampposts, trees and bushes sprouting from under concrete,

02:43:05and the main attraction in this desolate place is the rusty old Ferris wheel.

02:43:11Nature shivers my timbers.

02:43:15This spiky tree knows how to shoot, so you'd better stay away from it.

02:43:19It's called a sandbox tree, and you can find it in Amazonia.

02:43:23Initially, its seeds are formed in the shape of a small pumpkin.

02:43:27As time goes by, they harden and mature.

02:43:31But here comes the fun part.

02:43:33Just as they reach peak maturity, the seeds pop and shoot out at a speed of 150 mph.

02:43:39They can even reach distances of 60 ft.

02:43:42That's what makes it so risky to be in their way during the blast process.

02:43:46Not to mention the seeds are poisonous too.

02:43:50Sure, some trees don't grow completely upright.

02:43:53But a tree that's altogether bent, with its branches even touching the ground, is

02:43:58a sight not to be missed.

02:44:00Such a tree, called the El Arbol de la Sabina, grows in Spain.

02:44:05Its shape depends on the wind, as the tree bends in its direction.

02:44:09As a result, not only does it often have a weird shape, but it can also change it completely

02:44:14during different times of the year.

02:44:16This flexible tree can reach more than 26 feet in height, and tends to grow in the most

02:44:21improbable of locations, like on rocks.

02:44:26Now how about a tree that's as old as dinosaurs?

02:44:29Founded in 1994, the Wallamie Pine tree species can be seen in the Blue Mountains of Sydney,

02:44:35Australia.

02:44:36It dates back to over 200 million years, so it's easy to believe dinosaurs might've

02:44:41even roamed around it.

02:44:43Since these trees are endangered, and only 100 exhibits exist to this day in the wild,

02:44:49the scientists don't feel like disclosing their location.

02:44:52They want to make sure the trees are well-preserved.

02:44:55Also, they're important for science, as studying them may help us uncover new information on

02:45:00the Earth's past.

02:45:02The bark of the tree can teach us many different things, like different temperature periods,

02:45:06or exposure to various chemicals.

02:45:10The Tree of Life gets its name because it's able to withstand difficult conditions and

02:45:15actually thrive.

02:45:17Located in the desert outskirts of Bahrain, the Prosopis cineraria has a very deep root

02:45:22system which allows it to survive in the scorching heat.

02:45:26The scientists still can't find out how it manages to get sufficient water.

02:45:31It's so special that it gathers over 50,000 tourists each year.

02:45:36La India Dormida in Panama is a mountainous area that's shaped like the body of a sleeping

02:45:42girl.

02:45:43It's part of a bigger, mysterious region called La Val de Anton, one of the largest inhabited

02:45:48dormant volcanoes in the world.

02:45:50And it has some pretty weird trees too – square ones.

02:45:54Even the rings of these trees, meaning the interior of their trunks, are the same shape,

02:45:59with sharp edges, sometimes even at a perfect 90-degree angle.

02:46:04Researchers have tried to piece together why these trees grow in this particular shape.

02:46:08They even tried taking samples of some of the trees and planting them elsewhere, to

02:46:13see if they retain that shape.

02:46:15It wasn't the case, so it's clear that the odd shape of the trees has something to

02:46:19do with the valley itself.

02:46:22Some people believe that a local farmer might have originally planted the trees in boxes,

02:46:27forcing the trees to grow like that, to reduce lumber waste, since round trees often end

02:46:32up being cut in sharp angled pieces.

02:46:36One of the oldest and biggest trees in the world is found in the Sequoia National Park

02:46:40of the United States.

02:46:42It's called General Sherman and stretches at 275 feet.

02:46:46It's almost as big as the Statue of Liberty.

02:46:49Its circumference is equally as impressive, as near the ground it is around 102 feet around.

02:46:56As for its age, we can only guess it to be between 2,300 and 2,700 years.

02:47:02It's an old tree!

02:47:05There are a lot of beautiful species of trees out there, but none as striking as the rainbow

02:47:11eucalyptus found in the Philippines.

02:47:14It almost looks hand-painted because of its multicolored layers of bark.

02:47:18This tree also shades its layers irregularly, which means it shows a lot of colors at once,

02:47:24from green to blue, then purple to orange, and then finally reaching brown.

02:47:29It's not used for decorating purposes, but rather for paper manufacturing.

02:47:35Located in Namibia is a tree that's also weird in shape and pretty dangerous, the bottle

02:47:41tree.

02:47:42Okay, in terms of shape, it's pretty self-explanatory, with a round trunk that narrows down toward

02:47:47the top.

02:47:48But the milky sap harvested from the tree is extremely poisonous.

02:47:53Legend has it that local hunters used to dip their arrows in it for added efficiency.

02:47:58It does look really beautiful during bloom season, with flowers that grow in pink and

02:48:03white with a red center.

02:48:05Now, to see a crooked tree every now and then isn't so special.

02:48:10But to see a whole forest of them, you'd have to travel to the Polish town of Grafino.

02:48:15Here at Grafino, there is a forest made out of 400 oddly-shaped trees.

02:48:19They've been curved with mechanical intervention.

02:48:22They didn't just grow like that, but their purpose remains a mystery to this day.

02:48:27Some have said it's because the wood from the trees was intended for furniture, or even

02:48:32for the construction of boats.

02:48:34But either way, the forest was eventually abandoned.

02:48:39A silk cotton tree has taken over the ancient Ta Prohm temples of Cambodia, creating a spectacular

02:48:45view.

02:48:46The massive branches of the silk cotton trees were free to grow over the structures for

02:48:51ages, going back as far as the 12th century.

02:48:54The temples have been restored and are accessible to tourists.

02:48:59The dragon's blood tree grows in the Canary Islands of northwest Africa.

02:49:04Historians used to say that once a dragon passes away, it transforms into a tree.

02:49:09Standing at an impressive 50 feet in length, the tree is named like that due to its red

02:49:14sap, which can be harvested from the bark.

02:49:17The red substance to this day is used for dyes and in medicine.

02:49:23One of the biggest, oldest, and most impressive trees in the world is the Sunland Baobab tree.

02:49:29It's 72 feet high and has a circumference of 155 feet.

02:49:34It's located in South Africa.

02:49:36What makes it even more spectacular is the fact that it is naturally hollow inside.

02:49:41So, a small lounge was set up inside the tree back in 1933.

02:49:46It initially could support up to 20 individuals, but it can now host up to 60 people.

02:49:52Not to mention, the tree dates back over 6,000 years.

02:49:56The silver birch tree spread across Scandinavia and northeast Europe and found a way to reflect

02:50:02light.

02:50:03Its bark became lighter in color, and during the colder season, when its branches also

02:50:07freeze over, the site is something of a natural winter wonderland.

02:50:12It also developed a partnership with a fungus that connects to its roots and fans out under

02:50:17the forest, gathering up nutrients that trees can't reach.

02:50:21For these services, the tree gives the fungus sugars in return.

02:50:26The birch's companion is dangerous and shouldn't be consumed by people.

02:50:30It's easy to recognize with the classical scarlet-topped, red-sprinkled mushroom head.

02:50:36A natural festival not to be missed is Japan's cherry blossom season.

02:50:41The pinkish-white blossom is deeply rooted in Japanese culture, going hand-in-hand with

02:50:46a local saying called mano no arare, which relatively translates to the fact that everything

02:50:54is temporary, regardless of how perfect or beautiful it is.

02:50:58Should you ever visit Japan, you'll quickly see that the cherry blossom symbol is everywhere,

02:51:04from company logos to even clothing or household items.

02:51:08Yosemite National Park in California once had an amazing tree structure that was turned

02:51:13into a tunnel.

02:51:15It was a coast redwood tree, stretching 227 feet tall.

02:51:19It was nicknamed wawona, the Native American word for the hoot of an owl.

02:51:24The tree fell in 1969 because of a heavy snow, but it survived as an ecosystem for

02:51:29animals, plants, and insects.

02:51:31It's now called the Fallen Tunnel Tree.

02:51:35One tree species known as fracapasvvvv, well, you read it, is the rarest plant on Earth.

02:51:41The Guinness World Record book recorded one single tree of its kind off the coast of New

02:51:46Zealand.

02:51:47It wasn't always that lonely, but humans brought goats to the island, which nipped

02:51:51at every other member of its family.

02:51:54Ow!

02:51:55Luckily, scientists are looking at ways to plant new specimens.

02:51:59The Moon, our little companion, our only friend in the big dark cold space.

02:52:05It's not surprising that any events related to it, like solar or lunar eclipses, excites

02:52:11us.

02:52:12But how about the black moon, the blue moon, a supermoon?

02:52:16Have you ever heard of them?

02:52:18Well, let me tell you about it and how you can observe them.

02:52:21Let's get your calendars ready.

02:52:24The distance between the Earth and the Moon is 238,900 miles, I've measured.

02:52:29Feels not so far, doesn't it?

02:52:31But trust me, most people greatly underestimate this difference.

02:52:35Did you know that every planet in the solar system, including Jupiter and Saturn, would

02:52:39fit between the Moon and us?

02:52:42I couldn't believe it myself.

02:52:44The Moon is tidally locked to the Earth.

02:52:46That's why it's always turned to us with only one side.

02:52:49There are a few phases in a lunar cycle.

02:52:52The new moon is the first phase.

02:52:54The Sun illuminates the unseen side of our satellite, so we can't see the Moon, it's

02:52:59almost invisible in the sky.

02:53:01The rising moon is the gradual growth of the light part.

02:53:04The full moon is the phase during which the Sun completely illuminates the visible side.

02:53:10The descending moon is a gradual waning of the light part.

02:53:13And finally, another new moon, and the whole cycle starts again.

02:53:18There are 29.5 days in a lunar cycle, so it takes around a month if we're not talking

02:53:23about February.

02:53:25But why am I telling you all this?

02:53:27So you can better understand Black Moon, a rare astronomical event that happens once

02:53:32every 29 months or 2.5 years.

02:53:35This term doesn't exist in astronomy, as it was made up by astrologers.

02:53:40It's unofficial and has several meanings.

02:53:43Black Moon may mean the second new moon in a month.

02:53:46Usually there's only one new moon per month, so having two is a rare phenomenon.

02:53:51It's caused by a slight discrepancy between the lunar cycle and the Earth's annual one.

02:53:56Something like leap years.

02:53:58Black Moon can also mean something else.

02:54:00For example, usually there are only three new moons per one season.

02:54:05Basically, one new moon every 30 days.

02:54:08However, if there are four, the Black Moon means the third one.

02:54:12There are also some less popular meanings.

02:54:15For example, that's what people call February without a new or full moon.

02:54:19This happens about once every 19 years.

02:54:22But what's so special about it?

02:54:24The satellite is wholly hidden in the sky during a regular new moon.

02:54:29But during a Black Moon, you'll be able to see its dark silhouette.

02:54:33You'll have to choose a good place without city lights.

02:54:35If you live in a big city, you'll hardly be able to see it without a telescope.

02:54:40Also, since the sky turns black during this phenomenon, you'll be able to see different

02:54:45constellations that were hidden before, as well as Jupiter and Venus.

02:54:50The last time this happened was on April 30, 2022.

02:54:54You could observe it in most parts of the United States, except for areas in the Pacific,

02:54:58Alaska, or Hawaiian Tide.

02:55:00Aloha!

02:55:01Unfortunately, if this is the first time you hear about the Black Moon, you've already

02:55:06missed it.

02:55:07Now, you'll have to wait another 2 and a half years.

02:55:11The next Black Moon will happen in September 2024 by standard definition, and May 19, 2023

02:55:17by seasonal definition.

02:55:19But hey, don't worry!

02:55:21You can always see another astronomical event once upon a blue moon.

02:55:25Now, I'm not mocking you, I'm being serious.

02:55:28You can still see the blue moon.

02:55:30Well, not literally, of course.

02:55:32The moon won't turn blue.

02:55:34That's just what astrologers call the second full moon in a month.

02:55:38The black and blue moons are similar by definition, but they're actually the opposites.

02:55:43If the black moon is a rare second new moon in a month, the blue moon is a rare second

02:55:47full moon.

02:55:48They also both happen every 29 months.

02:55:52Not so rare, right?

02:55:53Kind of ironic that this event was called the blue moon.

02:55:57Folklorist Philip Hitchcock assumed that the calendrical meaning of the term blue moon

02:56:02was first invented by the Maine Farmers' Almanac in 1937.

02:56:06Now, another interesting astronomical event is called the supermoon.

02:56:11Stock up on telescopes and look for some hills, because you'll see an exceptionally bright

02:56:15and large moon like the one we only see in movies.

02:56:19What exactly does a supermoon mean?

02:56:21You see, the moon doesn't revolve around the Earth in a circular orbit.

02:56:25Its orbit is elliptical, and the place where it's closest to the Earth is called perigee.

02:56:31A supermoon is a phenomenon that occurs when the full moon coincides with the perigee.

02:56:37Because of this, it seems to us especially large and bright.

02:56:41It looks 14% larger in diameter and 30% brighter than usual.

02:56:46By the way, this phenomenon is often confused with the so-called moon illusion.

02:56:51During the moon illusion, the moon is low above the horizon and visually appears larger

02:56:56in size.

02:56:57Of the 12 or 13 full moons in a year, 3 or 4 are supermoons.

02:57:02But most of them are not very significant.

02:57:05You probably won't see a difference at all.

02:57:07The most interesting ones are the rare large supermoons.

02:57:11During them, the moon actually becomes big.

02:57:14The last major supermoon occurred in 2016.

02:57:17Unfortunately, large-scale supermoons are rare and occur about once every 18 years.

02:57:23The next one will happen only in 2034.

02:57:26But we can observe smaller supermoons quite often.

02:57:29In 2022, they'll take place on June 14th and July 16th.

02:57:34There is also an opposite phenomenon called the micromoon.

02:57:39You've probably already guessed what that means.

02:57:41It happens when the full moon is at its farthest point from the Earth.

02:57:45This point is called apogee.

02:57:47The next micromoon in 2022 will take place on June 29th.

02:57:52In 2023, we'll be able to observe it on January 7th, February 5th, and August 16th.

02:57:59Of course, you don't have to follow each of these events.

02:58:01Most people are more interested in lunar and solar eclipses.

02:58:05By the way, are you one of the people who confuses these two events with each other?

02:58:09Test yourself.

02:58:10Pause this video, describe what these two eclipses mean, let's compare your answer

02:58:15with the correct definition.

02:58:17Are you back?

02:58:18Ok.

02:58:19A solar eclipse is a phenomenon where the moon entirely or partially covers the Sun.

02:58:25A solar eclipse is possible only during the new moon when the moon itself is not visible.

02:58:30Many people believe that this event is incredibly rare, but this is not quite true.

02:58:35A lunar eclipse is a phenomenon in which the moon is entirely or partially in the shadow

02:58:40cast by the Earth.

02:58:42The lunar eclipse can only happen during the full moon when the proximity of the moon is

02:58:46on the node of its orbit.

02:58:48If you guessed right, well done!

02:58:50If not, hey, don't worry, many people confuse them.

02:58:54In 2022, a partial solar eclipse will occur on October 25th.

02:58:59It'll be visible in Europe, South and West Asia, North and East Africa, and the Atlantic.

02:59:04As I mentioned, a total solar eclipse is not as rare as many people think, but the problem

02:59:09is that it's not always visible from any part of the planet.

02:59:13So, if you want to see this event, be sure to look for their calendar and see from which

02:59:17parts of the Earth you'll be able to see it.

02:59:19And don't forget the special glasses!

02:59:22Lunar eclipses occur much more often, though.

02:59:25Partial lunar eclipses happen almost every month.

02:59:28But the total lunar eclipse in 2022 will take place on the night of November 7th to 8th.

02:59:34You'll be able to see it in almost all parts of the world except Africa.

02:59:38I hear that the zebras are not happy about this.

02:59:41The moon is a genuinely fascinating satellite.

02:59:44You think whatever, it's just a small rock ball.

02:59:47But in reality, there are so many interesting things connected to it.

02:59:51What rare lunar events have you seen or want to see in your life?

02:59:55Have you observed any rare and interesting astronomical events?

02:59:59Be sure to share in the comments!

03:00:01That's it for today!

03:00:02So – hey!

03:00:03If you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your friends!

03:00:07Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!

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