00:00Once upon a time, a young boy was about to dig a huge hole in the beach.
00:05But the situation quickly turned dramatic.
00:08The hole suddenly collapsed, imprisoning the boy up to his neck in the sand, like a human ice cube.
00:14Fortunately, his parents managed to prevent the sand from entering his mouth.
00:19The emergency services soon intervened and, after several attempts, the child was finally released.
00:26Experts emphasize that sand is an unstable and difficult material to master when it is handled.
00:32Thus, the lesson to be learned from this incident is clear.
00:36Enjoy the beach and have fun, but if you plan to dig a hole big enough to get in,
00:42make sure to limit the depth and choose the right place.
00:47Unfortunately, this incident is not isolated.
00:50Digging deep holes in the sand involves risks, which can lead to fatal accidents.
00:55According to a study, more than 50 cases of sand hole collapse have been reported around the world,
01:01many of which have led to deaths.
01:03So let's avoid becoming the next victim of an avoidable tragedy.
01:07So here are some recommendations from experts to guarantee your safety.
01:12Never dig a hole deeper than the height of the knees of the smallest person in your group,
01:17and make sure to cover the entire hole before leaving the site, day and night.
01:22In addition, avoid digging near dunes or shorelines,
01:26areas often occupied by emergency vehicles.
01:30Since we started with the holes on the beach, let's now address the land cladding.
01:35These claddings, also called dolines or havens, behave like masters of camouflage on the surface of the earth.
01:41Sometimes imposing, sometimes discreet, they often arise without warning.
01:45It's a bit like the game of mole hunting, except that here,
01:48they are not moles that we hunt, but real gophers.
01:52These deafening phenomena develop over the years and require very specific conditions and processes.
01:58But then, what is the mystery of these claddings?
02:01They are in fact natural depressions, or cavities that appear on the surface of the earth due to karstification.
02:09And what is karstification, you may ask?
02:12It occurs when the substrates of the earth's crust are soluble,
02:16as if they had a hidden weakness, the water here playing the role of a real kryptonite.
02:21Although the dolines form slowly, they have this unpredictable side,
02:25a bit like this strange friend that always arises where we do not expect it.
02:29Interesting fact?
02:31The Xiaoxaitiankeng, a monumental gulf more than 660 meters deep,
02:36holds the title of the deepest and largest gulf in the world.
02:41If some researchers think that a meteorite impact is at the origin,
02:45others estimate that it formed over a period of 128,000 years
02:49under the action of underground rivers that gradually eroded the surrounding limestone.
02:55Anyway, this gulf is truly amazing.
02:59Locals have known it for generations,
03:02but it was only in 1994 that the rest of the world learned about its existence,
03:08following a British expedition.
03:10This site houses more than 1,200 species of plants and animals,
03:14some of which are rare, such as the jingo biloba or the nebulous panther.
03:19During the rainy season, a waterfall overflows,
03:22feeding a network of underground rivers and caves,
03:25thus creating a real world apart.
03:29Now let's talk about hail storms.
03:31Consider them as the way nature shouts GAR,
03:35in the most brutal way possible.
03:38Hail is like frozen rain under steroids,
03:41and when it starts to fall, it is better to take shelter.
03:45Although hail storms usually don't last more than 15 minutes,
03:49they can cause serious damage in record time,
03:52affecting buildings, vehicles and crops.
03:55They can even cut power lines and cut down trees.
03:59If you are unlucky and find yourself in the middle of a storm,
04:02the experience could give you the impression of being a living flipper.
04:06Here are some reasons why hail storms are a real danger.
04:11Caution, pilot!
04:13If you find that the turbulence is already formidable,
04:16imagine crossing a hail storm in mid-flight.
04:19In 2018, a plane crashed in northern Mexico
04:22after being caught in a hail storm.
04:25Fortunately, everyone on board was able to pull out unscathed.
04:29Hail is not only a danger to planes,
04:32but also to motorists.
04:35Imagine yourself on the highway when a sudden impact
04:38breaks your windshield into a multitude of fragments.
04:41Visibility becomes almost zero,
04:44and the road turns into a slippery surface.
04:48Farmers, on the other hand,
04:50are fully affected by the effects of hail storms.
04:53These violent gusts and long hail can ravage crops,
04:57leaving behind rotten plants and torn bark.
05:01In just a few minutes, months of hard work can be destroyed,
05:05causing considerable losses.
05:08When summer arrives,
05:10who does not like to indulge in the joys of the sun,
05:12relax on the sand or tame the waves?
05:15Beware, however, of the torrents.
05:17These powerful canals, narrow and fast,
05:20are omnipresent along the coasts
05:22and on the banks of the Great Lakes of North America.
05:25Their speed can exceed 2 meters per second.
05:29In the face of a torrent,
05:31it is common for swimmers to panic
05:33and try to regain the beach in a straight line,
05:36which is a mistake that may exhaust them,
05:39or even worse.
05:40So, what to do if you are trapped?
05:44The key is to keep calm
05:46and avoid fighting against the current.
05:48Swim rather parallel to the coast,
05:50then gradually return to the land firm in bias.
05:53Small precision.
05:55Rebound and return currents are not to be confused.
05:58Return currents designate a particular type of current,
06:02caused by the rapid movement of the tide
06:05through passages such as estuaries and ports.
06:08Landslides are another unpredictable danger.
06:12The mountains,
06:13although they give the impression of being immutable and robust,
06:16are not as stable as they seem.
06:19Do not be fooled by this apparent solidity.
06:22Landslides can occur anywhere,
06:25at any time.
06:27They occur when large amounts of land,
06:30rocks and various debris are shaken
06:33and begin to swallow a slope.
06:35This can be caused by abundant rainfall,
06:38earthquakes,
06:39or even for no apparent reason,
06:41simply because the ground gives way under the accumulated pressure.
06:44Mother Nature has not finished surprising us.
06:47Let's start with heatwaves,
06:49a more burning meteorological phenomenon than a tabasco flash.
06:53Unlike ordinary storms,
06:55heatwaves require very precise atmospheric conditions to occur.
07:00For a heatwave to occur,
07:02a very dry air must descend from high altitudes,
07:05and that no precipitation evaporates.
07:08When these conditions are met,
07:10it generates a breath of heat of such intensity
07:13that one could believe to be flying towards the sun.
07:15This air, not only burning,
07:17but also so dry that it dries everything in its path,
07:20including the most vulnerable vegetation.
07:24Have you ever heard of fire whirlwinds,
07:26also known as fire tornadoes?
07:29It is a vortex made up of flames and ashes,
07:32capable of absorbing debris as well as combustible gases.
07:36It can be considered as a kind of mini-tornado
07:38fed by a blazing blaze.
07:41These phenomena usually begin with a whirlwind visible through the smoke.
07:45They are formed when the rising heat
07:47combines with windy conditions,
07:49generating air whirlwinds.
07:51Sometimes these whirlwinds become so powerful
07:53that they create a vortex similar to a tornado,
07:56attracting everything in its path.
07:59It happens that we designate a fire whirlwind
08:01under other names,
08:02such as fire tornado or fire storm.
08:05However,
08:06these terms often refer to distinct phenomena
08:09where a fire of sufficient intensity
08:11can generate a real tornado.
08:13Fire whirlwinds are characterized
08:15by the fact that their vortex does not necessarily extend from the ground
08:18to the clouds.
08:20Even when they reach this height,
08:22they are generally not considered as classic tornadoes
08:25because their formation differs.
08:27These phenomena can also reach very high temperatures,
08:31reaching up to 1000 ° C.
08:33Fire whirlwinds tend to form
08:36during forest fires or fire storms,
08:39especially when the wind is strong enough
08:42to generate large vortexes.
08:44The most imposing can be gigantic
08:47and are even able to root out trees
08:4915 meters high.
08:51So here is this unusual natural phenomenon.
08:54Have you ever experienced one of them?
08:57Do not hesitate to share it with us in the comments.
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