For all the things we think we know about the world around us, some things in nature are still inexplicable. But even in instances where we know what’s going on, we can’t help but be awed by it. These twelve photos show some of the most bizarre, breath-taking photos of nature’s strange goings-on.
12A Strange Pattern
These wings may look like digital manipulation, but they aren’t. What sports team does it play for?
11The Most Beautiful Tree
No, that’s not painted. That’s the rainbow eucalyptus, a tree whose bark changes color and hue as it ages and strips off.
10That’s Not Lava
In the second week of February, the setting sun hits Oregon’s Horsetail Falls in such a way that it glows orange, giving it the look of fire.
9Sea Circles
These beautiful and intricate circles are the result of pufferfish flapping their fins. Looks like an ancient pattern to us.
8Welcome to Hell
This is a natural gas field in Turkmenistan. It collapsed in 1971, expanding into an underground cave. It was set alight to prevent the spread of methane gas and has been burning since then. To put this into scale, it’s roughly the size of a football field.
7A Different Spot of Collapse
This is the result of two tidal waves slamming into each other. The technical name is “maelstrom.” The sinkholes can grow to the point that they destroy boats.
6Non-Rainbow
These white rainbows are the result of reflected moonlight.
5Earth’s Canvas
The Danxia Landforms of China are the result of sedimentary rocks dating back to at least sixty-million years ago.
4The Ice Bleeds
The blood-like appearance of this flow in the Taylor Glacier is the result of a high concentration of iron in a subterranean lake.
3Bad Clouds
These scary-looking clouds are harbingers of bad weather, sometimes signaling a coming tornado or severe thunderstorm.
2Something’s Crooked
Over four-hundred trees are curved like his in Poland. Though there are several theories (most of them pointing to some form of human intervention), no one knows for sure how the trees got this way.
1Monuments Of Nature
The Seven Giants, a rock formation in Russia’s Ural mountains, are the result of nature, not man, and stand at over two-hundred feet tall.
