30 Natural Phenomena That’s Too Strange to Actually Exist on Earth… But Does

From underwater crop circles to flowering deserts, the world is a large and mysterious place. It’s also a place where a lot of natural phenomena occurs, some so strange and inexplicable that you’ll find it hard to believe that such wonder actually exists anywhere. This post will take a look at 30 of the most beautiful, yet strange, natural phenomena that occur on planet Earth.

Thunderstorms From Hell

OK, so not really, but these “dirty thunderstorms” look sort of like the end of times. In reality, these storms are just volcanic lighting, and the phenomena occurs when lighting strikes within a volcanic plume. Though these types of thunderstorms are very rare, the images are striking. Just Google the Chile volcanic eruption in 2008 to see for yourself.

The Gates to Hell

We don’t mean to continue the whole “hell” theme here, but the closest thing that resembles the actual doorway to hell may actually exist in this world. Specifically, it’s in the nation of Turkmenistan, and manifested in the early 1970s when a gas field collapsed into an underground cavern. In order to prevent the spread of methane gas, the cavern was set on fire. About the size of a football field, the crater still burns today, making for a popular tourist attraction.

Got Crabs?

Christmas Island does. Located in the Indian Ocean, this island is home to millions and millions of red crabs. And every wet season, these crabs migrate from their forest homes to the beach to reproduce. There are so many crabs making the migration that officials close down the island roads for the week it takes them to do it. If you want to check out the migrating crabs, however, we advise you to do it soon. Once home to some 43 million crabs, it’s estimated that their population has declined by as many as 15 million recently thanks to an accidental introduction of an invasive species.

Fairy Circles

Found in the Namib desert, nobody is still quite sure what causes these unique circles, though there are a few theories. One is that the sand termite is responsible for their creation. Another is that the scarcity of water has led plants to join together in the fight for it. And then there are more mythical thoughts, such as that they’re “footprints of the Gods” or formed by dragon breath.