It is a fascinating world we live in, with some unbelievable sights, not only in the scenery we enjoy but also with natural phenomena’s. Some of these natural phenomena may leave us scratching our heads wondering how they took place. Here are a few natural phenomena’s that can be explained and although they are striking, some of them can be lethal.

Aurora Borealis

Aurora Borealis has got to be one of the most stunning sights that you will ever lay your eyes on, I can validate this having seen them myself, and they are way up there on the mesmerizing scale. They are also known as the Northern Lights, they have astonished people since they were first discovered and it is no different today. There are thousands of people from Japan and China that journey to Canada’s north every year, to experience this remarkable sight.

This phenomenon occurs when the sun gives off high-energy charged particles which are also called ions. These particles journey out into space at speeds of 300 to 1200 km per second. When they shape a cloud like this, they are called plasma. The flow of plasma coming from the sun is identified as solar winds. When solar winds intermingle with the edge of the earth’s magnetic field, a quantity of of these particles get ensnared by it, so therefore, they pursue the lines of magnetic force downward to the ionosphere which is the segment of the earth’s atmosphere that extends from approximately 60 to 600 km exceeding the earth’s surface. When these particles run into the gases they start to glow projecting this astonishing spectacle we know as Aurora Borealis.

Mammatus Clouds

These types of clouds are also known as mammatocumulus which in layman’s terms means bumpy clouds. These clouds materialize with a cellular patch of pouches that droop under the bottom of the cloud which as you can see explains why they are referred to as bumpy clouds. These clouds are made, for the most part, of ice and can develop for hundreds of miles in each direction. The individual formations can stay visibly stationary for ten to fifteen minutes. These clouds are usually an indication of an approaching storm or some severe weather system.

Red Waters

This phenomenon is called red tide or algae bloom and is a natural event when estuarine, marine or fresh water algae accumulates rapidly in the water column and can convert entire areas of an ocean or the beach itself into the color of blood red. This is caused by the high levels of phytoplankton that accumulates to form dense visible clouds near the surface. Some of these can be harmless others can bring deadly toxins that can cause the death of fish, birds and marine life  there have been instances where humans have suffered from by red tide though there are no reports of it being fatal. If this phytoplankton is in small numbers they are not harmful.

Penitentes

These astonishing phenomena are commonly known as penitents or ice spikes.  They can be found on mountain glaciers and can fluctuate in size from a few cm in height to 5 meters. These spikes shape when the sun’s energy makes dimples in the face of the snow. When a dimple is made it allows sunlight within the dimple escalating the localized sublimation. When this accelerates the cavernous troughs are created leaving spikes of ice standing between them, giving us other phenomena that are awe-inspiring.

A Mesocyclone

A Mesocyclone is a name given to Supercells which is a constantly, revolving updraft deep inside a severe thunderstorm and can be very frightening although there are people that pursue storms like this. These are typically isolated storms that can last for hours. Sometimes these types of storms can also break up in two storms with one storm going to the right of the wind as the other going to the left. These cells frequently bring huge amounts of hail, rain and wind and are often accountable for tornadoes although this does not pertain all the time. Supercells more often than not carry enormous hailstones which can occur anywhere in the world but they are more frequent in the Great Plains of the United States.

Fire Devils

Fire devils are also known as Fire Whirls or Fire Tornadoes. This is an exceedingly rare phenomenon. This happens when fire, under the right circumstances, depending on air temperature and currents, acquire a vertical vortex that forms a whirl or tornado-like effect of a vertically oriented revolving column of air. These fire tornados often arise during a forest fire or bush fire. A tornado type effect occurs when the air currents and temperatures are just right. These tornados can go as high as 30 to200 feet tall and up to 10 feet wide. The one good thing about these is they only last for a few minutes if the winds are not too strong.

Ice Circles

This is another exceedingly rare occurrence and only happens in extremely cold countries.  These circles are fashioned when surface ice gathers in the core of a body of water instead of at the edges. In a slow flowing river it can shape an eddy which keeps rotating and ultimately forms a round ice disc which freezes over. It happens very gradually but the edges are ground down by the current of the water below until it leaves a breach created between the ice and the water which eventually leaves a free standing, round disc of ice in the center of the body of water. Some of these circles have been seen with diameters of over 500 feet but can also be found in clusters and groups of many unusual sizes.

Gravity Waves

This phenomenon is caused by updrafts of air coming of mountains or it can occur throughout a thunderstorm. This wave pattern can only take place when the updraft air is forced into an established air pocket. The upward movement of the draft triggers into the air pocket causing changes in the atmosphere which can result in a noticeable oscillating pattern inside the cloud.

There you have it , some strange phenomena of this world. I hope you enjoy them.