Buzz
While unusual natural phenomena often grab attention, it's the power of a well-curated list that highlights the events truly deserving of focus. Some are so outlandish that they almost seem made up—like the air patch that erases data or the migration of trillions of rocks across the ocean. For those craving even more eerie happenings, there's a poisonous sea and the first-ever earthquake that seemed to reverse itself.
10. A Crater Turns Bright Pink Overnight
Lonar Lake in India might appear like any ordinary lake—round and full of water. However, this particular lake, formed by a meteorite strike over 50,000 years ago, recently did something extraordinary. In June 2020, the lake's water shifted from dull and typical to an unexpected flamingo pink overnight.
The cause of this vibrant change is still unclear, but the leading hypothesis points to a combination of factors. A drop in the water level made the lake saltier, while the hot days of summer triggered an algae bloom. Specifically, a type of algae that often turns red—except in this case, it bloomed uncontrollably, giving the lake its surreal pink hue.
9. Waterfalls Flowing in the Opposite Direction
In another wild 2020 event, a report surfaced claiming that several waterfalls in Australia were flowing in reverse. News outlets investigated, and while the story had a grain of truth, the waterfalls weren't actually rewinding like a movie. Instead, misty water was flowing upward and over the cliffs. As magical as it appeared, this phenomenon was simply a result of powerful winds.
A few days before this strange occurrence, Sydney and its surrounding regions experienced intense storm conditions. The winds were strong enough to flood rivers and force evacuations, but their power—reaching speeds of about 70 km/h (45 mph)—was also enough to reverse the course of the waterfalls. Once the storm passed, the waterfalls returned to their usual flow.
8. The Red Sea: A Natural Killer of Air Quality
Located between Africa and Arabia, the Red Sea is a hub of activity, especially with the Suez Canal connecting it to global shipping. Unfortunately, the air quality in the region is heavily polluted, and the culprits are obvious. Industrial shipping and the extensive use of fossil fuels in the area certainly aren't helping matters. But the Red Sea has another troubling distinction as well.
In 2017, researchers noticed something odd when measuring gases in the region—the numbers didn't quite match up. Even after factoring in the heavy pollution from human activities, the northern Red Sea had ethane and propane levels 40 times higher than expected. The only explanation was that these greenhouse gases were naturally escaping from deep reservoirs beneath the sea. The volume of these gases rising to the surface made the Red Sea a major natural contributor to air pollution.
7. The Godzilla Dust Cloud
Every year, a cloud of dust departs from the Sahara Desert in Africa and drifts across the Atlantic Ocean. Officially, this dust cloud is called the Saharan Air Layer (SAL). But in 2020, the cloud was so enormous that scientists couldn't help but name it 'Godzilla.'
This particular plume was the largest since the first SAL event was recorded two decades ago. What made it even more remarkable was that it contained up to 70 percent more sand than usual, and despite its size and weight, it managed to travel farther than other plumes. While most clouds crash into the Atlantic, this one defied expectations, traveling over 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles) to reach the United States.
6. A Lightning Bolt of Unbelievable Length
Two years ago, the weather turned stormy over Brazil, and while some might have welcomed the thunder and lightning on Halloween night, one particular bolt went way beyond expectations. This lightning strike traveled across the atmosphere, stretching from the Atlantic coast all the way to Argentina. In total, it covered an astounding distance of over 700 kilometers (440 miles).
This mega-lightning strike was long enough to span distances comparable to the stretch from Chicago to Toronto, or even Washington, D.C., to Boston. Satellite data confirmed it as a new record. The previous record-holder, which scorched Oklahoma in 2007, was a mere 320 kilometers (200 miles) long. Interestingly, though, neither of these holds the title for the longest-lasting flash. That honor goes to a bolt that appeared over northern Argentina in 2019, which remained visible for an incredible 17 seconds.
5. Australia’s Coastline Surrounded by Underwater Rivers
Australia has long been recognized as the home to some of the most bizarre ecosystems on Earth. But in 2020, even seasoned experts were taken aback by an unexpected discovery. It turns out that the continent is encircled by something unique—an intricate network of underwater rivers stretching over 10,000 kilometers (6,200 miles) along its coastline. While underwater rivers aren’t entirely new, the scale of this network is unprecedented, making it one of the most remarkable oceanographic discoveries.
These underwater rivers exist because their water is denser and saltier than the surrounding ocean, allowing them to behave differently. They are also influenced by the seasons—during the summer, they are weaker, but in winter, they become denser and sink to the seafloor, where they flow with greater force.
4. Volcano F’s Gigantic Floating Rafts
Though the name might sound dull, Volcano F is the origin of something extraordinary. This underwater volcano lies close to the seafloor near Tonga and erupts periodically. When it does, pumice stones are ejected, and that’s when things get truly fascinating.
In 2019, Volcano F erupted so forcefully that it sent out enough pumice to create a floating raft the size of 20,000 football fields. For nearly a year, the massive raft drifted across the ocean to Australia. By 2020, billions of these pumice stones began to wash up along 1,300 kilometers (807 miles) of coastline, stretching from Queensland to New South Wales. But that wasn’t the whole story.
As the pumice stones floated along, each one carried various marine organisms like barnacles, corals, and algae. This massive drifting collection acted like a mobile bus, delivering new reef-building species to the struggling Great Barrier Reef. This phenomenon is not a rare occurrence; roughly every five years, Volcano F produces another pumice raft to give the reef a much-needed boost.
3. An Earthquake That Reversed Direction
An ordinary earthquake is bad enough, but one that unexpectedly reverses course and strikes the same area again? That’s even worse. Until recently, such an event seemed impossible. Then, in August 2016, it actually happened. But nobody realized it at the time because it took place deep beneath the ocean.
A 2020 study uncovered this unusual earthquake when researchers analyzed data from underwater seismometers. Nothing about the quake’s behavior followed the typical pattern. Originating from a simple fault—the Romanche fracture zone near the equator—it should have been a standard tremor. Instead, it unleashed the world’s first confirmed 'boomerang' earthquake.
This wasn’t just a minor event. It was a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1. Even more alarming, once it reversed direction, the speed of the tremors increased. The shockwaves raced back toward the fault’s center, reaching speeds of up to 6 kilometers per second (3.7 miles per second).
2. The Yosemite Firefall
In certain years, every February, a stunning natural phenomenon takes place in Yosemite National Park. A waterfall known as Horsetail Fall, which normally appears as just another scenic waterfall, undergoes a remarkable transformation. For a few weeks at the beginning of the year, the waterfall appears to flow like liquid fire, drawing crowds of tourists eager to witness the spectacle.
Many refer to this phenomenon as a 'firefall,' and it's not hard to see why. The water seems to disappear, only to be replaced by what appears to be molten orange lava flowing over the cliff, radiating heat, steam, and fire. This optical illusion lasts for about 10 minutes, triggered by the position of the setting sun. Once the sun dips below a certain point, the waterfall resumes its usual appearance.
1. The Blip That Plagues NASA
The Earth acts like a massive magnet, with its magnetic field providing protection to both the atmosphere and human technology from the sun’s particles. However, this protective shield has a vulnerability. Known as the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA), this is the one spot where solar particles can penetrate the atmosphere and disrupt expensive equipment.
The SAA spans a vast region over South America and the Southern Atlantic Ocean. Any spacecraft or satellite that passes through this area risks data corruption or damage to hardware. As a result, NASA often deactivates satellites while they traverse the SAA, only turning them back on once they’ve moved back into the safety of the magnetic field.
