Amazing Wonders of the Natural W

By RCDohare
Abha Dohare
Ice Circles
An ice circle is a rare phenomenon
that occurs in slow moving water in
cold climates. It consists of large
discs of ice that rotate slowly in the
water. It is believed that they form in
eddy currents. Ice circles have most
frequently been observed in
Scandinavia and North America, but
one was recorded in Britain in
January 2009. Ice circles occur at
bends in the river where the
accelerating water creates a force
called ‘rotational shear’, which
breaks off a chunk of ice and twists
it around. As the disc rotates, it
grinds against surrounding ice —
smoothing into a perfect circle.
Red Tides
Red tide is a common name for a
phenomenon more correctly
known as an algal bloom (large
concentrations of
microorganisms), an event in
which estuarine, marine, or fresh
water algae accumulate rapidly in
the water column and results in
discoloration of the surface water.
It is usually found in coastal areas.
When the algae are present in
high concentrations, the water
appears to be discoloured or
murky, varying in colour from
purple to almost pink, normally
being red or green. Not all algal
blooms are dense enough to
cause water discolouration, and
not all discoloured waters
associated with algal blooms are
red
Columnar Basalt

Columnar Basalts are rock formations

resulting from the quick cooling of
lava flow. Fractures form in a random
cellular network (similar to soap
bubbles, organic cells, etc.), though
the average distribution of sides is
six, giving the hexagonal structures
an eerie man-made appearance.
Perhaps the most famous basalt flow
in the world is the Giant’s Causeway
on the northern coast of Ireland, in
which the vertical joints form
polygonal columns and give the
impression of having been artificially
constructed
Sun Dogs
A sun dog is a particular type of ice
halo. It is a colored patch of light to
the left or right of the sun, 22 (or
more) degrees distant and at the
same distance above the horizon
as the sun. It is the most commonly
or second most commonly seen of
the ice halos. Sundogs can be seen
anywhere in the world during any
season. In Europe or USA they
might be seen 1-2 times a week but
not always obviously bright. They
are best seen and at their most
conspicuous when the sun is low.
They are not rainbows.
Moeraki Boulders
The Moeraki Boulders are unusually
large and spherical boulders lying along
a stretch of Koekohe Beach on the
wave cut Otago coast of New Zealand
between Moeraki and Hampden. They
occur scattered either as isolated or
clusters of boulders within a stretch of
beach where they have been protected
in a scientific reserve. The erosion by
wave action of mudstone, comprising
local bedrock and landslides, frequently
exposes embedded isolated boulders.
The most striking aspect of the boulders
is their unusually large size and highly
spherical shape, with a distinct bimodal
size distribution. About one-third of the
boulders range in size from about 0.5 to
1.0 metres (1.5 to 3 ft) in diameter, the
other two-thirds from 1.5 to 2.2 metres
(4.6 to 6.7 ft), the majority being nearly
to almost perfectly spherical.
Penitentes
Penitentes are a snow formation
found at high altitudes. They take
the form of tall thin blades of
hardened snow or ice closely
spaced with the blades oriented
towards the general direction of the
sun. Penitentes can be as tall as a
person. Penitentes were first
described in the literature by Darwin
in 1839. On March 22, 1835, he
had to squeeze his way through
snowfields covered in penitentes
near the Piuquenes Pass, on the
way from Santiago de Chile to the
Argentinian city of Mendoza, and
reported the local belief (continuing
to the present day) that they were
formed by the strong winds of the
Andes.
Light Pillars
A light pillar is a visual phenomenon
created by the reflection of light from
ice crystals with near horizontal
parallel planar surfaces. They are
most commonly seen as sun pillars;
however, moonlight and strong
artificial light such as street lamps
can also form light pillars. The pillar
appears as a feather of light that
extends vertically above and/or
below the light source. Most sun
pillars are seen when the sun is low
on the horizon (generally no more
than 6 degrees above) or just below
it.
Catatumbo lightning
The Catatumbo Lightning in
Venezuela is the world’s largest
single generator of ozone. It is a
cloud storm that forms a voltaic arc
at more than 5 km of height, during
140 to 160 nights a year, 10 hours
per day and up to 280 times per
hour, over the bog area that forms
where the Catatumbo River flows
into the Lake Maracaibo. The
phenomenon is easy to see from
hundreds of miles away, i.e. from
the lake (where no clouds usually
occur at night) which is also known
as the Lighthouse of Maracaibo, as
the boats that sail the area can
navigate at night without any
problems at the time of sailing.
Cave of the Crystals
Cave of the Crystals) is a cave of
the Naica Mine in Chihuahua,
Mexico. The chamber contains
giant selenite crystals, some of the
largest natural crystals ever found.
The cave’s largest crystal is 36 ft in
length, 13 ft in diameter and 55 tons
in weight. The cave is about 98 ft in
length and 33 ft in width. The cave
is extremely hot with air
temperatures reaching up to 109F
with 90 to 100 percent humidity.
The cave is relatively unexplored
because humans can only survive
for approximately ten minutes
without proper protection. This is
one of the most stunning wonders
of the natural world.
Pink and White Terraces
This is our second New Zealand item on
the list and, sadly, the only item which is
now lost to man. The pink and white
terraces were considered a natural wonder
until they were destroyed by the violent
volcanic eruption of Mount Tarawera in
1886. Geothermally heated water
containing large amounts of siliceous sinter
regularly spouted from two geysers located
beside Lake Rotomahana and cascaded
down a hill slope, leaving thick pink and
white silica deposits that formed terraces
enclosing pools of water. The White
Terraces were the larger and more
beautiful formation, covering 3 hectares
and descending 30 metres, while the Pink
Terraces were where people went to
bathe. The Pink and White terraces have
been dubbed by a number of people as
“The Eighth Wonder of the World”.
THANKYOU