Natural phenomena You Can’t Miss
Bioluminescent Bays
There are a few rare locations that have the type of plankton that can produce bioluminescent reactions. The brightest bay is Mosquito Bay and is on a small island off of Puerto Rico, Vieques. Locations are scattered around the world in Jamaica, Australia, Vietnam, and more. The tiny blue lights are only noticeable in the dark and are created by movement in the water. Other than recalling will o’ the wisps the best way to describe the lights is comparing them to the tiny sparks that float off a campfire but instead of orange they’re a bright vibrant blue. The waves along the beach can best show the lights because of the movement of the water along the shore.
Glowworm Caves
A glow worm species, Arachnocampa luminosa, specific to New Zealand light up certain caves across the Island. You can boat ride underneath the glow and experience the luminescence from the safety below. The lights above can look like a secret galaxy hidden far from the sky amongst the stones.
Aurora Borealis
The polar lights can be seen above the magnetic poles. The lights are caused when electrically charged particles from the sun’s rays react to the magnetic fields in our atmosphere and light is released. The swirling lights vary in color based on type of gas particles colliding. You can see them most easily on the northernmost land points like Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Iceland,Scotland, Norway, Finland, Denmark, and Russia. Though they have the name Northern Lights they can be found at the southern pole as well.
Colored Mountains
Different colored sandstones and minerals were layered in sediment buildup for millions of years before they were reformed by the tectonic plates and shaped by the wind and rain. With the stone upturned you can see the rainbow spread out across the western Chinese landscape at Gansu Zhangye National Geopark.
Rainbow Eucalyptus Trees
The multicolored bark sheds and shows the hues that make up the layers of the tree. The layers can feature vibrant shades of green, blue, red, orange, brown, and grey. The color is not the only fascinating element of this tree which can grow hundreds of feet and has a very strong scent.
Sailing Stones
Mysterious stones slide across the flat packed mud desert of Death Valley National Park in California. The theory to how these very large stones can move hundreds of yards is that surface ice covers the flats at night and allows for the wind to move the heavy stones before the morning sun melts the thin ice layer. Before 2014 there was no strong evidence to what was moving the racetrack rocks and so this phenomena is a recently explained one.
Geothermal Pools
There are geothermal pools across the globe but some of the most beautiful are located in Yellowstone National Park. There are natural pools all across the park that range in colors, temperatures, sulfuric smells, some feature geysers, and others create layers that resemble a type of stepped waterfall. The pools are way too hot to touch but the colorful pools of crystal clear water are a beautiful sight.
Christmas Island Crabs
On Christmas Island, part of the Cocos Keeling Islands in the Indian Ocean, there is an amazing annual crab migration. They emerge from the forest by the millions to breed on the beach. Their breeding is not only related to the seasons but also linked to the phases of the moon. Covering the island and shutting down roads these red crabs are a truly unique and spectacular sight.
Monarch Butterflies
Another animal migration, Monarch butterflies travel across North America to survive the winter. It takes about four generations to make the trip and no single butterfly experiences the whole journey. The butterflies fill the sky and can be found in large swarms in several overwintering locations in southern coastal areas like California, Mexico, Florida, and more.
