Many are fascinated by strange phenomena occurring on other planets. It seems that as soon as you reach these distant worlds, all secrets will dissipate. However, many unusual phenomena occur on Earth, in whose nature scientists are not yet able to figure out.
Funnels Baldy
The 37-meter Baldy Hill is the tallest sand dune near the southern shore of Lake Michigan. Its main feature is that it moves a meter or two annually. But there is nothing mysterious about this: the wind does the job of transportation.
Another thing is mysterious: from time to time, funnels are formed in it, into which people fall. For example, in July 2013, the earth literally left under the feet of 6-year-old Nathan Vossner, who was buried in a three-meter hole.
Fortunately, after hours of rescue work, the boy was pulled out safe and sound. The next month, another crater suddenly formed. Scientists have not been able to identify the reasons for this phenomenon.
Rescuing 6-year-old Nathan Vossner
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Eye of the Sahara
The Richat Structure, otherwise referred to as the Eye of the Sahara, is a 50-kilometer formation of concentric rings right in the middle of the great desert. The giant circles are colored in various shades of blue and are clearly visible from space.
For a long time, it was believed that the Eye of the Sahara was formed due to the impact of a large meteorite. However, in such cases, special alloys of silicon dioxide are formed, which were not found in Richat.
Others believe that we are talking about the top of an ancient volcano, but this theory has not been confirmed by geologists.
Structure Richat, Mauritania
Varnishing on the rocks
Rocks in deserts are often covered with a subtle substance whose shades range from light orange to black. Primitive people scratched their petroglyphs on the "lacquer" layer.
And although this phenomenon is widespread throughout the planet, the formation of this substance still remains a mystery. It is based on ordinary clay, and the color is given by blotches of iron and manganese, the source of which is unknown.
The manganese content in the rocky "varnish" is 50 times higher than the average for the surrounding area. It is known that some microorganisms are capable of accumulating this element.
Some scientists also believe that the mysterious layer is dusting from the sky, since the concentration of iron and manganese is too high for biological theory.
Uturunku
Uturuncu is a 6 km long stratovolcano in southwestern Bolivia that last erupted about 300,000 years ago. With the help of satellite observations, it was possible to establish that its underground chambers are capable of filling 10 times faster than other similar volcanic structures - at a rate of 1 cubic meter of magma per second.
As a result of this process, the entire area around the volcano rises by several centimeters annually. How long this process has been going on and whether it is possible for Uturunku to eventually become a supervolcano remains unclear.
Massive Permian extinction
Probably the largest bio-disaster on our planet occurred at the end of the Permian period, when 93-97% of all species of living things on Earth that existed at that time suddenly became extinct.
The cause of the mass extinction is still a mystery to paleontologists. One of the most popular versions: the collision of the Earth with a giant asteroid. It is assumed that the crater formed from such an impact is located under the thickness of Antarctic ice, but geologists have not yet been able to find reliable evidence of this theory.
Inhabitants of the Perm period in the artist's view
Lake Hillier
Australian Lake Hillier is not the only pink lake on Earth, but among the known it is the most mysterious. Unlike the rest, the reasons for the strange color of Lake Hillier are not fully understood.
In another Australian pink lake, the hue is due to a combination of the activity of small crustaceans and microorganisms. In Lake Retba in Senegal, algae are responsible for the pink color. Scientists have not yet been able to give an answer to the question of what caused a similar phenomenon in Lake Hillier.
Lake Hillier
Formation of the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaii was formed as a result of underwater volcanic activity. Tens of millions of years ago, hot magma burst out onto the surface of the ocean and froze, forming one of the most beautiful archipelagos on the planet. However, the exact reason for the formation of Hawaii in its current form is one of the greatest mysteries of geology.
Hawaii
Age of the Grand Canyon
Despite a detailed study of this one of the most unusual geological objects on our planet, its exact age remains the subject of heated debate among geologists. Some believe that it is no more than 6 million years old, others estimate the age of the Grand Canyon at 70 million years.
A controversial question for both camps of scientists also remains the following: was the canyon formed by the Colorado River, or did she just use the ready-made gorge to cut her bed through it?
Lightning in the Grand Canyon
Faults in the earth's crust
From time to time, strange ground vibrations occur in different parts of our planet, which lead to fractures in the earth's crust. Usually this phenomenon is accompanied by a strong underground hum. Geologists are not yet able to find the cause of such anomalies.
Cracks have been reported, for example, in Windsor (Canada) or Cleveland (USA). In Paraguay, the fracture of the earth's crust was 80 meters long and 15 cm wide.
It is clear that the sudden appearance of such faults causes a mystical horror among local residents, and the inability of scientists to identify their exact causes only aggravates the fear. In scientific circles there is talk about the "greatest mystery of tectonics."
The consequences of landslides in Bolivia
Salinity peak of Messina
Approximately 6 million years ago, the Mediterranean Sea became a desert and remained so for the next 630,000 years. This era was called the Salinity Peak of Messina.
There is no doubt that the reason for this phenomenon was the fencing of the Mediterranean basin from the Atlantic Ocean. But what was blocking this gigantic body of water?
According to one of the versions, the reason was the growth of ice polar caps, which could lead to a significant decrease in sea level. Other geologists believe that tectonic activity could have raised the seabed in the Strait of Gibraltar. However, there are no clues to this amazing phenomenon in the geological history of the Earth and is not expected.
Closure of the canal between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean
Vahagn Maloyan