You must’ve heard about the seven wonders of the natural world; did you know that they are somewhat overrated? – There are more incredible places on our planet that put many “wonders of the world” to shame.
To some of us, size doesn’t matter as much as strangeness. The seven wonders of the natural world are huge in size but we bring you the places that are most certainly stranger; places that will leave you awestruck.
And no we are not kidding, all of these places are real. Even though science suggests that it is not possible… yet it is (apparently)!
7. A water well that turns things into stone
PHOTO: Listverse
This seems like an old story tale. There is a well in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire where water slides off a cliff. Everything and anything you put under there will turn to stone!
The process normally takes three to six months. People have left everything from teddy bears to bicycles and alas, everything has been turned to stone. Many people in the old times believed that the well was cursed by a witch (or something mystical). Scientists however claim that the well water contains unusually high quantity of minerals (another mystery) and that forms a solid layer of hardened mineral over any object it comes into contact with.
6. Grüner See: a park that “sinks” every spring
PHOTO: Listverse
Grüner See is near Hochschwab Mountains. During winters the entire area is completely covered in snow. When the snow melts in spring, the park’s lakes get overwhelmed and the entire park sinks under water. Reason: simply because there is so much snow on the mountains.
The most incredible thing how impeccably intact the park remains underwater. If you were to dive in there you would see benches, bridges, plantation even the alpine flower intact, which is not supposed to survive under water.
Halfway through the summer, water level starts lowering and the park arises from beneath.
5. A tree on a tree in Casorzo
PHOTO: Listverse
While driving around the country side of Piemonte in Italy, you may come across something strange. There is a cherry tree that looks exactly like a …well, cherry tree. Expect for the fact that it is growing on top of a perfectly healthy mulberry tree.
Sometimes a genetically different planation grows on a tree but normally these things are small are short-lived. But this event dubbed as The Double Tree of Casorzo is something truly unique. There are two fully formed and healthy trees, both are 5-7 meters wide; but one is growing on top of the other.
The most common hypothesis is that a bird or another animal dropped a cherry seed on mulberry tree’s hollow trunk and the phenomenon started.
4. A colorful but never-ending lightning storm on Catatumbo River
PHOTO: Listverse
A sea storm is both terrifying and beautiful. But Catatumbo River in Western Venezuela takes this concept to a whole new level. It hosts a storm that never stops. At precisely 7PM every night, the lightning starts crashing on the water. The storm continues for 10 hours and occurs 260 nights per year.
There are different theories to why it happens; the most common one being the presence of uranium in the bedrock. The theory is a complicated one and not accepted by all scientists. It says that the shape of the mountains cause warm winds to collide with cold air from Andes. The water is evaporating below and there is a methane presence from a nearby oil field – all of these factors contribute.
PHOTO: Listverse
But that is just a theory, no one knows for certainty why it happens. In 2010, the storm mysteriously stopped, the skies went clear and everything was calm for about 6 weeks. Then it raged again and has been continuing ever since.
3. The color changing lake on Hokkaido Island
PHOTO: Listverse
PHOTO: Listverse
On the Hokkaido Island in Japan, there lies a spectacular lake. The lake is serene and the water is electric blue. But hold on, as soon as you change your angles of viewing the water changes color; it is dull green now. This continuously happens on the lake, even more when the seasons are changing. The lake shifts its water coloring from blue to green, back and forth.
Remarkably the lake is man-made. The locals created a dam nearby and set up an artificial lake where the water blocked by the dam would gather. Imagine their surprise when the water changed its color dramatically in a matter of seconds.
Scientists claim that this phenomena is caused by the presence of aluminum hydroxide particles that come into contact with the water.
2. The Singing Rocks of Pennsylvania
PHOTO: Thesanguineroot.com
On a hill in Pennsylvania, there is a field that contains rocks. Nobody knows where they came from and how they ended up there. There is no higher mountain or cliff nearby ruling out the possibility that they could’ve fallen through landslide.
But that’s not even the strangest part. When you strike any of these rocks, they make a sound… yes, a musical sound! Investigators have revealed that the rocks are making these sounds on their own. When a single rock is hit, it lets out a tone that cannot be heard by human ears. But when you put two rocks near each other and strike them, their tones interact and we can actually hear them.
These rocks have also encouraged alien enthusiasts who believe that these are not from our world. Either they come from an alien planet or they are debris of an alien spaceship.
1. Kawah Ijen, the volcano with blue lava
PHOTO: Listverse
Saving best for the last, we present you with Kawah Ijen, a volcano that spits out distinctly blue lava. There is a sulfur mine built in volcano. The blue lava isn’t actually lava; it is sulfur.
The sulfuric gases inside the volcano heat up and they shoot through. At first blue flames rise about 5 meters in the air. The gases then cool down and form a liquid sulfur. The liquid sulfur is a majestic looking blue liquid flowing like a lava from the volcano.
PHOTO: Listverse
The air is toxic and you need gas masks to work in the mine or wander around it. This hasn’t happened anywhere else in the world. It is a truly unique and marvelous spectacle.
