10 places on Earth that are scientifically inexplicable. One of them in Chelyabinsk

Our planet is full of mysterious and truly unique places that amaze the human imagination. The well-known Seven Wonders of the World is only a small part of the amazing phenomena that exist on Earth. Some places are so incredible that they resemble something from a parallel universe or another distant planet. Scientists are still studying and putting forward hypotheses about their origin. However, they do not always manage to find a rational explanation.

Volcano Kawa Ijen in Indonesia

→ his lava is too unusual in color – it is blue

An insanely beautiful sight that can only be seen at night. A feature of the Kawa Ijen volcano is the glow of a rich blue color. However, this is not lava. In fact, these are burning sulfurous gases escaping to the surface. They break out, spontaneously ignite on contact with oxygen and emit up to 5 meters of blue flame into the air. The gases then condense into liquid sulfur, which flows down the mountainside like neon blue lava. However, this beauty is detrimental – all the sulfur in the air makes it toxic, so researchers and photographers who visit it must wear gas masks.

Jingling Stones Park in Pennsylvania, USA

→ when they knock against each other, they ring so that they lay their ears

There is a field full of strange rocks on top of a hill in Pennsylvania. No one knows where they came from, because there are no mountains from which they could theoretically collapse. However, this is not the strangest thing. If you take two of these stones and hit each other well, they will make a sound similar to the ringing of cymbals of a drum kit. And if you hit the stones with a hammer, you will hear the ringing of bells. Scientists are still unable to explain the cause of this phenomenon. It is noteworthy that all animals bypass this place and nothing grows there. Locals say that near the Ringing Stones they become anxious for inexplicable reasons.

Blue Pond in Hokkaido, Japan

→ it changes color when viewed from different angles

The Blue Pond is a picturesque place in Japan that regularly attracts hundreds of tourists. The water in the lake is an unusually bright blue color. Some even accused the authorities of Hokkaido of painting the reservoir to attract tourists. But, if you look at it from a slightly different angle, it acquires a greenish-turquoise hue. The same thing happens on cloudy days. The phenomenon has a relatively logical explanation. The fact is that it is fed by water from hot springs, which are rich in aluminum salts. These particles reflect the blue part of the spectrum well, thereby enhancing the color of the sky reflected in the pond.

Lighthouse of Maracaibo in Venezuela

→ 260 days a year next to him is a real apocalypse

In Western Venezuela, a relentless storm rages over the Catatumbo River. Every night lightning strikes over the water for ten hours. This phenomenon is so clearly visible from afar that sailors used it for navigation – hence the name “Lighthouse of Maracaibo”. An exact explanation for these lightning has not yet been found. The current theory claims that the occurrence of anomalous lightning is associated with the collision of warm trade winds with the cold winds of the Andes. It is fueled by rapidly evaporating water below and methane from a nearby oil field.

▶︎ Fact: this phenomenon protects the planet – it is the largest generator of tropospheric ozone. The one that scatters the destructive solar radiation.

Double Casorzo tree with cherry in Piedmont, Italy

→ inthe cherry tree grows directly on top of another double tree

It looks like a strange experiment of some botanist, but the tree in Piedmont arose without human intervention. The most probable version of how an unusual phenomenon appeared is as follows: a bird flying over a mulberry tree dropped a cherry seed down, which landed right on the top of the tree and gradually sprouted. Sounds strange, but it’s quite possible. The trunk of the mulberry tree is hollow, so the roots of the cherry quietly sprouted through it and securely fixed it. Farmers say such double trees are not uncommon. However, they usually do not live long and do not grow much. Piedmontese cherry regularly bears fruit, and the crown of this double tree reaches 5 meters in width.

Green Lake Park near Hochschwab Mountains, Austria

→ aboutn completely goes under water in the warm season

Green Lake Park is a unique place that changes beyond recognition every summer. Walking there in winter or autumn is a pleasure: comfortable footpaths, benches, spreading tree crowns. However, with warming it is worth coming there in a mask and fins – the entire park is submerged under water. Apparently, this is due to the melting of snow on the tops of the Hochschwab mountains. Streams of melt water fill the Grüner See lake, which is located next to the park. It overflows its banks and completely floods Green Lake. However, by the middle of summer, the water gradually begins to recede, returning the park to the locals.

▶︎ Fact: Photographer Mark Hanauer won third place at the 2014 National Geographic Awards specifically for his underwater photography of Green Lake Park.

Lake Karachay in the Chelyabinsk region, Russia

→ djust stand next to him for about an hour to die

The lake, which became dead with the light hand of the Soviet government. It is located in the Chelyabinsk region – on the territory of the Mayak chemical plant. In the early 50s, the reservoir was used to dump liquid radioactive waste. During its operation, about 150 million curies accumulated there – this is comparable to six accidents in Chernobyl. Killer Lake first showed itself in 1967. Then the reservoir became smaller and sections of the bottom were exposed. The radioactive dust picked up by the wind spread over one and a half thousand kilometers. After this incident, it was decided to fill up Karachay. Today the lake is completely isolated – covered with rocks and walled up with concrete slabs. However, it is still impossible to be near this place without a protective suit. In a short period of time, a person will receive a dose of radiation exposure sufficient for serious health problems and even death.

Cursed well in North Yorkshire, UK

→ aboutn prevturns any item into stone in a couple of months

In the Middle Ages, this place was considered cursed by evil forces – everything that got there was systematically turned into stone. Despite the name, the petrified well is a natural spring located in Mother Shipton Cave. The place looks really creepy – people leave a wide variety of things there that turn to stone over time. This takes about 3-5 months. Scientists explain this phenomenon by the high concentration of minerals contained in the local water. They accumulate on objects placed in the source, gradually forming a hard shell. By the same principle, stalagmites and stalactites are formed in the caves.

Movile Cave in Romania

→ in its center is a sulfur lake with a unique ecosystem of life

Movile is a karst cave that was accidentally discovered by workers building a power plant. For millions of years it has been cut off from the outside world. As a result, an absolutely unique ecosystem has formed there, radically different from the world we are used to. There is practically no oxygen in the atmosphere, its share is only 7–10%. The cave is filled with a mixture of carbon dioxide, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. It would seem that there can be no talk of any life in it. However, in the lake located there, scientists discovered a diverse fauna: 48 species of leeches, arthropods and spiders, 33 of which are endemic (do not live anywhere else). The study of Movile is still ongoing. In order not to disturb the unique ecosystem, the entrance to the cave was sealed, and scientists are allowed in small groups.

The Shanay-Timpishka River in Peru

→ aboutso hot that anyone in it will instantly boil

The hottest river in the world flows through Peru. Its temperature ranges from 45 to 90 degrees Celsius. This is enough to get severe burns. For the indigenous people, this river is sacred. They believe that its water can heal. Usually, such phenomena are associated with the proximity of a volcano, whose hot magma heats up everything around, including reservoirs. However, the nearest volcano from Shanai-Timpishka is more than 700 km away from it and cannot be the reason for the abnormally high water temperature. The depth of the river reaches five meters, so scientists put forward the theory that there are still magma chambers, but they are located deep underground. Presumably, water penetrates through the faults of the earth’s crust into a layer of hot rock, and then comes back well warmed up. But the accuracy of these assumptions is questionable.