12 VERY RARE STRANGE PHENOMENA (NATURAL) - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

Today, it may seem that everything that happens in the world can be easily explained by science. We have managed to discover the answers to many great questions that seemed impossible to understand just a few years ago, such as what the rings of Saturn are made of or how each side of our brain works.

However, despite all that we know, there are still many strange phenomena that we cannot easily explain. Some of them seem straight out of fantasy or science fiction movies. Although a natural explanation may be found for most in the coming years, today we are still left confused and with the feeling that we do not understand anything.

Below you will find a list of the strangest phenomena that still occur around the world today. Will you be able to explain any of them?

1- The buzz of the town of Taos

The town of Taos, situated in the desert in New Mexico, is apparently nothing special at first glance. In fact, for 98% of its inhabitants and the people who visit it, it is simply a picturesque town not much different from any other in the area. However, for a small percentage of the people who go there, Taos hides a strange secret.

For several decades, approximately 2% of all the people who have passed through this New Mexico town have claimed to hear a kind of hum, whisper, or vibration in the desert air that does not stop at any time.

No matter how much research has been done on the subject, no one has been able to find the origin of it, or understand why only a small number of inhabitants can hear it.

Many theories have been formulated about it: some researchers believe that the hum may be caused by the heat of the desert air, while others think that it is a case of mass hysteria or a shared psychological phenomenon. In the meantime, however, the sound continues to bother the inhabitants of Taos, who still have no answers to their questions about it.

2- Naga's fireballs

Southeast Asia has practically become a place of worship for travelers, explorers, and adventurers of all kinds. However, few are those who fully know the legends of this part of the world. One of the strangest is that of the Naga fireballs.

According to this local story, during some nights it is possible to see a kind of brightly colored red balls floating on the waters of the Mekong River, which runs through countries such as Laos and Thailand.

The local inhabitants believe that they are orbs of fire of mystical origin; and scientists have not yet managed to find a satisfactory logical explanation for this mystery.

3- Lights in the sky during an earthquake

Although space is undoubtedly still a great mystery, it is not necessary to leave planet Earth to find strange phenomena that we do not know well how to explain. One of the most peculiar that we can observe in the world is that of the lights that appear in the sky during some earthquakes.

Since the 17th century, 65 reliable cases have been recorded in which mysterious lights appeared in the sky when an earthquake was taking place. However, the probability of this happening is very low: only in approximately 0.5% of seismic movements is it possible to observe these mysterious lights.

Because they appear so infrequently, earthquake lights have not been studied in depth. For this reason, although there are many theories about what their nature could be, we really do not know why they are; and it may take us a long time to find out.

4- The gates of hell

One of the strangest phenomena in the world is located near the town of Darvaza, Turkmenistan. Known as "the gates of hell", it is a fiery crater that has been ablaze for almost 50 years, without ever looking like it will go out.

The crater, with a diameter of 69 meters, was part of a natural gas mine that collapsed in the 1960s. To prevent the gas from escaping and contaminating the surroundings, the authorities decided to burn it; but what they could not foresee was that the fire would last so long.

Thus, although at first it was estimated that the flames could remain active for a few years, at the moment they have been lit for almost half a century. Experts acknowledge not knowing exactly when this underground fire could end, which has made the area popular and has become a very popular tourist attraction in the country.

5- Music on the hidden side of the Moon

Without a doubt, one of the most impressive achievements of the human race has been having managed to take several astronauts to the Moon. The Apollo missions, the ones in charge of doing this, could be carried out thanks to a great deal of scientific and technological advances, and to the reason and ingenuity of our species.

However, despite all our knowledge, space remains a great mystery; and proof of this is what happened in one of these missions, specifically the one carried out by Apollo X to recognize the surface of our satellite. During it, the astronauts lost connection with Earth for an hour, for reasons that have not yet been determined today.

At first, the crew of the Apollo X spacecraft claimed that nothing out of the ordinary had happened at that time; but later on, they retracted what they had said, and recognized that during that harrowing hour they had heard a kind of music that seemed to come from the far side of the Moon.

According to the official version of NASA, the music could be due to interference between the two radios carried by the lunar module. However, many people around the world are convinced that there must be some more complex explanation for this strange phenomenon.

Although we will probably never know what really happened, the history of music from the far side of the Moon has inspired thousands of artists, occult lovers and space enthusiasts around the world.

6- The "bloody falls" of Antarctica

Mike martoccia

But not all mysterious events have to happen outside of Earth. Within our own planet, there are still some places that have not been fully explored and whose operation we do not know. One of the most famous is undoubtedly Antarctica; and in its interior we can find phenomena as disconcerting as that of the bloody waterfalls.

Named for the unusual red color of the liquid that falls from them, these falls have long held one of the greatest mysteries to science today.

Located in a glacier, at first it was believed that its strange hue was due to some type of algae, but the first studies in this regard showed that this was not the case.

However, in addition to their coloration, the blood falls hold another mystery: when checking the surface temperature, scientists realized that it was 12 degrees below zero, so it would theoretically be impossible for any water to flow from the glacier where they are.

For many years, it was thought that the only possible explanation was that these famous waterfalls were not actually made up of water, but of some previously unknown substance. Recently, however, it has been possible to discover exactly what happens with blood cataracts.

Apparently, although the water is actually at -12ºC, inside it there are large pools of liquid rich in iron and salt. These components mean that not only does it not melt despite being so cold, but they also give it its characteristic blood red color. However, knowing the scientific explanation does not prevent us from being impressed by its strange and mysterious appearance.

7-

Skypunch on Austria, August 2008. H. Raab (User: Vesta)

One of the strangest atmospheric phenomena that can be seen in the world are skypunches, circular holes that appear from time to time in large masses of clouds.

Their appearance is so unusual, and they are so rarely seen, that millions of people around the world have attributed them to the presence of spaceships or some kind of secret experiment.

In fact, although the formation of the skypunch does often have to do with the presence of airplanes, their explanation has nothing to do with mysterious or unknown technologies. Still, the reason they form is equally impressive and inexplicable to the naked eye.

According to studies in this regard, holes in clouds are formed when their temperatures are below 0ºC, but the water has not been able to freeze due to various atmospheric phenomena. In this situation, when an external element (such as a passing plane) upsets the balance, a chain reaction can occur that ends up forming the skypunches.

When this happens, the water quickly begins to create ice crystals, so that the particles around it evaporate. This leaves a circular hole in the clouds, in such a way that it seems that someone or something has ripped a piece out of them. Unfortunately, due to the complexity of the process, this phenomenon is very difficult to see.

8- Green sunsets: aliens or natural phenomenon?

Brocken inaglory

Who doesn't like to see a good sunset? The tranquility of the moment, enhanced by the intense shades of red, yellow and orange, delights the observers of this beautiful natural phenomenon. However, what would happen if one day, while you were watching the sun set, the sky suddenly turned green?

As strange as this may sound, it is actually something that thousands of people have seen at one time or another. Due to the strangeness of the phenomenon, most of them look for paranormal explanations for what they have just seen. But if one day you can see a green sunset, calm down: it most likely has nothing to do with aliens.

In reality, although the green color is not at all common during a sunset, its presence can be explained in a simple way. As the Sun moves through the sky, the Earth's atmosphere divides its light and creates the impression that different colors appear. In certain positions and environmental conditions, one of the tones that can appear is green.

Of course, if you ever see a sunset of this hue, it is possible that it really is aliens you are looking at.

9- The largest hole on Earth

When we think of our planet, we tend to imagine it with a more or less flat surface, with some mountains and small holes in the ocean breaking the regularity of the landscape.

However, the reality is that our planet is one of the most rugged in the entire Solar System; and one of its most impressive elements is the Great Hole of Belize.

The name of this landform is very appropriate, since it is the largest hole in the world. At 125 meters deep, the Great Hole is part of the Belize Barrier Reef, and is surrounded by clear waters, so seen from the sky it looks really haunting.

It is not very well known how this strange hole came to be formed, although it is believed that the process had to do with the presence of underground faults in the area. Despite the danger of approaching it, thousands of divers travel to the area every year to dive into the Great Hole.

10- Volcanic storms: in case an eruption was not dangerous enough

Volcanic illumination over an eruption of Mount Rinjani. Oliver Spalt

Few natural phenomena are as dangerous and as worthy of respect as volcanic eruptions. Seeing how a seemingly sleeping mountain awakens and begins to spew fire, ash and smoke from miles away must be truly unsettling to those nearby. However, on some occasions this terrifying spectacle becomes even more impressive.

We are talking about volcanic storms: times when the smoke from a volcano suddenly becomes charged with energy and ends up causing a huge electrical storm. Although they are not very common in nature, these phenomena are among the most destructive in the world. Unfortunately, in countries like Chile they are relatively frequent.

But how do volcanic storms occur? During an eruption, the interior of the mountain releases energy quickly and violently. On some occasions, when the atmospheric conditions are perfect, the clouds can mix with the smoke and with this released energy, creating a large storm and with much greater violence than usual.

11- The traveling rocks of Death Valley

Death Valley is one of the most inhospitable environments on our entire planet. With the highest temperatures on Earth, virtually no life survives here.

However, sometimes it is possible to observe in this desert a strange phenomenon that looks like something out of a science fiction movie: the so-called "traveling stones."

When travelers arrive in Death Valley, the first thing that usually catches their attention is the large number of furrows that can be seen behind quite large rocks. Even so, this is nothing compared to the fact that many times it is possible to contemplate the same stones moving as if they had come to life. Is it some kind of paranormal phenomenon?

Fortunately, despite the strangeness of the Valley, the traveling stones have not really come to life. The reason why they move is quite impressive: their movement is due to a thin layer of ice that forms on the ground at night, and that dissipating during the day causes the rocks to change places on their own.

12- The luminous water of the Indian Ocean

We close our list of strange phenomena with one of the most spectacular views that can be observed on our planet. In some parts of the Indian Ocean, when the night is very dark, it is possible to see how the water takes on a brilliant bluish color, almost as if there were some kind of supernatural light inside.

The phenomenon, known in English as milky sea, is so intense that it can even be seen from the International Space Station. Scientists believe that this glow may be caused by bioluminescent bacteria that would emit light under some conditions; but the truth is that there is no definitive evidence to prove it.

Even so, despite the fact that we still cannot explain exactly what is happening to make the ocean light up in this way, millions of tourists try to find a beach every year to bathe on a milky night.

conclusion

As you can see, on our planet there are still many mysteries to be solved and a large number of phenomena capable of impressing even the most rational people. In this list we have shown you some of the most striking, but of course there are many others. What are the ones that have caught your attention the most?