Despite the fact that people have long described and found a rational explanation for why certain things happen natural processes and phenomena, the most unusual and rare of them, still surprise, delight and amaze, in particular fire-breathing mountains spewing lava, sweeping away everything in its path; breathtaking whirlwinds rushing at great speed and lifting stones, logs, cars and even entire houses into the sky; incredible fountains of boiling water rising tens of meters into the air from the depths of our planet.

What is a natural phenomenon

Natural phenomena are ordinary, and in some cases supernatural, meteorological and climatic processes as a result of which nature naturally changes. At the same time, they can be quite harmless and cause absolutely no surprise in people and are perceived as something taken for granted, for example, when it snows or rains, or they can represent real natural disasters, spreading death and destruction around them.

Classification of natural phenomena

Unusual manifestations natural world scientists began to study since ancient times, and in Lately, when science began to move forward by leaps and bounds, its secrets gradually began to be revealed more and more quickly, for example, already in the 17th century. Gilbert proved that our planet is a huge magnet with poles, and a century later Franklin discovered atmospheric electricity.

Since there are a great many natural phenomena on our planet, quite little is still known about them. Therefore, it is not surprising that scientists have described, systematized and classified them. Thanks to this, it became possible not only to study the types of natural processes by category, but also to predict and even prevent the possible occurrence of dangerous natural phenomena, but the amazing manifestations of the natural world are so unpredictable that it is not always possible to do this even with the latest equipment.

The following classification is rather arbitrary, since the same phenomenon of the natural world quite often corresponds to several points at once. Thus, natural phenomena are distinguished:

By the nature of the impact– some types of natural processes or phenomena can have several characteristics at once, for example, a strong flood can be destructive in a city, paralyze traffic on the roads and deplete the soil, making it unsuitable for a good harvest.

• Natural disasters of a destructive nature - hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, even the invasion of insect pests (locusts);
• Paralyzing natural phenomena stop traffic completely or for a long time (snowfall, ice, fog);
• Phenomena with depleting effects, due to which crop yields and soil fertility decrease, groundwater is depleted and the supply of other resources decreases. natural resources;

By origin:

• Natural phenomena that cause man-made accidents - lightning, ice, biochemical corrosion.
• Climatic - these types are the most common. Examples of these include a typhoon, blizzard or rain;
• Geological and geomorphological are such natural natural phenomena as a tsunami, earthquake, volcanic eruption;
• Biogeochemical - hazardous natural phenomena of this type are mainly emissions of harmful gases from lakes, swamps and other bodies of water;
• Biological - their appearance is often caused by objects of living nature: increased reproduction of agricultural pests, as well as blood-sucking insects, predatory and poisonous animals, epidemics, diseases of plants and livestock.
• Space - first of all, excessive activity of the sun is dangerous for our world; space weather also affects our world. For example, flares and emissions of charged solar particles and their interaction with the atmosphere and magnetic fields our planet often lead to emergency situations.

By duration:

• Instantaneous - do not last long (within a few seconds or minutes) and are the most dangerous (for example, earthquakes);
• Short-term natural phenomena last from several hours to several days (squall, flood, rain, heat and, interestingly, the full moon);
• Long-term (their period of action is longer and often lasts months, and in some cases years) - this type of phenomena includes natural processes that last months and even years (for example, volcanic eruptions, the occurrence of ozone holes, drying out of reservoirs);
• Centuries-old - last for several decades and can last for centuries (global warming).

By frequency of action:

• Daily - for example, sunset and sunrise;
• Seasonal - leaves fall in autumn, buds appear on trees and bushes in spring.

By scale of distribution:

• Global
• Local
• Regional

The influence of nature on humans

Scientists have long noticed that nature actively influences not only the life of our planet, but also the health and well-being of a person and even his life expectancy. An important role in this case is given to such factors as the quality of water, land, air purity, and climatic conditions.

For example, if people live in an area that is unfavorable for living (temperatures are too cold in winter and high in summer, high humidity, extremely strong winds), then to the human body it will be difficult to withstand, it will quickly fail and become unusable.

The influences of such natural conditions a person does not notice at all about his body, but pays attention only to the most unusual (for example, rainbows, northern lights, pillars of light), mysterious (for a long time people have been haunted by the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle) or dangerous natural phenomena that can lead to serious man-made accidents or human death.

site about the most interesting phenomena

On our website you will find information about the most unusual and amazing natural phenomena and their impact on the world around us. For example, you might be interested to know that a rainbow can be not only sunny, but also lunar, foggy, fiery, or inverted. You will also find out why people see mirages, aurora or halos.

Here you will read about dangerous natural phenomena that amaze with their beauty and power - tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, earthquakes and other manifestations of the natural world.

Changes constantly occur in nature and the weather, sometimes it snows, sometimes it rains, sometimes the sun shines, sometimes clouds appear. All these are called natural phenomena or natural phenomena. Natural phenomena are changes that occur in nature regardless of human will. Many natural phenomena are associated with the changing seasons (seasons), which is why they are called seasonal. Each season, and we have 4 of them - spring, summer, autumn, winter, is characterized by its own natural and weather phenomena. Nature is usually divided into living (animals and plants) and non-living. Therefore, phenomena are also divided into phenomena of living nature and phenomena of inanimate nature. Of course, these phenomena overlap, but some of them are especially characteristic of a particular season.

In the spring, after a long winter, the sun warms up more and more, ice begins to drift on the river, thawed patches appear on the ground, buds swell, and the first green grass grows. The days are getting longer and the nights are getting shorter. It is getting warmer. Migratory birds begin their journey to the region where they will raise their chicks.

What natural phenomena happen in spring?

Snowmelt. As more heat comes from the Sun, the snow begins to melt. The air around is filled with the murmur of streams, which can trigger the onset of floods - a clear sign of spring.

Thawed patches. They appear wherever the snow cover was thinner and where more sun fell on it. It is the appearance of thawed patches that indicates that winter has given up its rights and spring has begun. The first greenery quickly breaks through the thawed patches, and on them you can find the first spring flowers - snowdrops. The snow will lie in crevices and depressions for a long time, but on the hills and fields it melts quickly, exposing the islands of land to the warm sun.

Frost. It was warm and suddenly it froze - frost appeared on the branches and wires. These are frozen crystals of moisture.

Ice drift. In spring it becomes warmer, the ice crust on rivers and lakes begins to crack, and the ice gradually melts. Moreover, there is more water in reservoirs, it carries ice floes downstream - this is ice drift.

High water. Streams of melted snow flow from everywhere to the rivers, they fill reservoirs, and the water overflows its banks.

Thermal winds. The sun gradually warms the earth, and at night it begins to give off this heat, and winds are formed. They are still weak and unstable, but the warmer it gets around, the more they move air masses. Such winds are called thermal; they are characteristic of the spring season.

Rain. The first spring rain is cold, but not as cold as snow:)

Storm. The first thunderstorm may occur at the end of May. Not so strong yet, but bright. Thunderstorms are discharges of electricity in the atmosphere. Thunderstorms often occur when warm air is displaced and lifted by cold fronts.

Hail. This is the fall of ice balls from a cloud. Hail can be anywhere from the size of a tiny pea to chicken egg, then it can even break through the car glass!

These are all examples of inanimate natural phenomena.

Flowering is a spring phenomenon of living nature. The first buds appear on the trees in late April - early May. The grass has already sprouted its green stems, and the trees are preparing to put on their green outfits. The leaves will bloom quickly and suddenly and the first flowers are about to bloom, exposing their centers to the awakened insects. Summer is coming soon.

In summer, the grass turns green, flowers bloom, leaves turn green on the trees, and you can swim in the river. The sun warms up well, it can be very hot. Summer has the longest day and shortest night of the year. Berries and fruits are ripening, the harvest is ripe.

In summer there are natural phenomena such as:

Rain. While in the air, water vapor supercools, forming clouds consisting of millions of small ice crystals. Low temperatures in the air, below zero degrees, lead to the growth of crystals and the weighting of frozen drops, which melt in the lower part of the cloud and fall in the form of raindrops on the surface of the earth. In summer, the rain is usually warm, it helps to water the forests and fields. Summer rain is often accompanied by a thunderstorm. If it rains and the sun shines at the same time, it is said to be “Mushroom Rain.” This kind of rain happens when the cloud is small and does not cover the sun.

Heat. In summer, the sun's rays hit the Earth more vertically and heat its surface more intensely. At night, the surface of the earth releases heat into the atmosphere. Therefore, in summer it can be hot during the day and even sometimes at night.

Rainbow. Occurs in an atmosphere with high humidity, often after rain or thunderstorms. A rainbow is an optical phenomenon of nature; for the observer it appears in the form of a multi-colored arc. When the sun's rays are refracted in water droplets, optical distortion occurs, which consists of deflection different colors, White color is broken down into a spectrum of colors in the form of a multi-colored rainbow.

Flowering begins in spring and continues throughout the summer.

In the fall you can no longer run outside in a T-shirt and shorts. It gets colder, the leaves turn yellow, fall off, migratory birds fly away, insects disappear from sight.

The following natural phenomena are typical for autumn:

Leaf fall. Going through their year-round cycle, plants and trees shed their leaves in the fall, exposing bark and branches, in preparation for hibernation. Why does a tree get rid of its leaves? So that the fallen snow does not break the branches. Even before the leaves fall, the leaves of the trees dry out, turn yellow or red and, gradually, the wind throws the leaves to the ground, forming leaf fall. This is an autumn phenomenon of wildlife.

Fogs. The earth and water still heat up during the day, but in the evening it gets colder and fog appears. When air humidity is high, for example, after rain or in a damp, cool season, the cooled air turns into small droplets of water hovering above the ground - this is fog.

Dew. These are droplets of water from the air that fell on the grass and leaves in the morning. During the night, the air cools down, the water vapor that is in the air comes into contact with the surface of the earth, grass, tree leaves and settles in the form of water droplets. On cold nights, dew drops freeze, causing it to turn into frost.

Shower. This is heavy, "torrential" rain.

Wind. This is the movement of air currents. In autumn and winter the wind is especially cold.

Just like in spring, there is frost in autumn. This means there is a slight frost outside - frost.

Fog, dew, rain, wind, frost, frost - autumn phenomena inanimate nature.

In winter it snows and it gets cold. Rivers and lakes are frozen. In winter the nights are the longest and the most short days, it gets dark early. The sun barely warms up.

Thus, the phenomena of inanimate nature characteristic of winter:

Snowfall is the fall of snow.

Blizzard. This is snowfall with wind. It is dangerous to be outside in a snowstorm; it increases the risk of hypothermia. A strong snowstorm can even knock you off your feet.

Freeze-up is the establishment of a crust of ice on the surface of the water. The ice will last all winter until spring, until the snow melts and the spring ice drifts.

Another natural phenomenon - clouds - occurs at any time of the year. Clouds are droplets of water collected in the atmosphere. Water, evaporating on the ground, turns into steam, then, together with warm air currents, rises above the ground. This way water is transported over long distances, ensuring the water cycle in nature.

Unusual natural phenomena

There are also very rare, unusual natural phenomena, such as the northern lights, ball lightning, tornadoes and even fish rain. One way or another, such examples of the manifestation of inanimate natural forces cause both surprise and, at times, anxiety, because many of them can harm humans.

Now you know a lot about natural phenomena and can accurately find those characteristic of a particular season :)

Materials prepared for a lesson on the subject The world in 2nd grade, the Perspective and School of Russia (Pleshakov) programs, but will be useful to any teacher primary classes, and parents of preschoolers and primary schoolchildren in home schooling.

Hazardous natural phenomena are classified: by origin; by the nature of the impact; by duration (action time); by regularity of action; by scale of distribution; by groups, types and types.

Natural phenomena are divided according to their origin on the:

• Geological-geomorphological.
• Climatic (related hydrological).
• Biogeochemical.
• Biological.
• Space.

1. Geological and geomorphological hazardous natural phenomena include: earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, landslides, rockfalls, landslides, mudflows, snow-water flows, avalanches, collapses and movements of glaciers, soil erosion, reformation of river channels, sliding of soil (snow) on slopes, subsidence due to quicksand on karst.

2. Climatic and hydrological hazards- these are hurricanes, typhoons, tornadoes, squalls, floods, thunderstorms, hail, sea storms, extreme air temperatures, showers, snowfalls, blizzards, ice, frost, icing, ice on slopes, frozen soil deformations, thermokarst, thermoerosion, flooding, change groundwater level, abrasion of the coasts of seas and reservoirs, ice phenomena on rivers, droughts, hot winds, dust storms, soil salinization, sudden surges atmospheric pressure, temperature and humidity.

3. Biogeochemical hazards– these are emissions of hazardous gases from bodies of water (lakes, swamps), etc.

4. Hazardous natural phenomena of biological nature, is a massive proliferation of agricultural pests, diseases of plants and domestic animals, epidemics among animals and people, attacks on territories and waters by introduced species, attacks by blood-sucking, predatory and poisonous animals, biointerference with transport, control and distribution systems.

5. Dangers from space.

The threat to humanity is posed by cosmogenic hazards and the possibility of collision celestial bodies with the Earth.
Towards cosmogenic dangers include solar activity and space weather. Changes in the solar atmosphere, including flares and ejections of charged particles from the solar corona and their interaction with the magnetosphere and upper layers of the Earth's atmosphere create dangers and lead to emergencies on Earth.

For example, in 1989, the strongest magnetic storm in the last hundred years took place. It turned out to be 10-12 times more powerful than the usual average. In the province of Quebec (Canada) and the state of New Jersey (USA), a magnetic storm led to a shutdown of power supply systems and caused a loss of more than $1 billion.

Falling to Earth celestial bodies is quite real, it accompanies the entire history of the Earth. Fortunately for humanity, the fall of large cosmic bodies to Earth did not occur in the current historical period. Civilization was spared catastrophes on a planetary scale.

However, from time to time the Earth is subject to impacts from cosmic bodies (asteroids and comets) with collision speeds from 11.2 to 72 km/sec and meteorites.

ABOUT possible consequences encounters of such space objects with the Earth can be judged by the studied circumstances of the fall of a small planet to the Earth 65 million years ago - an asteroid with a diameter of 10 kilometers. In the atmosphere, it broke apart into several fragments that formed craters on our planet, including three in Russia.

As a result of a combination of damaging factors, animals and plants were destroyed on land and in the upper layers of the World Ocean.
Scientists suggest that this catastrophe is associated mass death giant lizards, marine mollusks, some microorganisms, a strong change in terrestrial plants and algae.

There are suggestions that such catastrophes have happened more than once and occur with a periodicity of 28-30 million years.

Based on the nature of their impact, hazardous natural processes are divided into:

Having a predominantly destructive effect (hurricanes, typhoons, tornadoes, earthquakes, insect infestations, etc.);
- having a predominantly paralyzing (stopping) effect on traffic (snowfall, rain with flooding, ice, fog);
- have a depleting effect (reduce yield, soil fertility, water supply and other natural resources);
- natural disasters that can cause man-made accidents (natural-man-made disasters) (lightning, ice, icing, biochemical corrosion).

Some phenomena can be multifaceted, for example: Floods can be devastating for a city, crippling for roads, and debilitating for crops.

By duration (time of action) of action differentiate:

Instantaneous (seconds, minutes) – impact, earthquakes;
- short-term (hours, days) – squalls, atmospheric phenomena, floods;
- long-term (months, years) – volcanoes, ozone hole problems;
- centuries-old (tens, hundreds of years) – climate cycles, modern climate warming

Extreme natural events include: falling meteorites, hurricanes, typhoons, tornadoes, squalls, earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, landslides, rock falls, landslides, mudflows, snow flows, avalanches.

Adverse natural phenomena include very coldy, droughts, soil erosion, etc.
Hazardous natural phenomena can be classified according to the regularity of their action in time, space and strength.

Based on the regularity of their action over time, hazardous natural phenomena can be divided into:
regularly (periodically) operating. For example, floods occur at almost the same time, and their severity can be predicted in advance. Therefore, the degree of adaptation of the population to them is quite high;
irregularly operating, i.e., occurring at a random moment in time. The timing of such extreme natural events (for example, earthquakes) is usually not predicted in advance, and therefore they are extremely dangerous.
A number of dangerous natural phenomena occur in certain seasons (for example, tropical cyclones in the summer), but within the season they occur at a random point in time, which is not always possible to predict.

Classification of natural emergencies by groups, types and types

Emergency groups
1. Phenomena in the lithosphere	1.1 Geophysical hazards	Earthquakes, Volcanic eruption
	1.2 Geologically hazardous	Landslides, landslides; landslides; scree; avalanches. Slope washout. Forest subsidence. Drawdown (failure) earth's surface as a result of karst. Abrasion, erosion. Kuruma; dust storms
	1.3 wildfires	Forest fires. Forest and grain fires. Peat fires. Underground fossil fuel fires.
2. Phenomena in the atmosphere	2.1 Meteorological and agrometeorological hazards	Storms (9 – 11 points) Hurricanes (12-15 points) Tornadoes, tornadoes. Squalls. Vertical vortices. Large hail. Heavy rain, downpour. Heavy snowfall. Heavy ice. Severe frost. Heatwave. Heavy fog. Drought. Sukhovey. Frost.
3. Phenomena in the hydrosphere	3.1 Marine hydrological hazards	Tropical cyclones (typhoons). Tsunami. Strong excitement (5 points or more). Strong fluctuations in sea level. Strong puller in ports. Early ice cover and fast ice. Ice pressure. Intense ice drift. Impassable (difficult to pass) ice. Icing of ships and port facilities. Coastal ice separation.
	3.2 Hydrological hazards	High water levels (floods). High water. Rain floods. Congestion and gluttony. Wind surges. Low water levels. Early freeze-up and the appearance of ice on navigable reservoirs and rivers.
	3.3 Hydrogeological hazards	Low groundwater levels. High groundwater levels
4.Biological phenomena	4.1 Biological damage in the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere	Manifestations of micro- and macro-organisms caused by biodamage to man-made objects
	4.2 Infectious morbidity in humans.	Group cases of dangerous infectious diseases. Epidemic. Pandemic. Infectious diseases people with identified etiology.
	4.3 Infectious disease incidence in farm animals	Isolated cases of exotic and especially dangerous infectious diseases. Enzootics. Panzootics. Infectious diseases of farm animals of unknown etiology.
	4.4 Damage to agricultural plants by diseases and pests	Progressive epiphytoty. Panphytotia. Diseases of agricultural plants of unknown etiology. Mass spread of plant pests

Earthquakes are seismic phenomena that occur as a result of sudden displacements and ruptures in the earth's crust or in the upper part of the mantle, transmitted over long distances in the form of sharp vibrations, leading to the destruction of buildings, structures, fires and human casualties.
Volcanic activity occurs as a result of constant active processes occurring in the depths of the Earth.

The set of phenomena associated with the movement of magma in the earth's crust and on its surface is called volcanism.

Landslides are sliding displacements of masses of rocks down a slope, arising due to an imbalance caused by various reasons (undermining of rocks by water, weakening of their strength due to weathering or waterlogging by precipitation and groundwater, systematic tremors, unreasonable economic activity person).

Mudflows are stormy mud and mud-stone flows that suddenly appear in riverbeds mountain rivers. The mudflow is a formidable force. A stream consisting of a mixture of water, mud and stones rushes rapidly down the river, uprooting trees, tearing down bridges, destroying dams, and destroying crops. The danger of mudflows lies not only in their destructive powers, but also in the suddenness of their appearance. After all, rainfall in the mountains often does not cover the foothills, and mudflows appear unexpectedly in inhabited areas. Sel is something between a liquid and a solid mass. This phenomenon is short-term, usually lasting 1-3 hours.

Landslides are the separation and rapid fall of large masses of rocks, their overturning, crushing and rolling down on steep and steep slopes.
Shedding differs from collapse, first of all, in the size of the rocks and speed.

Snow avalanches are snow masses that fall from mountain slopes under the influence of gravity.
Subsidence of loess rocks is compaction and deformation when moistening (soaking) forests with the formation of subsidence deformations (dips, subsidence cracks, sinkholes).

Karst is a geological phenomenon associated with increased solubility of rocks under conditions of active circulation groundwater, expressed by the processes of chemical and mechanical transformation of rocks with the formation of underground cavities, surface sinkholes, failures, subsidence (karst deformations).

Abrasion (Latin - scraping) in geology, the process of destruction and demolition of land by the sea surf. The waves of the sea, hitting the shore, continuously wash it away and smooth out all the protrusions and irregularities - absorbing the land.

Soil erosion is the process of destruction of the upper, most fertile layers of soil and underlying rocks by melt and rain water or wind.
Kurums - externally they are placers of coarse clastic material in the form of stone cloaks and streams on mountain slopes that have a steepness less than the angle of repose of the coarse clastic material (from 3 to 35-40 degrees).

Dust storms are atmospheric disturbances that cause dust to rise into the air. a large number of dust transported over long distances.
Forest fire is a fire spreading through a forest area.

Peat fire is the ignition of a peat bog, drained or natural, when its surface is overheated by the rays of the sun or as a result of careless handling of fire by people.

The storm is a very strong, with a speed of 15 to 20 m/s, and long-lasting wind, causing great destruction.

Hurricane (in the tropics) Pacific Ocean- typhoon) is a wind of enormous destructive power, with a speed of over 32.7 m/s (12 points on the Beaufort scale).

Tornadoes (tornadoes) are atmospheric vortices that arise in a thundercloud and often spread over the surface of the earth (water). A tornado has the shape of a column, sometimes with a curved axis of rotation, with a diameter of tens to hundreds of meters, with a funnel-shaped expansion at the top and bottom.
A squall is a short-term increase in wind speed up to 20-30 m/s.

Hail is precipitation, as a rule, in the warm season. Consists of pieces of ice measuring 5-55 mm, sometimes 130 mm and weighing about 1 kg.
Large hail – hail with a hailstone diameter of 20 mm or more

Heavy rain (rain) - precipitation amount of 50 mm or more for 12 hours or more, and in mountainous, mudflow and rain-prone areas - 30 mm or more for 12 hours.

Heavy snowfall amount of precipitation of 20 mm or more in 12 hours or less.

Severe ice – the diameter of deposits on wires is 20 mm or more.

Severe frost - Maximum temperature air - 30 degrees C and below.

Extreme heat is characterized by exceeding the average positive ambient air temperature by 10 degrees or more for several days (or a maximum air temperature of 38 degrees C and above).

Fog is an accumulation of small water droplets or ice crystals in the surface layer of the atmosphere.

Drought is prolonged and there is a significant lack of precipitation, often at elevated temperatures and low air humidity.
Frosts are a decrease in temperature during the growing season on the soil surface below 0 degrees C.

Tropical cyclones are seasonal phenomena, the frequency of which varies from one area to another, with an average of one to 20 hurricanes per year.

Tsunami is a series of giant ocean waves caused by underwater or island earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.
Strong waves - waves with wave heights: 4 m - in the coastal zone; 6 m – in the open sea; 8 m and in the ocean.

Tyagun resonant vibrations of water in ports, harbors, bays (with a period of 0.5-0.4 min), causing cyclic horizontal movements ships moored at the berths.

Icing of ships is a rapidly growing icing of the deck structures of ships, leading to the capsizing of ships due to a displacement of their metacenter.
Floods are significant flooding of an area as a result of rising water levels in a river, lake, or reservoir, caused by various reasons (spring snowmelt, heavy rainfall, heavy rainfall, ice jams on rivers, dam failures, wind surge, etc.).
Flood is a relatively short-term and non-periodic rise in water level.

A jam is an accumulation of ice in a riverbed that restricts the flow of a river and causes water to rise and overflow.

A jam is a phenomenon similar to a jam. But it consists of an accumulation of loose ice (slush, small pieces of ice) and is observed at the beginning of winter.

Flooding is a rise in groundwater levels that disrupts normal economic use lands.

Low water (low water) are periods within the annual cycle during which low water content is observed, resulting from a sharp decrease in the influx of water from the catchment area.

An epidemic is a widespread spread of an infectious disease in humans, significantly exceeding the incidence rate usually recorded in a given territory.

Pandemic is unusual widespread morbidity both in terms of level and scale of distribution, covering a number of countries and continents.
Epizootic is a widespread distribution of infectious animals on a farm, district, region, or Republic.

Panzootic is an unusually widespread infectious disease of animals.

Epiphytoty is the spread of an infectious plant disease over large areas over a certain period of time.

Panphytotia is a widespread plant disease that spans several countries or continents.

- gas crater in Turkmenistan. Locals and travelers call it the “Door to the Underworld”, or the “Gates of Hell”. It was lit by scientists in 1971 and has never stopped burning since then.

It is located 90 km from the village of Erbent. The diameter of the crater is approximately 60 meters, the depth is about 20 meters.

2. Black Sun of Denmark— more than a million European starlings gather in huge flocks, creating unusual patterns in the air and practically blocking out the sun. This amazing phenomenon can be observed in Denmark in early spring - everywhere in the marshy, western part of the country. However, the largest flocks of starlings gather in the south of Jutland. An aerial bird ballet can be seen at sunset.

3. In Morocco you can see trees “decorated” with live goats, like Christmas decorations. The dry and hot climate, as well as the sparse vegetation of these places, force goats, showing miracles of acrobatics, skillfully balancing on branches and collecting tree fruits.

4. Lifeless landscapes of Lake Natron in northern Tanzania resemble surreal alien landscapes. A lake covered with a crust of salt may change color throughout the year. As a result of the vital activity of microorganisms - halophilic cyanobacteria living in Natrona - the water acquires rich reddish and pinkish shades several times a year. When the temperature rises, the bacteria release a red pigment, coloring the lake.

5. Tidal waves (or "Boron") in the Amazon in Brazil and the Severn in England, it is a phenomenon in which the leading edge of the tide forms a wave that travels up the river against the current. Surfers often use a boron to ride their board.

6. Lenticular (lenticular) clouds- a unique natural phenomenon. These clouds usually form around hills and mountains. They look very peculiar and look like giant flying saucers or a stack of pancakes. Many famous mountains around the world have often been photographed capped by these clouds, including Mount Shasta and Mount Fuji.

Lenticular clouds appear completely motionless, as if frozen in time. Actually this is not true. The clouds seem motionless as the flow humid air constantly replenishes the cloud on the windward side, while moisture evaporates and disappears on the leeward side, leaving clouds with a characteristic lens shape.

7. Frosty flowers are ice crystals that form on young ice in cold waters. As a rule, they are formed when low temperatures and in almost complete absence of wind.

8. Richat (Guel Er Richat, also known as the Eye of the Sahara)- a geological formation located in the Mauritanian part of the Sahara Desert. The diameter of the structure is 50 km.

There are many different opinions about the origin of this amazing natural phenomenon. According to one version, the “eye” was formed as a result of a meteorite fall. Some scientists believe that it arose as a result of underground nuclear explosions. However, it is worth noting that for such a crater to form, the explosion must have a gigaton power. Currently, no country in the world possesses weapons of such incredible destructive power.

9. Catatumbo Lightning- a natural phenomenon that occurs above the confluence of the Catatumbo River into Lake Maracaibo (this is the largest salt lake in Venezuela). The phenomenon is expressed in the appearance of a glow at an altitude of about five kilometers without accompanying acoustic effects. Lightning appears at night (140-160 times a year), discharges last about 10 hours. Lightning flashes up to 280 times per hour. This adds up to about 1.2 million discharges per year.

10. Mysterious circles under water, discovered in 1995 near the Japanese island of Amamioshima in the East China Sea, look like something alien. The creator of these patterns is the puffer fish, which creates them to attract a female.

11. Very rarely in the sky you can observe a striking cloud, the unofficial name of which sounds like undulatus asperatus (from Latin - “wavy-lumpy”; also asperatus, asperatus). In 2009 it was proposed to classify them as the new kind clouds, however, this was impossible to do, because even today they have not yet been sufficiently studied. Despite their menacing appearance, they are by no means harbingers of a storm.

12. Flowering of the Chilean Atacama Desert. Typically, this desert experiences virtually no rainfall all year. However, this year the region experienced historically record rainfall. The rainfall was so intense that catastrophic flooding began. The rains brought to life flower seeds that had been dormant for many years. Such flowerings are very rare and occur approximately once every 5–10 years.

13. Round-horizontal arc or near-horizontal arc- an optical phenomenon that occurs when sunlight passes through ice crystals in upper cirrus clouds. This is a fairly rare phenomenon, but it mostly happens on a summer day when the Sun is high in the sky. This creates a rainbow effect directly in the clouds filled with ice crystals.

14. Crawling or moving stones- a geological phenomenon discovered on the dried-up lake Racetrack Playa in Death Valley in the USA. The stones move without any human or animal participation, however, no one has ever seen or recorded the movement itself.

15. Waterfall eternal flame in the heart of Chestnut Ridge Park in New York. You can always see a burning fire inside the waterfall. The phenomenon of this phenomenon is explained by the fact that there is a natural gas leak under the waterfall, and a fire is always burning at this point. The fire is not actually “eternal”, that is, it goes out periodically. Often it is re-lit by some tourist who discovers that the flame has gone out.

16. Magic circles in the Namibian desert are one of nature's greatest mysteries. In the north, the circles reach a diameter of 50 meters, in the south - up to three. At first they talked about UFOs, then they blamed it all on termites, which supposedly eat the roots of plants underground. However, the evidence was never presented.

Some scientists argue that the circles arise due to the self-organization of grass. This hypothesis was proven based on a similar phenomenon discovered in Western Australia.

17. Giant's Causeway (Giant's Causeway) in Northern Ireland- a natural monument of approximately 40,000 interconnected basalt (less often andesite) columns formed as a result of an ancient volcanic eruption.

18. Great Blue Hole off the coast of Belize is a round karst sinkhole with a diameter of 305 meters, going to a depth of 120 meters.

The Blue Hole became famous thanks to the French explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, who included it in the list of 10 best places in the world for diving.

Natural phenomena are ordinary, sometimes even supernatural, climatic and meteorological events that occur naturally in all corners of the planet. It could be snow or rain, familiar from childhood, or it could be incredibly destructive or earthquakes. If such events take place away from a person and do not cause him material damage, they are considered unimportant. Nobody will pay attention to this. Otherwise, dangerous natural phenomena are considered by humanity as natural disasters.

Research and observations

People began to study characteristic natural phenomena in ancient times. However, it was possible to systematize these observations only in the 17th century; even a separate branch of science (natural science) was formed that studied these events. However, despite many scientific discoveries, and to this day some natural phenomena and processes remain poorly understood. Most often, we see the consequence of this or that event, but we can only guess about the root causes and build various theories. Researchers in many countries are working to make forecasts of their occurrence, and most importantly, to prevent their possible occurrence or at least reduce the damage caused by natural phenomena. And yet, despite all the destructive power of such processes, a person always remains a person and strives to find something beautiful and sublime in this. What natural phenomenon is most fascinating? They could be listed for a long time, but perhaps it should be noted such as a volcanic eruption, a tornado, a tsunami - they are all beautiful, despite the destruction and chaos that remain after them.

Weather phenomena of nature

Natural phenomena characterize the weather with its seasonal changes. Each season has its own set of events. For example, in the spring the following snowmelt, floods, thunderstorms, clouds, wind, and rain are observed. In the summer, the sun gives the planet an abundance of heat; natural processes at this time are most favorable: clouds, warm winds, rains and, of course, rainbows; but they can also be severe: thunderstorms, hail. In autumn the temperature changes, the days become cloudy and rainy. During this period, the following phenomena prevail: fog, leaf fall, frost, first snow. in winter vegetable world falls asleep, some animals hibernate. The most common natural phenomena are: freeze-up, blizzard, blizzard, snow, which appear on the windows

All these events are commonplace for us; we have not paid attention to them for a long time. Now let's look at the processes that remind humanity that it is not the crown of everything, and planet Earth just sheltered it for a while.

Natural hazards

These are extreme and severe climate and meteorological events that occur in all parts of the world, but some regions are considered more vulnerable to certain types of events compared to others. Natural hazards become disasters when infrastructure is destroyed and people die. These losses represent major obstacles to human development. It is almost impossible to prevent such cataclysms; all that remains is timely forecasting of events in order to prevent casualties and material damage.

However, the difficulty lies in the fact that dangerous natural phenomena can occur on different scales and at different times. In fact, each of them is unique in its own way, and therefore it is very difficult to predict it. For example, flash floods and tornadoes are destructive but short-lived events that affect relatively small areas. Other dangerous disasters, such as droughts, can develop very slowly but affect entire continents and entire populations. Such disasters last for several months and sometimes years. In order to monitor and predict these events, some national hydrological and meteorological services and special specialized centers are tasked with studying hazardous geophysical phenomena. This includes volcanic eruptions, airborne ash, tsunamis, radioactive, biological, chemical pollution, etc.

Now let's take a closer look at some natural phenomena.

Drought

The main reason for this cataclysm is the lack of precipitation. Drought is very different from other natural disasters in its slow development, often its onset is hidden by various factors. There are even recorded cases in world history when this disaster lasted for many years. Drought often has devastating consequences: first, water sources (streams, rivers, lakes, springs) dry up, many crops stop growing, then animals die, and poor health and malnutrition become widespread realities.

Tropical cyclones

These natural phenomena are areas of very low atmospheric pressure over subtropical and tropical waters, forming a colossal rotating system of thunderstorms and winds hundreds (sometimes thousands) of kilometers across. The speed of surface winds in the zone of a tropical cyclone can reach two hundred kilometers per hour or even more. The interaction of low pressure and wind-driven waves often results in a coastal storm surge - a huge volume of water washed ashore with tremendous force and high speed, washing away everything in its path.

Air pollution

These natural phenomena arise as a result of the accumulation in the air of harmful gases or particles of substances formed as a result of disasters (volcanic eruptions, fires) and human activity (the work of industrial enterprises, vehicles, etc.). Haze and smoke appear as a result of fires on undeveloped lands and forest areas, as well as burning of agricultural and logging residues; in addition, due to the formation of volcanic ash. These air pollutants are highly serious consequences for the human body. As a result of such disasters, visibility is reduced and interruptions in the operation of road and air transport occur.

Desert Locust

Such natural phenomena cause serious damage in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the southern part of the European continent. When environmental and weather conditions are favorable for the reproduction of these insects, they tend to concentrate in small areas. However, as their numbers increase, the locust ceases to be an individual creature and turns into a single living organism. Small groups form huge flocks that move in search of food. The length of such a school can reach tens of kilometers. In a day, it can cover distances of up to two hundred kilometers, sweeping away all vegetation in its path. Thus, one ton of locusts (this is a small part of the swarm) can eat as much food in a day as ten elephants or 2,500 people eat. These insects pose a threat to millions of pastoralists and farmers living in vulnerable environmental conditions.

Flash floods and flash floods

Data can occur anywhere after heavy rainfall. All floodplains are vulnerable to flooding, and severe storms cause flash floods. In addition, short-term floods sometimes even occur after periods of drought, when very heavy rain falls on a hard and dry surface through which water flow cannot seep into the ground. These natural events are characterized by a wide variety of types: from violent small floods to a powerful layer of water that covers vast areas. They can be caused by tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, monsoons, extratropical and tropical cyclones (their strength may be increased by the warm El Niño current), melting snow and ice jams. In coastal areas, storm surges often lead to flooding as a result of a tsunami, cyclone, or rising river levels due to unusually high tides. The reason for the flooding of vast areas located below the barrier dams is often high water on rivers, which is caused by melting snow.

Other natural hazards

1. Mud flow or landslide.

5. Lightning.

6. Extreme temperatures.

7. Tornado.

10. Fires on undeveloped lands or forests.

11. Heavy snow and rain.

12. Strong winds.