We admire the nature and we derive from it inspiration, even when we don’t understand it up to the end. For example, our ancestors took blows of lightnings and peals of a thunder for rage of gods though today we know the reason of these phenomena. Nevertheless, some natural phenomena remain a riddle and today, in a century of education and science.
Snow rolls.
They are snow rolls. When at the open area there is suitable snow — with an icy cold layer from below and damp warmer from above — and gusting strong wind blows, it is quite possible to observe this unusual occurrence. Wind skatyvat snow in something like haystacks, the sizes from apple to the car.
Tubular clouds.
These clouds of an ominous look sometimes foretell strong tropical thunder-storms, but are more often formed when the thunder-storm already passed. Cloudy “pockets” arise when the upward flow hoists the air saturated with moisture over clouds then heavy particles of water and ice fail down.
Ice flowers.
For formation of this phenomenon specific conditions are necessary — the late fall or early winter when the earth wasn’t chilled yet and plants extend from it water. Air temperature sharply falls also juice of some plants — for example, Verbesina virginica — breaks outside, instantly freezing in a surprising configuration.
Basalt columns.
Basalt — the rock which is formed of the stiffened magma. When hardening it bursts as usual dirt, only process in this case can last centuries. Where the melted basalt tens came to a surface millions years ago and was rather quickly cooled, today we can observe a tremendous colonnade.
Cloudy hole.
It “a dyroobrazny strip of falling of rainfall”, it is fallstreak hole. Arises when something like the flown by plane, usual dust or rainfall from higher layer intrudes upon leisure of a cloud from the supercooled water drops remaining liquid even at -40 °C. Because of chain reaction water turns into ice, falling down and doing almost ideal hole in a cloud.
Braynikl.
This underwater stalactite growing from the lower layer of sea ice is the ice tube reaching for a bottom with water, much more salty, than flows around. Braynikl is formed quickly and continues to grow, having even reached a bottom, to death freezing small sea living creatures like starfishes.
Volcanic lightning.
Also known as “the dirty thunder-storm”, this atmospheric phenomenon represents lightnings in a cloud of a volcanic ash at eruption. The gear of their education practically same, as well as in a usual thundercloud, but with participation of fragments of a stone, ashes and particles of ice which face and is generated by electric charges.
The sliding stones.
The cobble-stones which are slowly creeping on a bottom of the dried-up lake Reystrek-Playa in Death Valley in the USA excited imagination of scientists from the middle of the 20th century. The last researches have shown that stones move on the specific ice “rafts” freezing in cold winter nights and thawing at approach of summer. Then strong wind can overtake stones from place to place with a speed up to 5 m/min.
Kalgaspora.
These ice formations can be seen in mountains, at the height over four kilometers, especially often meet in the Andes. Their other name — “the repenting snow” — happens because of their similarity with figures of the repenting monks. When фирн — densely packed, long-term snow — thaws in the conditions of dry air and high standing of the sun, there are similar figures.
Light columns.
Lunar or the sunlight which was reflected in groundless ice crystals of a certain look — flat hexagonal or pillared — forms this unusual atmospheric occurrence. Most often he can be observed in cold regions including Russia.