Category: science

World’s Largest Rhythmic Spring

by eMORFES, posted in bizarre, places, science

A rhythmic spring is a water spring from which the flow of water either varies or starts and stops entirely, over a fairly regular time-scale of minutes or hours. The “Intermittent Spring” located in Swift Creek canyon in Star Valley, near Afton, Wyoming is the largest rhythmic spring in the world. The theory is that as groundwater flows continuously into a cavern, it fills a narrow tube that leads out. As the cavern overflows it creates a siphoning effect and when that happens the hydraulic effect pulls the water out of that cavern and creates a river which runs for about 15 minutes. Eventually this siphon is broken once air reaches the pipe and it breaks off. Then the cavern fills again with water and it starts the process all over again.

Ninjatacoshell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A squishy bog in kathmandu, Nepal

by eMORFES, posted in bizarre, funny, science

This is called a floating bog. You can tell by the way it moves it’s made of a big mat of moss and other plants growing together floating on-top of standing water.

The Hidden Beauty of Seeds & Fruits

by eMORFES, posted in photography, science

For his latest project Levon Biss has turned his attention to botany. His project The Hidden Beauty of Seeds & Fruits is on display with 59 beautiful prints showcasing specimens from the carpology collection of the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh. Using his bespoke camera system and photo-stacking techniques, Levon set up a studio in the herbarium where the seeds and fruits are stored and produced the photographs over a period of six months. Each picture reveals minute features and textures that are normally invisible to the naked eye, providing the audience with an insight into strange and often bizarre adaptations that have evolved over thousands of years.

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Ice Volcano in Kazakhstan

by eMORFES, posted in bizarre, places, science

“Iceberg” is located in the Kegen district of the Almaty region between the villages of Kegen and Shyrganak. Thanks to the fine particles of water that are sprayed high into the sky, the “iceberg” looks like a smoking ice volcano. The “volcano” appears every winter with the arrival of cold weather as a result of an underground spring.  When temperatures drop below zero, the water freezes  in the form of a volcano cone.

The Salt Rocks of Iran

by eMORFES, posted in places, science

Salt domes are located in the Zagros Mountains, in southwestern Iran. Thick layers of minerals such as halite (common table salt) typically accumulate in closed basins during alternating wet and dry climatic conditions. Over geologic time, these layers of salt are buried under younger layers of rock. The pressure from overlying rock layers causes the lower-density salt to flow upwards. Salt rocks with orange, yellow, red and gray lines, which indicates the existence of metal elements,  are also called Rainbow Salt.

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Nördlinger – The Medieval Town Built of 72,000 Tons of Diamonds

by eMORFES, posted in bizarre, places, science

The Nördlinger Ries is a giant impact crater in Southern Germany. An asteroid hit this region 15 million years ago creating a crater with a diameter of 25km. The town is located in the crater depression. The immense pressure and heat created tons of small diamonds Stone from this area was quarried and used to build the stone buildings. Approximately 72,000 tonnes of diamonds are hidden in Nördlinger’s buddings. They are scientifically valuable but economically not of interest.
Aerial scenes at the end of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory were filmed there.

Wolkenkratzer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Hd pano, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE, via Wikimedia Commons

Desert Rose — Rose-like formation of crystal clusters

by eMORFES, posted in bizarre, science

Desert rose is the colloquial name given to rose-like formations of crystal clusters of gypsum or baryte which include sand grains. The ‘petals’ are crystals fanning open in radiating flattened crystal clusters. The rosette crystal habit tends to occur when the crystals form in arid sandy conditions, such as the evaporation of a shallow salt basin. The crystals form a circular array of flat plates, giving the rock a shape similar to a rose blossom.
info: wikipedia

Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Hair Ice – Fungus shapes a strange kind of ice that is found on rotting logs

by eMORFES, posted in bizarre, science

Hair ice, also known as ice wool or frost beard, is a type of ice that forms on dead wood and takes the shape of fine, silky hair. It is somewhat uncommon, and has been reported mostly at latitudes between 45–55 °N in broad leaf forests. Hair ice forms on moist, rotting wood from broad leaf trees when temperatures are slightly under 0 °C (32 °F) and the air is humid. Each of the smooth, silky hairs has a diameter of about 0.02 mm (0.0008 in) and a length of up to 20 cm (8 in). The hairs are brittle, but take the shape of curls and waves. They can maintain their shape for hours and sometimes days. A piece of wood that produces hair ice once may continue to produce it over several years.
In the year 2015, German and Swiss scientists identified the fungus Exidiopsis effusa as key to the formation of hair ice. The fungus was found on every hair ice sample examined by the researchers, and disabling the fungus with fungicide or hot water prevented hair ice formation.
info: wikipedia

Des Colhoun / A mystery of Nature on Altyre Estate

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Giant Honeybees Use ‘Shimmering’ Waves To Repel Predatory Wasps

by eMORFES, posted in bizarre, science

Apis dorsata, the giant honey bee, is a honey bee of  South and Southeast Asia, found mainly in forested areas. Since their nests are fairly exposed and accessible to predators, built in exposed places far off the ground, these giant honeybees exhibit strong and aggressive defense strategies. A method that Apis dorsata utilizes against wasps is referred to as “shimmering” behavior or defense waving. Bees in the outer layer thrust their abdomens 90° in an upward direction and shake them in a synchronous way. This may be accompanied by stroking of the wings. The signal is transmitted to nearby workers that also adopt the posture, thus creating a visible — and audible — “ripple” effect across the face of the comb, in an almost identical manner to an audience wave at a crowded stadium. These wave-like patterns repel wasps that get too close to the nests of these bees and serve to confuse the wasp. In turn, the wasp cannot fixate on capturing one bee or getting food from the bees’ nest, so the wasp will seek to find easier prey and leave this nest alone.
info source: wikipedia

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Mind Blowing Cocoons in Rainforest

by eMORFES, posted in bizarre, science

Incredible examples of art in nature.

Rainforest Expedition’s Troy Alexander spotted the bizarre maypole-in-miniature in the Southern Peruvian Amazon. Alexander posted a photograph of his discovery to /r/whatsthisbug, a subreddit devoted to identifying insects and their handiwork.

Seriously, who makes egg cases like this? Just under 2cm across, Southern Peruvian Amazon from whatsthisbug

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