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Have you ever heard of a lake that changes color? Or about a lake with liquid asphalt instead of water? More interesting points and unusual lakes and their features!
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00:01In Utah, in the middle of the desert, there are striped ponds that seem to be something from another world.
00:08The color gets even more dramatic, contrasting with the red Moab desert.
00:13The ponds have those stripes because of the evaporation.
00:17The more water there is, the more vibrant the blue shades appear.
00:21The electric blue color is artificial, though.
00:24People add cobalt blue dye, so the water absorbs more sunlight and evaporates faster.
00:30As the water disappears, the crystals of salt and potassium are left behind, which are gathered later for chemical production.
00:38You don't want to swim in there.
00:41Another unusual lake that has its looks thanks to evaporation is Spotted Lake in Canada.
00:47In winter and spring, it looks just like a regular lake.
00:50But in summer, when the sun gets scorching hot, some water evaporates, but small pools of minerals are left behind.
00:59The polka dot spots are usually green, yellow, and bluish.
01:02There are no two similar pools.
01:05They all have different colors and sizes.
01:08Don't get too close here.
01:09This place is quite sensitive.
01:12Now, if perfection is something you're after, head to Northern Ireland.
01:17The place, called the Giant's Causeway, has no extraordinary waters.
01:22But the surrounding stones and columns look so smooth and impeccable that it's kind of hard to believe they were
01:28created by nature.
01:30All those cracks were formed thanks to a volcanic eruption.
01:34But the legend has it the site was made by a mythical giant named Finmukul.
01:39He must have been really cool.
01:42In Turkey, there's a spectacular site called Pamukulik, which means cotton castle in English.
01:49Again, legend has it that giants had something to do with it.
01:54This time, they left some cotton there to dry.
01:56And it later turned into those stunning formations.
02:00Scientists kind of disagree with it and claim that it's all about minerals left by the thermal waters.
02:05It's up to you who to believe.
02:08But there's one undoubtable thing.
02:10This place with turquoise thermal water has no look-alike in the world.
02:15If you ever pop in this place, don't miss a chance to take a look at ancient Roman ruins left
02:21there.
02:22Back in 1802, humanity spotted something they never saw before.
02:28The pink water.
02:29Nope, it wasn't some fancy strawberry lemonade or something.
02:33It was an actual source of flamingo pink water.
02:36Meet Lake Hillier, located in Western Australia.
02:40It's not hard to guess that it attracts people because of its unique color.
02:44It never changes and stays pink throughout the year.
02:48No giant spotted adding pink dye there.
02:50So, this time, it's all about algae, bacteria, and high salinity.
02:55It's totally safe to swim there.
02:57But nobody can do that.
02:59Regular tourists just can't visit it.
03:02Turns out, Lake Hillier isn't the only pink water source out there.
03:06In Senegal, there's Lake Retva, which looks almost exactly the same.
03:11It looks like an extra-large milkshake for the same reasons.
03:15High salinity and algae that loves salt.
03:18These algae produce red pigments to help absorb sunlight.
03:22So, the lake color gets even more intense in the dry season.
03:25One more place that depends on tides is Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, France.
03:31The magnificent castle is surrounded by water, but not permanently.
03:36Choose the time wisely.
03:37It all depends on the moon.
03:39The highest tide can be seen 36 to 48 hours after a full moon.
03:44Chances are, if you come there at the wrong time, you'll see nothing but a couple of puddles.
03:50The Buda-Gaika crater in Siberia looks like a doorway to the neither.
03:55It's about a half-mile long and nearly 300 feet deep, and it never stops growing.
04:00The deeper it gets, the more layers it has.
04:03They show what our planet looked like thousands of years ago, as the slumps reveal the used-to-be climates.
04:09The crater appeared back in the 60s, and it all started because of rapid deforestation.
04:15Trees no longer cast shades on the ground, and it got hotter.
04:19The permafrost melted, the soil cracked, and the crater appeared.
04:25In the middle of the Atacama Desert, Chile, you can spot a super weird thing.
04:30The rocks rise out of the sand right in the shape of a hand.
04:34No giant here again, just a sculptor-artist who made it.
04:38Some desert rocks can even walk.
04:41Walking rocks, also known as sailing rocks, can move on their own and leave long tracks across one of the
04:49valleys in California.
04:50Scientists even installed GPS navigators on some of them, and they showed those rocks can move pretty fast.
04:57Many researchers believe it's all about temperatures.
05:00At night, the desert almost freezes over, and the sheets of ice formed underneath melt during the day, so the
05:08rocks literally slide.
05:12Gippsland Lakes, Australia, can glow at night.
05:15Bacteria get agitated in the water when the algae bloom, and their movements give that bioluminescent effect.
05:22Still, the beauty of red algae bloom is extremely misleading.
05:27Red algae contain high levels of ammonia, so think twice before diving in.
05:33It's safer to enjoy the scenery on the shore.
05:36Just a tip, you should probably do that with your nose closed.
05:40The decaying algae doesn't smell like roses.
05:44Pew.
05:46Water often glows because of bioluminescent jellyfish, and so do caves.
05:52In New Zealand, there are glowing worms that emit greenish-blue luminescent light.
05:57You can see these guys only in total darkness.
06:00These worms are carnivores, and the main reason why they glow is to attract prey.
06:05So, beware.
06:07They also make webs, just like spiders.
06:10To see them, head to the Waitomo glowworm caves.
06:13There are even guided tours.
06:17Chocolate hills?
06:18Yummy.
06:19The name is explained by colors.
06:21Those hills in the Philippines have a range of brown and green colors.
06:25Have you seen a green chocolate, though?
06:28This spot has such a sweet nickname because the foliage gets brownish in the dry season.
06:33The hill's shape is so regular that it's often mistaken for being artificial.
06:38Still, these are just some uplifted coral deposits, appeared because of rainwater.
06:45Just imagine a beach of ketchup spilled for miles and miles and a never-ending portion of french fries.
06:52Okay, it's just a dream.
06:54But a ketchup-red beach exists in real life in China.
06:58It's called Punjin, and it's at least 18 miles long.
07:02Usually, either giants or algae are responsible for such phenomena.
07:07This time, these are algae.
07:09They turn red in fall and make this beach one of the most colorful in the world.
07:14Good news!
07:14It's open to the public, but only a small section.
07:19We've seen a red beach, off to red waters.
07:23Antarctica isn't only white, it can be red, too.
07:27In the Taylor Glacier, there's a crimson waterfall coming from a super-salty lake.
07:32The water is rich in iron, which forms rust when it reacts with oxygen.
07:37The water stays liquid even at sub-zero temperatures because of the high salinity.
07:43Glass Beach in California is another beach that looks so incredible
07:47that many people don't believe it's not made by humans.
07:51Well, they're partly right.
07:53The glittering, colorful glass stones used to be bottles dumped into the ocean.
07:58The waves took these bottles, broke them down, polished them to perfection,
08:02and voila!
08:03The beach is ready.
08:06Another thing created by accident is Fly Geyser in Black Rock Desert, Nevada.
08:10An energy company was drilling the soil in search of geothermal water, and boom!
08:16Today, it's a scalding fountain of green and red water, rising up to 5 feet high.
08:22Well, let's play a guessing game.
08:24Why is the water colored?
08:26It was a random giant walking around who added some dye in there.
08:30Or it's the thermophilic algae.
08:32Right, it's all about the algae again.
08:36In western Venezuela, locals living close to the Catatumbo River aren't afraid of lightning
08:42because they see it almost every single night within the clouds.
08:46It starts at around 7 p.m. and doesn't stop until dawn.
08:50The everlasting Catatumbo lightning once stopped for a few months, from January to March 2010.
08:56It was probably due to drought.
08:59No magic algae in this river, guys.
09:02Many believe it's just because of cold and warm air currents meeting around the area.
09:08Now, this island may not have incredible natural phenomenon, colorful algae, or even giants.
09:15But it has an enormous population of cats, which makes it literally the best place in the world, if you
09:22like cats.
09:23Cat Island in Japan has quite a plain story.
09:27Back in time, people would go there in search of silkworms.
09:31Mice feed on those worms, so cats were a must there.
09:34If tourists come there, they can stay in cat-shaped cabins.
09:38Clever.
09:40Naturally, no dogs are allowed there.
09:42Oh, and if you want to make a donation, you can always feed the kitty.
09:49Let's check out one interesting town, surrounded by mountains and woods in upstate New York.
09:54This place sits right on a big lake, and the city is called Lake George.
09:59People like to come here to go fishing, boating, and take up other water activities.
10:03You can meet many fishers, athletes, and a screaming man standing by the shore.
10:09Lake George is one of the most popular places in the northern part...
10:12Wait a minute, what? A screaming man? What does it mean?
10:17Yeah, people come to the shore, look towards the lake and the mountains, and just scream loudly.
10:23It looks pretty weird from the outside.
10:25Here's a young guy screaming, then he leaves, and a girl stands in his place.
10:30She starts screaming too, and then she offers you to do the same.
10:34Okay, you come to the spot where she was standing, turn towards the water, and shout.
10:40Wow!
10:41The sound of your voice echoes back to you.
10:44You hear yourself as if the sound wave passed through a giant megaphone.
10:48Your scream sounds distorted.
10:50It's unbelievable.
10:52You get closer to the shore and start screaming again.
10:55But this time, the magic is gone.
10:58You hear your usual scream.
11:00You return to that point, and here's the sound of your cry rising to you again with an echo.
11:06But how does this happen?
11:08Look where you're standing, the girl tells you.
11:11You're standing on a round concrete platform with an engraved image of a compass.
11:17Right on the compass, you see a blue map of the lake.
11:20In the center of this pattern, two compass lines intersect and form the X symbol.
11:26Anyone who stays in this exact spot and shouts towards the lake will hear an incredible echo of their voice.
11:33It's as if your scream is coming back to you from another dimension.
11:37But the most exciting thing is that people standing nearby don't hear it.
11:43They see you as just a screaming person with an ordinary voice.
11:47They can hear the echo only in this X spot.
11:51Scientists still can't explain this acoustic phenomenon or figure out the reason for this behavior of the sound waves.
11:58All they have is guesses and theories.
12:01The concrete platform is surrounded by a small curved wall from the lakeside.
12:05Some people think that your voice resonates from this wall and creates this sound effect.
12:11Many places have similar semi-circular walls, but they can't play such an acoustics trick.
12:17Another theory says that mountains and water somehow create the echo effect.
12:22There's also an old legend according to which a magical creature appeared at this spot.
12:28It shouted towards the water, and its wisdom has echoed throughout the lake ever since.
12:34I still think the sound resonates from the wall, but let's move on.
12:38We have more places to go.
12:41The next incredible location we're going to drop by is in California.
12:46Welcome to Lake Berryessa.
12:48Just stand on the shore and watch.
12:50Everything seems normal.
12:52Beautiful nature, clean, calm water.
12:54But there's a huge deep hole in this lake into which millions of cubic feet of water are pouring per
13:01second.
13:01But don't worry.
13:03This is not a natural anomaly or a tunnel to the underworld.
13:07It's the glory hole, and people created it.
13:11Lake Berryessa is in the area where the farming town of Monticello used to stand.
13:16In the last century, people built a dam next to the lake.
13:20During the rains, the water level rose and overflowed beyond the edges of the dam.
13:26To solve this problem, engineers built a vast hole.
13:29To give you an idea of how vast it is, imagine an ant standing on the edge of your bathtub
13:36with water flowing through the drain hole.
13:38The glory hole is as big for you as the drain hole would be for the ant.
13:43The water goes through a long horizontal tunnel and enters the nearest bay.
13:48The glory hole is a local attraction and a popular place for tourists.
13:54Now let's move to the Caribbean region for another fascinating location.
13:59Here, among the clear blue sea, you can find a unique lake on one of the dreamlike islands.
14:04Its entire territory looks like a giant concrete platform.
14:08But don't swim in it.
14:10Steam emanates from the lake's surface because of high temperatures.
14:14Almost all the water here is liquid asphalt.
14:18Hitch Lake is the largest asphalt deposit in the world.
14:22Its depth is 250 feet, which means that a passenger Boeing can fit there in an upright position.
14:29Scientists haven't yet studied the lake thoroughly.
14:32They think there's a fault in the Earth's crust underneath it.
14:35Natural gases and oil pass through this crack and mix with water.
14:39Then, all this liquid goes through many chemical reactions and turns into asphalt.
14:45The lake contains about 10 million tons of hot material, according to rough estimates.
14:51Theoretically, no life can exist in such conditions.
14:54But scientists discovered a colony of microbes there.
14:58This means that life outside of our planet can exist.
15:02Saturn's largest moon, Titan, has many hydrocarbon lakes on its surface, similar to Pitch Lake.
15:08And if the simplest forms of life can exist here, in the asphalt lake, they may also survive on Titan.
15:17Our next unusual lake is in a pretty unexpected place, in the driest region on Earth.
15:23And these are not hot dunes and lifeless plains.
15:26This region is in Antarctica.
15:29A dry area is not where it's hot, but where there's almost no precipitation.
15:34The desert is not heat and sand, but the absence of life.
15:38Some areas of Antarctica meet these two criteria.
15:42It's so cold here that a mug of tea can freeze in a minute.
15:46But the lake we want to see doesn't freeze.
15:49Although it's not even a lake, but a pond, because of its tiny size and depth of several inches.
15:56It resembles a large puddle of icy water.
15:58It doesn't freeze because Don Juan Pond is one of the saltiest reservoirs on the planet.
16:05Salt prevents water from turning into ice.
16:08But the most interesting thing is the lake's origin.
16:11Scientists still don't know how it appeared here.
16:16Our next stop is in the southern part of Tunisia.
16:19In 2014, a strange lake appeared out of nowhere, right in the middle of the desert.
16:25No one knows when the lake was born, since this part of the region is sparsely populated,
16:30and people don't live in the area around the lake.
16:33Shepherds passing by were the first to have noticed the lake.
16:37They told the locals about it.
16:39A few hours later, hundreds of people came to the place to swim in the clear, cool water.
16:45The lake became a popular place.
16:47But after a few days, something strange happened.
16:50The water turned dark green.
16:52The locals didn't care about this and continued to bathe in the lake.
16:56But when scientists and geologists arrived at the place,
16:59they immediately declared that the water was dangerous.
17:03They said the lake was stagnating.
17:05It didn't refresh itself from underground streams, and the rains didn't feed it either.
17:10The water became moldy and dirty, and then turned green.
17:14The lake contained algae and a lot of harmful bacteria, dangerous to the human body.
17:19Scientists also found out that the land in this region had phosphate deposits.
17:24This substance can decay and become radioactive.
17:28But the locals didn't take the scientists' words seriously.
17:31Just imagine that you're wandering in the desert under the scorching sun and notice a cool green lake.
17:38Few people will refuse to jump in there.
17:41The origin of this lake remains a mystery.
17:43Some experts think that heavy rains have filled a hole in the ground with water.
17:48Water has probably accumulated in the shadow of rocks surrounding the canyon.
17:52But another, more frightening theory says that an earthquake formed the lake.
17:57The seismic activity must have torn the Earth's crust above the water table.
18:02Then, underground springs spilled out of the depths and filled this crevice.
18:07This means that all the water that came here can pour back out.
18:11Imagine pulling the plug out of the drain hole in a bathtub.
18:15Any small earthquake can make the lake's plug fly out.
18:19In this case, the gap can take all the water back underground.
18:24So let's hope there won't be any swimmers in the lake at that moment.
18:31You're walking along a hot desert under the scorching sun.
18:34You run out of supplies.
18:36There's no more water.
18:37You dream about rain, but there are no clouds in the sky.
18:41With each step, you lose more and more strength and...
18:45Fall.
18:46You notice a small pond nearby.
18:49Is it real water?
18:50Or just a mirage?
18:52You can't get to your feet, so you crawl there.
18:55The water is getting closer by the minute, but not because you're moving towards it.
19:00It's the water approaching you.
19:02In a few minutes, the pond area increases.
19:06Here, you're already in it.
19:08A small lake is formed, 60 feet deep, at the place where the piece of desert was.
19:13This real event happened in 2014 in the Tunisian desert.
19:18No one knows exactly on what day the lake appeared,
19:21since this part of the south of Tunisia is sparsely populated.
19:25At first, shepherds passing by saw the lake and didn't believe their eyes.
19:30In the next few hours, hundreds of locals came running to the place.
19:35They began to swim, jumping into the water from the surrounding rocks.
19:38But a few days later, something strange happened to the lake.
19:43In the beginning, it was a crystal clear, turquoise-blue color.
19:46But then, it turned dark green.
19:49People didn't attach any importance to this, and continued to swim.
19:53They shouldn't have done that.
19:55The scientists and geologists arrived,
19:57and immediately announced that it wasn't safe to swim in the lake.
20:01Muddy green water means the lake is stagnating.
20:04It's not refreshed.
20:06It's not fed by underground springs.
20:08Now the lake is filled with algae,
20:10and a lot of harmful bacteria that can cause serious diseases.
20:13They also found out that this region of Tunisia is filled with huge deposits of phosphate.
20:20This substance can disintegrate and leave radioactive traces.
20:24The lake can be carcinogenic, toxic, and hazardous for any living organism.
20:29But people didn't worry about this too much.
20:32They walk in the middle of the desert,
20:34while the sun heats the air to 104 degrees Fahrenheit.
20:37Most of them are unlikely to refuse to jump into cool water,
20:41despite the warnings of scientists.
20:43Until now, no one knows exactly the reason for the appearance of the lake.
20:48Some scientists believe the lake was formed because of heavy rains.
20:52The lake is surrounded by rocks, and is located inside a canyon.
20:56The water could just accumulate after each storm.
20:59Some geologists think an earthquake was the cause of the lake.
21:03A small seismic activity provoked the rupture of the Earth's rock above the water table.
21:08And through this hole, all the water splashed out.
21:11And if this theory is correct,
21:13then the lake can be pulled back underground through cracks.
21:17This is the same as when you pull the plug out of a drain hole in a filled bathtub.
21:22Any small earthquake is like pulling the plug out.
21:25Therefore, if you find yourself in these places,
21:28don't swim in this radioactive lake.
21:32We're going to the Caribbean Islands region.
21:35Among the Clear Blue Sea, you can find a unique lake.
21:38It's located on one of the paradisiacal islands.
21:41You may not even notice the lake right away.
21:43The entire territory may seem like a huge concrete platform,
21:47but the main thing is not to step on its surface.
21:50Pitch Lake is a lake filled not with water, but with liquid asphalt.
21:56This is the largest asphalt deposit in the world.
21:59Steam is coming from all over the lake as it's hot.
22:02The depth of this lake is 250 feet.
22:05An entire passenger Boeing could fit there in an upright position.
22:09The lake is not fully studied,
22:11but scientists believe there's a deep fault in the Earth's crust under it.
22:15A huge amount of oil seeps through it.
22:17It passes through various chemical compounds and turns it into the asphalt.
22:22According to rough estimates,
22:24there are about 10 million tons of hot material inside this place.
22:29Theoretically, no life can exist in such conditions,
22:32but scientists have discovered a colony of microbes.
22:35Somehow, these creatures have learned to survive here.
22:38This also suggests that life outside of our planet may exist.
22:42The largest moon of Saturn, Titan,
22:45has many hydrocarbon lakes on the surface.
22:47And if the simplest forms of life
22:49appeared among a million tons of molten asphalt here on Earth,
22:53then nothing prevents them from appearing on Titan.
22:57We're going to Indonesia, to the island of Java.
23:00You need to climb a large volcano to see the next phenomenon.
23:03The volcano is overgrown with grass and trees,
23:07but it doesn't seem to be sleeping.
23:09Smoke is pouring out of its mouth.
23:11You climb to the top and see a clear lake
23:13instead of boiling magma.
23:15The blue sky is reflected in its bright turquoise surface.
23:18But don't try to jump there.
23:21This lake is filled with acid.
23:23The magma inside volcanoes comes from the deep bowels of the Earth's crust.
23:28The incandescent liquid consists of many molten metals and chemical compounds.
23:33And the lake is filled with particles of these metals.
23:36In addition, the volcano emits sulfur dioxide gases.
23:40When they combine with metals, they form a beautiful turquoise color.
23:45You'd better come back here at night.
23:47In some places, a lot of sulfur is concentrated.
23:50These accumulations come out of the lake and come into contact with the air.
23:54When this happens, everything around bursts into bright blue flame.
23:59It's safe to observe this from the side, but don't get too close.
24:03Nearby, on this island, there's another acid lake.
24:07It also releases sulfurous gases into the air,
24:10which are easily ignited when in contact with oxygen.
24:13When this happens, the gases burst into a bright blue electric flame.
24:18It's difficult to see the flames during the day.
24:21At night, you can see these flashes from afar.
24:24Our next location is Australia.
24:26You start the drone high above the forest area.
24:29Among the green, dense forests, you can see a bright pink spot.
24:33It's our lake.
24:34This time, the beautiful pink color may not stop you from swimming.
24:38You can relax here and take beautiful photos.
24:41The lake attracts thousands of tourists,
24:43but scientists have only recently been able to find out the reason for the unusual color.
24:48At the bottom of this salty lake in Melbourne,
24:51special algae grow and secrete a red pigment.
24:55In combination with sunlight, high temperatures, and a small amount of precipitation,
25:00it turns the lake pink.
25:02By the way, Australia is not the only place with such a phenomenon.
25:06There are lakes with a pink tinge of water all over the world.
25:10You can find them in Senegal, Bolivia, Kenya, and many other countries.
25:15The water of these places is also salty
25:17and contains the red pigment of unusual algae.
25:22We leave the hot beaches and fly to cold Canada.
25:26Here, we see a frozen Lake Abraham.
25:29We step on the ice and notice huge frozen bubbles inside.
25:32They resemble jellyfish, and there are thousands of them there.
25:36This is methane.
25:37It's a highly flammable substance.
25:39The grass, leaves, pieces of trees, and any organic substances that fall into the lake
25:45become food for a lot of bacteria that emit methane.
25:48Upon contact with frozen water, methane turns into tens of thousands of frozen balls.
25:55When the ice melts, the bubbles burst and sizzle.
25:58This phenomenon can also be observed on some shores of the Arctic Ocean.
26:02There, the size of the bubbles can reach several times more than balloons.
26:06It's a beautiful sight, but it's not safe,
26:09since methane ignites when it contacts with air.
26:12We're in the coldest place of our journey.
26:15It's Antarctica, near the driest desert on Earth.
26:19A dry place doesn't mean it has to be hot.
26:22It's an area with minimum precipitation.
26:24The desert isn't sand and cacti,
26:27but a place where almost no living life inhabits.
26:30Some areas of Antarctica meet these two criteria.
26:33However, in this icy desert, you can notice a tiny lake.
26:37Its depth is only a few inches.
26:40Technically, it's a pond.
26:41But the most amazing thing is that it stays in a liquid form.
26:45The temperature here drops to negative 58 degrees Fahrenheit.
26:49The pond should be frozen, but this doesn't happen.
26:52Don Juan Pond is one of the saltiest reservoirs on the planet.
26:56The amount of salt here doesn't allow the water to freeze.
27:00Scientists have been studying this lake for more than 60 years,
27:03but they still can't find out the exact reason for the appearance of water here.