These Places Shouldn't Exist on Earth But They Damn Well Do

Whether manmade or not, there are countless locations in our world that raise more questions than answers. From a crater that looks like it leads into the depths of hell, to the town that sends its residents to sleep, there’s no shortage of head-scratching places on Earth. Let's explore some places that shouldn’t exist on our planet, but somehow still do.

The Centralia Mine

Centralia, Pennsylvania was once a bustling town filled with residents thanks to the area’s rich coal mining industry. But the coal that built the town would ultimately be the thing that brought it to its very knees. Believe it or not, today the ground beneath the now-ghost town of Centralia is on fire!

For those brave enough to visit, you can even catch smoke erupting up from the ground! But how did this happen? If we jump back to May of 1962, it’s recorded that the burning of the contents of a local landfill accidentally sparked a fire in the coal mines below it. The mines began to burn, and soon the blaze spread along the huge coal seams running through tunnels under the town!

If it started in 1962 and it’s still burning today, that means it’s been on fire for over 50 years! As it turns out, the fire spread so far and became so intense that there was nothing the residents could do to put it out.

As the years passed, the ground beneath the streets began to get hotter and hotter, even reaching 900 degrees Fahrenheit in some locations! By 1981, it was reported that even graves at the local cemetery had dropped into the fiery abyss, and smoke had begun pouring out from large sinkholes developing across the town!

In 1992, the government bought the city out, and it has since been officially abandoned, apart from 7 remaining residents who refuse to leave to this day. Today, the fire still burns, and it’s expected to continue burning for well over a hundred years more!

The Fly Geyser

On the edge of Black Rock Desert, Nevada, lies an alien-looking structure that spews boiling hot water onto a bone-dry landscape. But as natural as it may look, it’s actually man-made! Man-made by accident, that is. The name of the structure is the Fly Geyser, which began its life in the early 1900s after a well was drilled into the desert. Only, the water that greeted the well-diggers was scalding hot!

It was a geothermal water source, one that was heated to about 200 degrees Fahrenheit by the heat of Earth’s extra spicy insides. This made it pretty unsuitable for things like irrigation or drinking, so workers decided to cap it off to prevent it leaking hot water everywhere.

But in 1964, water began erupting in multiple places after a second well was dug too close to the first. These eruptions started off as a series of small geysers, but today the largest of them measures almost 6 ft in height!

The mesmerizing structure keeps growing thanks to the calcium carbonate mineral deposits in the water, which solidify along the sides as the water shoots up. But minerals aren’t just responsible for the Fly Geiser’s height.

The incredibly colorful orange, green and yellow streaks are partially down to the mineral deposits too, though much of the color comes from algae attracted to the hot, wet conditions. If only all accidents looked this pretty!

Gobekli Tepe

Here’s a question: how did our ancestors create a society? According to experts, first they invented farming, then they invented buildings and permanent settlements, and finally religion and culture emerged.

For centuries, this has been the secret recipe to understanding of how early man evolved, that was, until Gobekli Tepe was discovered and brought the entire timeline into question. A few miles from the City of Urfa, Turkey, the remains of this 12,000-year-old temple can be found. As you can see in the image below, many of the remaining pillars have intricate images carved into them.

Anyway, experts believe that this was a place of worship, and it predates Neolithic structures like Stonehenge by at least 6,000 years! But here’s where it gets kind-of impossible: it was built before any human farming took place in the region.

How could these ancient people have gone from being hunter-gatherers to devoted worshippers without that critical step of forming settlements to farm their own food supply first? Wouldn’t it have been impossible for a non-agricultural community to have the time and resources to devote to a project like this?

These questions have escaped a definitive answer for over a decade. Theories suggest Gobekli Tepe is some kind of ceremonial memorial spot, or possibly a spiritual site at which worthy hunters could overcome their fears of the beasts sharing their territory. Other theories come in an enormous variety, with some alternative thinkers theorizing that the site is evidence of civilizations emerging much earlier than the current consensus.

The Hessdalen Lights

When you see a mysterious ball of light in the sky, what’s the first thing you think it is? A plane? A satellite? Maybe even aliens? With all those possibilities in mind, what do you think this in the clip below might be?

Mysterious Norwegian lights caught on camera by New Scientist

That excited Norwegian chatter pointing out the strange lights in the sky was captured in Hessdalen, Norway. But this isn’t a one off! There have actually been hundreds of sightings over the years of these Hessdalen Lights!

According to a technical report, they started appearing in 1981, and manifest in a number of different shapes, formations and even speeds! After much analysis, and with so much footage to explore, researches have concluded that the lights don’t appear to be simply overhead planes or reflected car headlights.

So, what’s causing them to appear here? Well, scientists believe that they might be "Ion Coulomb Crystals", a type of cold matter that forms in temperatures of near absolute zero. This process is capable of kicking out a lot of colorful light, but that’s not the disturbing part.

Scientists exploring a location where sightings are common found an increased level of radiation coming from the rocks below. It’s possible that radiation is involved with the phenomena, presenting a potential danger to those attempting to observe the lights.

Lake Karachay

Would you be tempted to take a dip in the beautiful looking lake in the image below? If you did take the plunge, it might be one of the last things you ever do. That’s because this is the deadly Lake Karachay, found in central Russia.

It has served as a dumping ground for radioactive waste since the 1950s, with deadly effects. The pollution became so bad that the lakebed had to be covered with concrete blocks to prevent contaminated particles from infiltrating the underground water supply. But that was only after alarming numbers of local residents began reporting severe radiation sickness.

The sheer amount of toxic waste floating about in Lake Karachay’s waters and gathering at its shores makes it one of the most polluted places in the world. It even won a Guinness World Record for ‘World’s Most Contaminated Lake’! Probably not an award to be particularly proud of.

To provide more perspective as to just how dangerous Lake Karachay is, the radioactive meltdown at Chernobyl, which is one of the worst nuclear disasters of all time, emitted between 50 million and 185 million curies of radioactive waste. In comparison, Lake Karachay has accumulated approximately 120 million curies worth of radioactivity, which is definitely not a small sum.

Some parts of it are so radioactive that you would receive a lethal dose of radiation from just 30 minutes of exposure. So, unless agonizing death is your idea of a great Friday night, this lake is not worth taking a dip.

The Nazca Lines

Have you ever tried to draw a picture with your eyes closed? It’s pretty hard to get something like that right without having any kind of wider perspective, but this wasn’t something that bothered the creators of the Nazca lines.

These giant geometric shapes, called geoglyphs, were etched 4-6 inches deep into the deserts of Peru around 2,500 years ago. From above, as you can see in the image below, they look amazing! But here’s where it gets interesting.

Some of these geoglyphs measure up to 1,200 ft long, with many of the features perfectly aligned. So, how were they able to create such huge images with lines so perfectly straight without the technology to look down at their work? They couldn’t fly, and they certainly didn’t have satellites, so how were they able to draw them this well?

It’s a mystery that has evaded a concrete answer so thoroughly that in the 1970s, some alternative thinkers even proposed that aliens were responsible for the markings! The likelihood is, however, that these were forms of worship to the gods of the heavens above, often interpreted as a call for rain in the arid lands.

They may have used reference carvings and sticks joined with string to mark out their etchings to the gods on such large scales. That doesn’t make it any less impressive, of course.

But to humor the UFO community, even if they were alien in origin, why would little green men fly all the way to earth just to draw pictures of things like monkeys and birds in a desert?

Earth’s Protective Bubble

This sounds more like fiction than science, but according to NASA, humans have accidentally created a cosmic shield around the earth using radio technology. But before you go reaching for the tin foil hats and start torching 5G towers, let’s break this amazing discovery down a little.

NASA believes that very low frequency radio waves, or "VLFs", have created a bubble of protection around the earth, protecting us from some radioactive particles floating around in space. VLFs appear to exert a force these particles, diverting them further away from earth itself, contributing to a protective "bubble" for us down below.

NASA's Van Allen Probes Find Human-Made Bubble Shrouding Earth by NASA Goddard

While you may not have heard of VLFs before, they’re used regularly in specific types of radio communications. That’s because, thanks to their ultra-low frequencies, they have the unique ability to penetrate deep into the oceans, helping vehicles like submarines communicate with dry land.

As a side effect, they’re also powerful enough to travel far out into the space environment surrounding earth and exert their effects, which results in the happy accident of protecting humanity. It certainly beats the usual type of unexpected surprise that comes from space, like apocalyptic asteroids and aliens with an unrelenting passion for probing.

The Mud Volcano

The Sidoarjo Mud Volcano erupted from the ground in East Java back in 2006 and continues to erupt even now! Unlike normal volcanoes, mud volcanoes don’t spew out molten hot lava, but usually a much colder mixture of gas, water, and solids.

Mud flow affects villages in East Java for 15 years and counting by CNA

Usually mud volcanoes grow slowly, but at its peak, this never-ending stream of dirt spewed out over 6 million cubic feet of mud every day! So, in just 24 hours, it spewed out enough to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool 72 times over! Over the years, these mud flows have displaced more than 40,000 people, caused nearly $3 billion in damage, and consumed nearby buildings in layers of mud!

But what caused such a violent eruption? No one’s entirely sure, though most fingers currently point to oil and gas company PT Lapindo Brantas. The organization had been in the middle of a gas drilling project about 650 ft away from the eruption, which is believed to have ruptured underground gas reserves, kick-starting the volcano.

Others, meanwhile, believe it was caused by a build-up of pressure from an earthquake that happened several days previously. Either way, losing everything you own to wet, sloppy, stinking mud almost makes hurricane season seem like a pleasant summer’s day.

The Cocooned Trees

In 2010, floods devastated Pakistan, but humans weren’t the only ones forced to relocate. Millions of spiders were forced to leave their low-lying webs and climb into the trees. These arachnids were just trying to survive like everyone else, but in looking for shelter they ended up cocooning the trees in thick, yet weirdly spectacular webs.

While spiders were pointed out as the main culprit for the peculiar webs, many other insects like moth larvae are also believed to have contributed. But Pakistan’s not the only place where this cocooned conundrum has been observed.

Australia, the land where just about everything can kill you, also saw a similar reaction from their nation’s creepy crawlies during the 2012 floods in Wagga Wagga. All that mysterious material blanketing the fields in the images below is not netting for protecting crops. It’s all spider webs!

These spiders from the Linyphiidae family are known for releasing strands of web into the wind to help them to glide away when they’re in danger or needing to relocate. Which means standing in that web-covered field could soon see you coated in an army of Flying Spiders seeking refuge.

The Ringing Rocks

Unlike most stones, the boulders and pebbles of Upper Eddy, Pennsylvania are musical in nature! When struck with a hammer, some of the rocks found in the area’s 7-acre boulder field will ring out with a clear, bell like tone. Just take a listen:

Square Peg Round Hole Plays Ringing Rocks by Spartan Records

It created so much intrigue that in 1965 a group of scientists cracked open several of them to figure out what made them tick or, more accurately, ring. They discovered that all of the rocks were capable of the ringing noise, but some rang out at tones so low they couldn’t be picked up by human hearing.

Some theorize that the bell-like properties come from the unique processes of freezing and thawing that formed the rocks, but the specifics remain shrouded in mystery. Still, thanks to the various tones and frequencies each of the rocks produces, it means you can create a musical tune out of them! Although there’s no solid explanation to how these sonorous stones ring the way that they do, they certainly bring a new meaning to the phrase, rock concert!

Yuanyang Terraced Fields: Stairway to Heaven

While the image below may look like a work of art, it’s actually photo, not a painting. These are the rice terraces of China’s Yuanyang County, home to a type of farming brought to the area around 2,500 years ago by the Hani people! Often described as the "stairway to heaven", the cut of the terraces reaches around 6,500 feet above sea level.

It’s an ingenious solution that transformed the mountains’ rugged terrain into fertile land, all by carving out individual rice paddies in layers. Once the rice is planted, these terraces are then flooded to start the rice growing process. As the rice matures, farmers will lower the level of water by releasing it to terraces below.

When it’s time for the rice to be harvested, farmers will drain a terrace completely by removing parts of the barriers, letting water flow from the higher terrace to a lower one. If you ask me, that just sounds like a recipe for the ultimate water slide.

Mystery Of Kalachi Sleeping Sickness

For several years, the residents of Kalachi, a village in Kazakhstan, were plagued by a terrifying and mysterious disease. Kalachi’s residents would suddenly fall asleep and remain unconscious for days!

Mysterious sleeping sickness spreads in Kazakhstani village 카자흐 ′졸음병′ 확산 공포 by Arirang News

Starting in 2012, residents began exhibiting this unusual illness, with many also reporting severe hallucinations and memory loss. Over the course of several months, hundreds fell victim to this impossible plague, and even a local cat began suffering from the sleeping sickness!

The phenomenon became such a problem that the police and local government authorities were forced to investigate. Was it a new form of drug? Had the water been poisoned? Perhaps it was some kind of bioweapon? With test after test of the area coming back negative, including radioactivity tests, scientists wracked their brains for an explanation before stumbling upon a significant lead.

Blood tests from those suffering with the sickness revealed higher than normal concentrations of carbon monoxide, which was hindering the delivery of oxygen to vital organs like the brain. That’s when the government began pointing its finger at a nearby, abandoned uranium mine, which was supposedly leaking out high levels of carbon monoxide and poisoning the town.

Whilst many accepted the explanation, scientists were quick to point out holes in the theory. The mines had been inactive since the early nineties and carbon monoxide is usually the product of combustion. More importantly, why was the sleeping sickness only affecting people now, two decades after the closure of the mine?

With this vital question left mostly unanswered, this village’s sleeping sickness remains something of an anomaly. Maybe if we sleep on it, we’ll figure something out.

Kawah Ijen: The Blue Volcano

By day, the top of the Kawah Ijen volcano in Java, Indonesia, looks like any other active volcano crater, but by night, something incredible happens. The mountain comes alive with blue flames, which are usually found at the summit, 9,200 ft above sea level.

Although it looks like blue lava is erupting from the peak, what’s really going on is equally incredible. This enigmatic flame appears because the Kawah Ijen volcano has huge reserves of sulphur, in gas, liquid, and solid form.

As pockets of gas escape from cracks and vents in the volcano sides, they come into contact with oxygen in the atmosphere and are set alight by the volcano’s heat. Unlike most fuels, sulphur burns blue and at a low temperature, creating these incredible sights that burn constantly, but are only visible in darkness!

Humans, as you might expect, have found a way to use this to their advantage. Sulphur deposits solidify into a yellowish-looking rock, a material which is relatively easy to gather, assuming you don’t mind the toxic gas.

So, that they’re not always working in the harsh sunlight, some miners will work by the eerie blue glow created by the fires at night! But those toxic gases I mentioned, which can emerge from the volcano’s vents at hotter than 1,100°F, make it one of the most hazardous mining operations in the world.

Hoover Dam Defying Gravity

There’s one huge tourist attraction in Nevada that holds some dam unusual properties of its own! The Hoover Dam was built to help control and harness the power of the Colorado river, and reaches a colossal 726 ft in height. That’s more than double the height of the statue of liberty!

But thanks to the unique construction of the canyon, it has a few incredibly cool side effects. Just take a look at this:

Hoover Dam Upside Down Water Trick Nevada Arizona by Mark Angear

The water from that bottle just flew up! So, does Hoover Dam have secret anti-gravity technology in operation? Not quite. The funnel structure of the dam directs wind into a strong updraft that’s powerful enough to blow the water upwards, making it look like the liquid is defying gravity! Quite a few people have recorded themselves testing out this incredible phenomenon and experiencing a fair bit of splash-back in the process.

Glass Beaches

When you hear the name "Glass Beach" you might think it comes from the waters being so still and calm that the ocean looks like glass. But on the coast of Fort Bragg, California it’s a bit more literal than that, because the entire shoreline is made up of broken sea-glass!

With that in mind, you might want to put your shoes on before you go running into these waves. But how did something so wonderfully weird wash up in thousands of tiny pieces onto the shore? the truth is a little less magical than its looks.

The residents of Fort Bragg used to engage in sea dumping, throwing away everything, from their old kitchen appliances to glass bottles and even old cars, into the coastal waves. Years in the surf has broken up many of the shattered glass pieces, turning them into delightfully colored and smoothed stones.

But it’s not the only beach of its kind! Russia’s Ussuri Bay has a similar history, having once been a dumping site for glass and other waste. But as you can see, the roll of the waves has done a stunning job of transforming all that rubbish into a glistening coastline of colors along the Vladivostok beaches!

Darvaza Crater: The Door to Hell

Looking out over the barren desert of Turkmenistan, the last thing you’d expect to see is a massive, gaping crater filled with fire! And yet, the fiery Darvaza Crater, also known as "The Door to Hell", is a very real nightmare that looks like it’s been punched straight into the calm desert scenery.

Is this really a gateway into the molten hot pits of hell? Fortunately, it’s not, as you can see that it’s only about 100 ft deep. But it does have an interesting backstory. Almost 50 years ago, back in 1971, it’s believed that a soviet drilling operation went horribly wrong and opened up the giant crater, measuring 225 ft wide!

The soviets were allegedly drilling for natural gas, a resource Turkmenistan is famous for, and the stream of gas being released from the newly-formed pit presented serious issues. Terrified that a build-up of gas could poison the locals, or even cause a huge explosion, they tried to burn it off.

But what they weren’t prepared for was the sheer amount of gas working its way through the ground and sustaining the burn long beyond expectations. With seemingly-enormous gas reserves, the crater’s expected burn time of a mere few weeks continues nearly 4 decades on.

However, mysteriously, there are no official incident reports or records for the area dating back to the time the incident that sparked the phenomenon supposedly took place. So, whilst those origins are widely accepted, there’s no official story as to how this crater came to be. Maybe the devil really did just forget to close the door behind him? Would probably explain a lot of the stuff happening since 2020.

I hope you were amazed at these incredible places that shouldn't exist but they damn well do! Thanks for reading.