The natural world is full of incredible scenes and events.
And often, still images don't do these phenomena justice. You can only understand their power, movement, and beauty through animation.
From electric blue ocean waves to spiraling columns of fire, here are some of the planet's most amazing natural occurrences and land formations in GIFs.
Fire devils occur when intense heat brought on by drought combines with rotating air.
These menacing spirals of flame, also known as fire tornadoes, can grow to be more than 150 feet tall, spewing embers and debris into the air. Though typically only lasting a few minutes, the whirls of fire can contribute to the spread of wildfires.
Source: NBC Today Show
Brinicles are underwater icicles.
When sea ice melts, it leaves behind brine that is so salty it sinks. A brinicle forms when sea water freezes around the descending salt.
As the underwater icicle moves toward the sea floor, it kills nearly everything in its path by encasing it in ice. A film crew for the BBC was the first to capture this phenomenon on camera.
Source: Discovery
Bioluminescent red tide, which causes ocean waters in Southern California to glow neon blue at night, is created by single-celled organisms called dinoflagellates.
The organism forms algae blooms, or red tides, that emit electric blue light when disrupted. All it takes is the breaking of a wave or a surfer paddling for the chemical reaction to happen. Although many forms of red tide are toxic, this particular form is harmless to humans.
Source: Loghan Call/YouTube
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