Travel

7 Creepy Natural Phenomena Around The World

The Door to Hell is seen in Turkmenistan. The natural gas field began burning in the 70s, most likely due to a human-made error, and has continued ever since. (Getty Images) — The "Door to Hell" is seen in Turkmenistan. The natural gas field began burning in the 1970s, most likely due to a human-made error, and has continued ever since.
(Getty Images)

Sign up for the Morning Brief email newsletter to get weekday updates from The Weather Channel and our meteorologists.

It’s officially creepy season, and while the air is turning crisp and homeowners are decorating their yards with terrifying Halloween displays, nature has its own spooky phenomena. Below are eight scary places, many of which travelers can actually visit, so long as they keep their wits about them.

(MORE: 10 Incredible Phenomena You Have To See In Fall)

1. Danakil Depression Zone, Ethiopia

Colorful geological formations are seen in the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia, one of the hottest spots on Earth. (Bertrand Linet via Getty Images) — Colorful geological formations are seen in the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia, one of the hottest spots on Earth.
(Bertrand Linet via Getty Images)

This uninhabitable landscape is one of Ethiopia’s top tourist attractions. Teeming with hot springs, pools of acid, steaming fissures and mountains of salt, Danakil Depression Zone seems like a different planet entirely. It’s one of the hottest places on Earth (sometimes reaching up to 122 degrees) and sits more than 400 feet below sea level. Whatever visitors do, touching the bubbling water is not an option — it reaches 212 degrees and is more acidic than battery acid.

2. Jacob’s Well, Texas

Jacob's Well, a karstic spring and waterhole in the Texas Hill Country flows from the bed of Cypress Creek near Austin, Texas. Housing a network of caves, it is one of the most dangerous diving spots on the planet. (Getty Images) — Jacob's Well, a karstic spring and waterhole in the Texas Hill Country, flows from the bed of Cypress Creek near Austin, Texas. Housing a network of caves, it is one of the most dangerous diving spots on the planet.
(Getty Images)

Visitors can really get up close to this creepy natural wonder, as swimming is usually permitted. However, just underneath, swimmers will be able to see the beginning of a treacherous 4,500-foot-long cave system which is one of the most dangerous diving sites on Earth. Officially, nine divers have perished at Jacob’s Well, but it’s thought that the cave has claimed even more lives over the decades.

3. 'The Door To Hell,' Turkmenistan

Darvaza Crater in Turkmenistan has been on fire since the 1970s. (Getty Images) — Darvaza Crater in Turkmenistan has been on fire since the 1970s.
(Getty Images)

"The Door to Hell" is sometimes called the Gates of Hell and is officially known as the Darvaza Crater. It is a continuously burning, 225-foot-wide, 99-foot-deep crater in a natural gas field in remote Turkmenistan. The crater has been burning for decades, possibly since a Soviet oil rig fell into the crater in 1971 and was subsequently set on fire, or, more likely, due to a drilling mishap. The fiery pit is located in an otherwise barren landscape. In 2013, explorer and storm chaser George Kourounis became the first person to plunge into the flaming crater to collect soil samples.

4. Mount Everest Death Zone, Nepal

The highest area of Mount Everest is known as the “Death Zone,” and the human body begins to die minute by minute at such a high altitude, even with supplemental oxygen on hand. (Getty Images) — The highest area of Mount Everest is known as the “Death Zone,” and the human body begins to die minute by minute at such a high altitude, even with supplemental oxygen on hand.
(Getty Images)

The highest area of Mount Everest is so dangerous that it’s named the “Death Zone.” The Death Zone is not unique to Mount Everest, though, and actually refers to the altitude at which the oxygen is too thin to sustain human life, typically 26,000 feet above sea level. In addition to the lack of oxygen, climbers face freezing temperatures, extreme weather and stronger UV radiation at this altitude, among other dangers.

Even with supplemental oxygen, the human body is essentially dying cell by cell during each moment spent in the Death Zone. Nepal Highland Treks reports that climbers are at greater risk of stroke and heart attack at this altitude, and judgment and reasoning quickly deteriorates. There have officially been more than 320 deaths on the mountain, many of which have occurred in the Death Zone.

5. Death Valley’s Racetrack Playa, California

A sailing rock is seen at Racetrack Playa at Death Valley National Park in California. It’s believed that rainfall contributes to the stones’ movements. (Getty Images) — A sailing rock is seen at Racetrack Playa at Death Valley National Park in California. It’s believed that rainfall contributes to the stones’ movements.
(Getty Images)

This location is as cool as it is creepy. This dry lakebed in Death Valley National Park is best known for its mysterious moving rocks. The rocks tumble from the mountains and then move across the level playa surface, sometimes as far as 1,500 feet, leaving tracks behind. However, the rocks can take years or even a decade to move, so visitors shouldn't expect to see much movement in person.

(MORE: Best US Cities To Celebrate Halloween)

Even the drive to the playa is a bit scary: Visitors first must make a 3.5-hour desert drive where there is no cellphone service and flat tires are common for standard rental vehicles. The road is exceptionally dangerous in the heat and driving off-road is strictly prohibited.

6. Bolton Strid, Yorkshire, England

The Bolton Strid on the River Wharfe in Wharfedale, North Yorkshire, England, is seen in the photo above. Small but mighty, it’s believed to be one of the deadliest bodies of water on Earth. (Getty Images) — The Bolton Strid on the River Wharfe in Wharfedale, North Yorkshire, England, is seen in the photo above. Small but mighty, it’s believed to be one of the deadliest bodies of water on Earth.
(Getty Images)

It may look like a quaint babbling brook. However, England’s Bolton Strid, only about 6 feet from bank to bank, may be one of the deadliest bodies of water on Earth. Some claim the section of the River Wharfe has a 100% fatality rate for those who end up in the water, whether they enter on purpose or by accident.

The creek’s danger is due to the rapid narrowing of the river. Just a few yards upstream, the river is shallow and wide. But as it enters the rocky terrain, the river becomes narrow, deep and treacherous.

7. Catatumbo Lightning, Venezuela

Catatumbo lightning, also known as lanterns of San Antonio or lanterns of Maracaibo, is a meteorological phenomenon that occurs in the Lake Maracaibo basin in Venezuela, mainly in the southern part of the lake and in the lower basin of the Catatumbo River, the river from which it gets its name. (Juan Pablo Bayona Galvis via Getty Images) — Catatumbo lightning, also known as lanterns of San Antonio or lanterns of Maracaibo, is a meteorological phenomenon that occurs in the Lake Maracaibo basin in Venezuela, mainly in the southern part of the lake and in the lower basin of the Catatumbo River, the river from which it gets its name.
(Juan Pablo Bayona Galvis via Getty Images)

The spot where the Catatumbo River meets Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela is considered the lightning capital of the world. Lightning strikes here 1.6 million times per year. Warm air from the Caribbean meets the cold air from the nearby mountains and causes a lightning storm almost 300 nights per year. The lightning is almost constant, flashing at an average of 28 times per minute.

MORE FROM WEATHER.COM: 50 Places Straight Out Of Fairy Tales

1/51
Dark Hedges, Northern Ireland
A man walks along the famous Dark Hedges avenue of trees in Antrim, Northern Ireland. This famous tunnel-liked avenue of intertwined beech trees was planted in the 18th-century. (Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

1/51
Dark Hedges, Northern Ireland
A man walks along the famous Dark Hedges avenue of trees in Antrim, Northern Ireland. This famous tunnel-liked avenue of intertwined beech trees was planted in the 18th-century. (Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

Senior editor Nicole Bonaccorso works as weather.com's photo editor and writes about breaking news, travel, climate and more.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.