A natural phenomenon is an observable event which is not man-made. Examples include: sunrise, weather, fog, thunder, tornadoes; biological processes, decomposition, germination; physical processes, wave propagation, erosion; tidal flow, and natural disasters such as electromagnetic pulses, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes and earthquakes.
History
Over many intervals of time, natural phenomena have been observed by a series of countless events as a feature created by nature.
Physical phenomena
The act of:
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Chemical phenomena
Biological phenomena
- Metabolism
- Catabolism
- Anabolism
- Decomposition – by which organic substances are broken down into a much simpler form of matter
- Fermentation – converts sugar to acids, gases and/or alcohol.
- Growth
- Birth
- Death
- Population decrease
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Astronomical phenomena
Geological phenomena
See also: List of geological phenomena
- Mineralogic phenomena
- Lithologic phenomena
- Rock types
- Igneous rock
- Igneous formation processes
- Sedimentary rock
- Sedimentary formation processes (sedimentation)
- Quicksand
- Metamorphic rock
- Igneous rock
- Rock types
- Endogenic phenomena
- Plate tectonics
- Phenomena associated with igneous activity
- Earth's magnetic field
- Exogenic phenomena
- Slope phenomena
- Weathering phenomena
- Glacial and peri-glacial phenomena
- Atmospheric phenomena
- Impact phenomena
- Coupled endogenic-exogenic phenomena
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Meteorological phenomena
See also: Atmospheric phenomenon, Glossary of meteorology, and List of severe weather phenomena
Violent meteorological phenomena are called storms. Regular, cyclical phenomena include seasons and atmospheric circulation. climate change is often semi-regular.
Atmospheric optical phenomena
This section is an excerpt from List of atmospheric optical phenomena.[edit]
Atmospheric optical phenomena include:
- Afterglow
- Airglow
- Alexander's band, the dark region between the two bows of a double rainbow.
- Alpenglow
- Anthelion
- Anticrepuscular rays
- Aurora (northern and southern lights, aurora borealis and aurora australis)
- Belt of Venus
- Brocken Spectre
- Circumhorizontal arc
- Circumzenithal arc
- Cloud iridescence
- Crepuscular rays
- Earth's shadow
- Earthquake lights
- Glories
- Green flash
- Halos, of Sun or Moon, including sun dogs
- Haze
- Heiligenschein or halo effect, partly caused by the opposition effect
- Ice blink
- Light pillar
- Lightning
- Mirages (including Fata Morgana)
- Monochrome Rainbow
- Moon dog
- Moonbow
- Nacreous cloud/Polar stratospheric cloud
- Rainbow
- Sprite (lightning)
- Subsun
- Sun dog
- Tangent arc
- Tyndall effect
- Upper-atmospheric lightning, including red sprites, Blue jets, and ELVES
- Water sky
Oceanographic
- Oceanographic phenomena include tsunamis, ocean currents and breaking waves.
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See also
- Act of God
- Electrical phenomena
- Materialism
- Midnight Sun
- Black Holes
- Natural Environment
- Nature
- Transient lunar phenomenon
References
Missy Allen; Michel Peissel (1993). Dangerous Natural Phenomena. Chelsea House. ISBN 079101794X. 079101794X ↩
William R. Corliss (1977). Handbook of unusual natural phenomena. Sourcebook Project. ISBN 0915554011. 0915554011 ↩