Witch circles in the Namib desert: a mystery that has no explanation yet

It seems that modern scientists should know everything about life on our planet. At their disposal are the latest appliances, ultra-precise equipment and invaluable knowledge accumulated by previous generations. But not so simple. There are still plenty of mysteries on Earth, even on land, not to mention the depths of the oceans. Here, for example, are witch circles that are found in several places of the planet at once, but scientists are still not able to explain the reason for their appearance.

One of the places where you can observe these amazing formations is the Namib desert in Africa. In some parts of the desert landscape, grassy vegetation is found, among which you can observe sections of sandy soil of a circular shape. Circles come in different sizes, from tens of centimeters to 10 meters.

A number of researchers have hypothesized that the formation of circles and their distribution within the desert is associated with the activity of termites. The homes of these insects are located underground and can affect the distribution of moisture at the surface. In addition, the researchers did not exclude the version that the plants themselves are involved in the process of moisture distribution, putting forward a theory of their self-organization. Perhaps this form of organization of vegetation contributes to a more efficient collection of rainwater. Getting into the center of the site, devoid of vegetation, moisture flows to the edges of the circle, thereby giving additional nutrition to the plants. It was noted that those specimens that grow along the perimeter of the witch’s circle look larger and grow better.

Similar formations were recently discovered in Australia. An international group of scientists joined the study of this phenomenon, which conducted a detailed aerial photograph of the area and other studies. They also associated the appearance of such unusual gaps in the vegetation cover with the activity of termites, but they could not explain the fact that in other places in Australia with similar natural conditions and the presence of termites such circles were not found. In addition, it is not completely clear how termites interact with plants, causing them to grow in such a mysterious way.