Quantcast
ZME Science
  • CoronavirusNEW
  • News
  • Environment
    • Climate
    • Animals
    • Renewable Energy
    • Eco tips
    • Environmental Issues
    • Green Living
  • Health
    • Alternative Medicine
    • Anatomy
    • Diseases
    • Genetics
    • Mind & Brain
    • Nutrition
  • Future
  • Space
  • Feature
    • Feature Post
    • Art
    • Great Pics
    • Design
    • Fossil Friday
    • AstroPicture
    • GeoPicture
    • Did you know?
    • Offbeat
  • More
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Our stance on climate change
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
Home Science Biology

The Mystery of Namibian Fairy Circles

Dragos Mitrica by Dragos Mitrica
December 6, 2012
in Biology, Science, Studies

Fairy circles, or fairy rings as they have sometimes been called, are known to many cultures around the world and pose various mystical significance. Some consider them a spawning pool for elves, fairies or pixies, hence their name. In Europe and North America they are most of the times formed by mushrooms, as most people know, and comprise a rather rare sight. After all, how many times does a fairy choose to make an appearance ? In Namibia however – there must be a lot of fairies – as there are millions of circles in the grasslands there.

The circles can also be found in southern Angola or northern South Africa, but most of them are found in Namibia. In 2005, while on a vacation to the NamibRand Nature Reserve, the circles caught the attention of Dr. Walter Tschinkel, a research professor of biological science and a leading entomologist at Florida State University.

In the oral myths of the Himba people these barren patches are said to have been caused by the gods, spirits or natural divinities. [Via io9.com]
In the oral myths of the Himba people these barren patches are said to have been caused by the gods, spirits or natural divinities. [Via io9.com] [Via io9.com]

“I looked at them and said, ‘obviously, they’re caused by termites,” but as he analysed the circles more closely, he wasn’t able to find any termites or other insects in or near the circles. He and his wife tried to look at the quality of the soil inside the circles in comparison to the soil where the grasses grow. They conducted several experiments such as adding essential nutrients like zinc inside the circle or replacing the soil inside a circle with some of the soil outside and vice versa – only to reveal the same thing: that the soil inside the circles is not in any way different to the soil outside.
To understand how the circles evolved over time, Dr. Tschinkel compared satellite images taken over a 4-year period and saw how the circles seemed to grow or disappear. Extrapolating from the observed photos, he estimated that most of the smaller circles’ life cycle appeared to last about 24 years, while the larger ones’ was up to 75 years.
In the oral myths of the Himba people these barren patches are said to have been caused by the gods, spirits or natural divinities. Unfortunately, the very little scientific observations and investigations done so far on these mysterious circles are mostly based on opportunistic experiments done on quick trips. Tschinkel says, “there’s no program really focused on trying to figure this out.” In the future, he hopes to return to the region to investigate further at different times of the year, as some of the satellite data seem to indicate that the circles tend to appear after the rainy season.

African fairy circles as they appear after a period of rain [Via livescience.com]
The “fairy circles” as they appear after a period of rain [Via livescience.com]
 Even though Dr. Tschinkel’s study hasn’t solved the riddle, his work is important for opening the way and for raising several important questions: “Why are they regularly distributed, rather than random or clumped; why do they appear with the grass dying suddenly; why is there taller grass at the perimeter; and why is there a difference in diameters?”

So, until someone catches a pixie in Namibia, “the mystery of the fairy circles” continues to remain a mystery.

Get more science news like this...

Join the ZME newsletter for amazing science news, features, and exclusive scoops. More than 40,000 subscribers can't be wrong.

   

[Via Science Magazine]

Tags: fairy circlesNamibia
Dragos Mitrica

Dragos Mitrica

Dragos has been working in geology for six years, and loving every minute of it. Now, his more recent focus is on paleoclimate and climatic evolution, though in his spare time, he also dedicates a lot of time to chaos theory and complex systems.

Follow ZME on social media

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Coronavirus
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Feature
  • More

© 2007-2019 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Coronavirus
  • News
  • Environment
    • Climate
    • Animals
    • Renewable Energy
    • Eco tips
    • Environmental Issues
    • Green Living
  • Health
    • Alternative Medicine
    • Anatomy
    • Diseases
    • Genetics
    • Mind & Brain
    • Nutrition
  • Future
  • Space
  • Feature
    • Feature Post
    • Art
    • Great Pics
    • Design
    • Fossil Friday
    • AstroPicture
    • GeoPicture
    • Did you know?
    • Offbeat
  • More
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Our stance on climate change
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2019 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.