The mysterious 'fairy circles' of Namibia

[Still Waters]

In the grasslands of Namibia are millions of strangely bare circles. They're called "fairy circles." Although we know, roughly, what happens during their lifespan, no one knows why they crop up, or why they eventually fade.

The term "fairy ring" means different things in different parts of the world. For some reason, they all center on botany.

http://io9.com/59624...cles-of-namibia

[xYlvax]

Wow, those are weird. I'm sure there is some reasonable explanation for them though. It would be neat to figure out why.

[Ashotep]

That is so weird. Wish they would discover why this happens.

[Timothy]

I thought this was already debunked on here somewhere (maybe somewhere other than Namibia?). Is just some natural occurrence.

Looks kinda cool though I guess.

[Eldorado]

Termites.

[Doug1029]

That is so weird. Wish they would discover why this happens.

Most "fairy rings" are caused when clonal plants exhaust their nutrient supply in the center of the plant. The outer edge continues to expand, while the center dies out.

There is a creosote bush in the Mojave Desert that has done this and is now nearly 30 feet in diameter. Growth and size measurements suggest it is about 15,000 years old - older than the desert it lives in.

Doug