Things You Thought Were ‘Natural’ But Actually Aren’t

Nature has created some pretty wondrous things for humans to enjoy, like amazing natural landscapes and food. However, some of these amazing things aren’t actually made by nature, but were man-made. Here are 4 man-made creations you thought were “natural.”

The Amazonian Basin

Amazon - Brazil, 2011. ©Neil Palmer/CIAT

Long before European settlers made their way to the Americas, Native Americans were harvesting the land. That includes the Amazon Basin. The long, majestic river was actually excavated by the Native Americans. They dug out land across the mountains of Peru and planted fruit trees at the basin. Researchers have found this is not uncommon for the indigenous people of the Americas.


Greeningz - Corn

The BBQ staple, corn, was also once modified by humans. It was once a small useless plant. However, around 10,000 years ago, there was a small genetic mutation and a kernel sprouted from the plant. After the discovery, farmers began adding on kernels through artificial selection. Thankfully, we now have the big and mighty yellow cob, we all know and love today.

The Morning Glory Hot Spring

Greeningz - Morning Glory Hot Spring

The Morning Glory Hot Spring at Yellowstone National Park is flocked to by millions of tourists every year. However, the colorful, and captivating spring was once much different. The natural color of the spring is actually a cobalt blue. A group of researchers from Montana State University looked into the color change. They discovered the water temperature used to be significantly higher. However, due to littering and trash in the subterranean piping, the temperature decreased. The lower temperatures allowed growth of pigment-producing microbial organisms.

Multiple Earthquakes

It may be no surprise that all the oil drilling humans have done has caused the earth to quake. However, there are a few specific cases researchers can pen point that were definitely caused by human drilling. Drilling in Uzbekistan began in 1962. Prior to the drilling, there were no tremors. However, in the 8 years after the drilling began, multiple earthquakes hit the country, including three 7.0-magnitude quakes. California has also experienced multiple quakes from even smaller drilling areas.

Dams are also a culprit for earthquakes. The reservoirs create high pressure on the surrounding area, and force water into porous subterranean pockets. So far this force has caused a 6.1-magnitude earthquake in California and a 6.5-magnitude earthquake in India. The earthquake in India killed 177 people.