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HAUNTING footage captured the moment blood-red water flooded a beach popular with tourists, freaking out confused onlookers.
The popular Silver and Red Beach on Hormuz Island saw scenes of horror, as its mineral-rich coast was soaked by heavy rainfall which caused a bizarre phenomenon.
Millions of viewers watched the Biblical scenes on “rainbow island” – a largely uninhabited and quiet island which is miles away from Iran’s mainland.
One user said: “The power of God …. How beautiful and amazing.”
The frightening yet unique scenes are a year-round attraction at the coast, caused by the high iron oxide content in the volcanic soil.
These minerals mix with the heavy tide to give the shoreline a bright red colour, which looks as if someone has dropped a large bucket or red paint in the sea.
The rich volcanic soil is also known as “gelack” soil, and has industrial purposes, as it is used in dyeing, cosmetics, glass and ceramics.
It also plays an important role in local cuisine, with natives using it in sauces and jams.
What causes red seawater?
The phenomenon occurs when sea water mixes with the beach’s volcanic soil.
The soil is high in iron oxide content, and is known as gelack soil.
It is high in iron oxide due to the volcanic rocks on the island.
When it mixes with tides, the result is a glowing blood-red sea water that looks like something out of a movie.
Gelack soil, or red ochre, is an export of the region.
It is used in cosmetic products for dyeing and is also an edible food item.
It can also be used in glass and ceramics.
Locals often use the soil when making jams and sauces for native cuisine.
The Iran Tourism and Touring Organisation says on its tourist board: “Walking along the shore you will encounter parts where sand glitters with metal compounds, especially mesmerising at sunset or sunrise.
“The soil colour around you keeps changing as you walk or ride and you can visit a unique red edible soil and other 70 colourful minerals in Hormuz Island.”
Last year, separate videos wrongly claimed that the same beaches had turned red due to severe weather.
Tourists, however, can experience the rare phenomenon any time of year, in any weather.
Scenes like this are not unique to Iran.
In Torrevieja, Spain, there is a strange pink lake that owes its colour to an unusual bacteria in the salt.
And in the UK, thousands of tiny bio-luminescent plankton could be seen emitting light when being disturbed by waves.
This made the shore of the Sheerness Beach in Kent light up a glowing electric blue.
