March 8, 2012 2:00 PM EST
F rom thousands of spiders in Australia and a massive ruptured ice wall in Argentina to the aftermath of the U.S. tornadoes and the wake of last year’s Japanese tsunami, TIME’s photo department presents a selection of surprising and surreal vistas from the past week.
March 6, 2012. Thousands of spiders build new webs after floodwaters forced them to move to higher grounds in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia. Lukas Coch—EPA March 5, 2012. Snow covers a demolished house in Marysville, Ind. after a tornado ripped through the town. Nam Y. Huh—AP March 4, 2012. The Perito Moreno glacier is seen after the rupture of a massive ice wall near the city of El Calafate in the Patagonian province of Santa Cruz, Argentina. Andres Arce—Reuters March 2, 2012. The water of the Grone stream has turned green after a fire in Goettingen, Germany. Stefan Rampfel—DPA / Landov March 2, 2012. A general view shows many residential buildings in downtown Qingdao city in eastern China's Shandong province. Wu Hong—EPA March 5, 2012. Smoke rises from the debris as a fire burns in a military barracks, near an underground munitions depot, in Brazzaville, Congo. Elie Mbena—AP March 2, 2012. Israel's separation barrier as snow falls near Hebron, West Bank. Uriel Sinai—Getty Images March 5, 2012. The Minamisanriku Disaster Emergency Center headquarters is seen out the window during a bus tour to learn about the effects of last year's March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Minamisanriku in Miyagi prefecture in northeastern Japan. Daniel Berehulak—Getty Images March 8, 2012. Debris and non recyclable home items lay strewn over the ground where houses and factories once stood in Kesennuma, Japan. Daniel Berehulak—Getty Images March 7, 2012. Snow geese, estimated some 30,000 strong, take off from the Middle Creek Reservoir near Kleinfeltersville, P.A. Jim Lo Scalzo—EPA March 7, 2012. Children and adults scavenge for recyclables and other usable items at the Trutier dump on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Spencer Platt—Getty Images March 7, 2012. The northern lights in Abisko, Swedish Lapland. Francois Campredon—AFP/Getty Images March 3, 2012. An amateur astronomer captures a meteor or meteorite near his home in Northern Scotland. Graeme Whipps—Rex / Rex USA More Must-Reads From TIME The 100 Most Influential People of 2024 Coco Gauff Is Playing for Herself Now Scenes From Pro-Palestinian Encampments Across U.S. Universities 6 Compliments That Land Every Time If You're Dating Right Now , You're Brave: Column The AI That Could Heal a Divided Internet Fallout Is a Brilliant Model for the Future of Video Game Adaptations Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time