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 Why Trump’s Message Worked on Latino Men What Trump’s Win Could Mean for Housing The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024 Sleep Doctors Share the 1 Tip That’s Changed Their Lives Column: Let’s Bring Back Romance What It’s Like to Have Long COVID As a Kid FX’s Say Nothing Is the Must-Watch Political Thriller of 2024 Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision