Hormuz (Iran) - A spectacular natural phenomenon is currently inspiring thousands of people: A beach on the island of Hormuz in Iran suddenly glows a mystical red in the rain - the color is reminiscent of blood.

A video of the spectacle has now collected almost a million likes on Instagram .

Several people are standing on a beach, it is raining. Beneath them: blood-red soil. What doesn't sound unusual at first turns out to be an almost disturbing natural spectacle.

It is a phenomenon known as "Blood Rain", as reported by the Daily Mail.

Where the name comes from is self-explanatory: It looks like real blood is trickling down the cliffs to the beach.

In fact, this curious event is not as rare as it seems at first glance. Blood rain like this is possible all year round on the remote Iranian island.

But how does this impressive natural spectacle come about? The secret lies in the ground. So the name "blood rain" is actually not quite accurate. It is just ordinary rain that washes away parts of the special soil.

Thanks to its volcanic origin, the soil has a very high content of hematite and iron hydroxide - when this mixes with the water, the mystical red glow is created.

The island's earth is not only suitable for impressive photographs, but is also used for the production of paints, cosmetics and ceramic tiles. The locals call it "gelak" and it is even used as a spice.