Beijing Mushroom Cloud: Not Armageddon, Just Nature

An enormous mushroom cloud over Beijing, China late last week, sparked fears that some kind of cataclysmic, Armageddon-like event was underway.

Turns out it was just nature at work.

The giant cumulonimbus cloud formation spanned several miles. Accompanied by late day lightning, it swallowed up the capital's skyline for an hour.

Photographers and videographers documented the ominous-looking formation, which gradually took the shape of an atomic bomb. Take a look below:

Beijing Mushroom Cloud

According to the National Center for Atmospheric Research, a giant cumulonimbus is a thunderstorm cloud that "resembles the head of a cauliflower."