What the hell is that?

Well ... it began with a Photoshop image made using two KPT 5 filters, FraxFlame and Fraxplorer. And a little help from KPT 3's Gradient Designer to make a gradient which was afterwards used as a mask. The result was something weird but cool, with a vaguely H.R. Giger look about it.

I noodled unsuccessfully with it for a while, then mapped it onto the broad end of a cylinder. Now we're getting somewhere. A gunmetal torus around the cylinder to smooth the edges. Choose a sky preset. Balance the whole affair on a cone. Apply the same texture to the ground plane. Throw in some more tori just for good measure, and note that the texture - under the current sun settings - gives them a nice metallic look. Now duplicate like mad. Play with the haze. And voila!

Something.

Your guess is as good as mine.