Abraham Lake in Alberta is an artificial lake in which a very strange phenomena occurs every winter. When the temperatures are -30 deg C it is too cold for snow in this arid environment, and as the water surface freezes a thick layer of completely clear ice develops, up to 30 cms thick. Methane -- maybe from old beds of rotting vegetation on the lake floor -- bubbles up to the surface, and when these bubbles reach the base of the surface ice they expand, flatten out and freeze. Then they stack up (or stack down) like dinner plates or saucers in a pile. Apparently you can easily walk over this ice surface, but because the ice cracks and moves, and is as clear as glass, it can be a seriously weird and frightening experience.........
Photo: Chip Phillips
That is amazing, Brian! I am in awe of what Nature can do and have no idea until we see it before our eyes!
ReplyDeleteKostas