Freezing Pleasing: 7 Amazing Types Of Natural Ice

Ice Discs

Freezing Pleasing: 7 Amazing Types Of Natural Ice(image via: Tim Engleman)

Ice Discs can be dozens of feet wide and are always found in isolation. Examples of this spectacular frozen phenomenon form when a free slab of ice or a congregation of smaller ice chunks settles into an eddy current – as the current spins the ice, the rough edges are worn down. The disc tends to spin faster as it assumes a more circular shape though the largest discs still spin slowly. Check out videos of spinning Ice Discs here and here!

Frost Flowers

Freezing Pleasing: 7 Amazing Types Of Natural Ice(image via: Marvin Smith)

Frost Flowers are a beautiful though ephemeral natural phenomenon that can occur under strict climatic conditions: the ground must be warm enough for plant root systems to function while the air above must be cold enough to freeze water. Kudos to Flickr user Marvin Smith (Slomoz) for the amazing frost flower image above.

Freezing Pleasing: 7 Amazing Types Of Natural Ice(image via: Tanya Impeartrice)

In a nutshell, water exiting a plant through either a crack or the plant’s own pores will freeze, drawing out more water via capillary action. The result is a very fragile, often flower-like icy structure that usually disintegrates upon exposure to the sun’s warming rays. Thanks to today’s eagle-eyed photographers and the convenience of photo-sharing online, more people than ever can enjoy these jaw-dropping natural phenomena, albeit vicariously.