strange ice formation at edge of lake

The purpose of this forum is to help people identify things they've seen while out hiking: wildflowers, trees, birds, insects, small animals, animal tracks, even geographical features like buttes or streams
User avatar
Chip Down
Posts: 3037
Joined: November 8th, 2014, 8:41 pm

strange ice formation at edge of lake

Post by Chip Down » November 3rd, 2019, 7:10 pm

It's like Moses came along and parted the ice.
Theories?
Attachments
20191103_115049.jpg

User avatar
Bosterson
Posts: 2317
Joined: May 18th, 2009, 3:17 pm
Location: Portland

Re: strange ice formation at edge of lake

Post by Bosterson » November 3rd, 2019, 7:19 pm

Wow, that's bizarre.

Bigfeets?
#pnw #bestlife #bitingflies #favoriteyellowcap #neverdispleased

User avatar
texasbb
Posts: 1174
Joined: July 26th, 2008, 8:16 pm
Location: Tri-Cities, WA

Re: strange ice formation at edge of lake

Post by texasbb » November 3rd, 2019, 7:23 pm

Post-freeze earthquake?

User avatar
teachpdx
Posts: 392
Joined: January 21st, 2014, 4:45 pm
Location: Hillsboro, OR

Re: strange ice formation at edge of lake

Post by teachpdx » November 4th, 2019, 7:36 am

I'm guessing that the water level in the pond dropped after the top froze, leaving this bit high and dry.
instagram: @remyodyssey

johnspeth
Posts: 346
Joined: July 30th, 2013, 8:33 am

Re: strange ice formation at edge of lake

Post by johnspeth » November 4th, 2019, 7:46 am

I hypothesize that wind blew this slab up onto the shore a bit.

User avatar
Chip Down
Posts: 3037
Joined: November 8th, 2014, 8:41 pm

Re: strange ice formation at edge of lake

Post by Chip Down » November 4th, 2019, 8:16 pm

Bigfeets?
That's about as plausible as my Moses theory.
Post-freeze earthquake?
I like this better than the Bigfeets theory.
I'm guessing that the water level in the pond dropped after the top froze, leaving this bit high and dry.
That sort of thing happens all the time in puddles and micro ponds, but doesn't look anything like this.
I hypothesize that wind blew this slab up onto the shore a bit.
Not as crazy as it sounds; I've seen similar penomenon. But I've always seen that result in a choppy broken surface.

My first thought was an ice dam formed, and then additional water entering the lake caused some water to spill over the edges of the ice and build up. But no, that doesn't make sense. The additional water would extend the perimeter of the pond, but wouldn't effect the edge configuration.

I observed a heavy accumulation of needle ice all around the pond. Could it have also formed under the pond ice, jacking up the pond ice, and filling in around the perimeter, giving the appearance of a thick abruptly-edged ice sheet?

User avatar
mjirving
Posts: 1185
Joined: July 5th, 2011, 10:40 am

Re: strange ice formation at edge of lake

Post by mjirving » November 5th, 2019, 5:36 am

Is that the edge of the entire pond? I can’t tell for sure in the pic. Could it be spring fed with an exit that is blocked and it freezes on top before it gets to/falls off the side?

User avatar
Charley
Posts: 1827
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Location: Milwaukie

Re: strange ice formation at edge of lake

Post by Charley » November 5th, 2019, 11:58 am

Second vote for wind. I'm going to bet that several days of consistent direction wind pushed free lake water onto a thin slab of frozen lake water, one thin sheet of water at a time, building it up layer by layer. Word of caution: I'm a musician, not a scientist. :)
Believe it or not, I barely ever ride a mountain bike.

User avatar
Waffle Stomper
Posts: 3707
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm

Re: strange ice formation at edge of lake

Post by Waffle Stomper » December 8th, 2019, 8:45 am

Are those rocks I see on top of the slab?
"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe." - John Muir

User avatar
Chip Down
Posts: 3037
Joined: November 8th, 2014, 8:41 pm

Re: strange ice formation at edge of lake

Post by Chip Down » December 8th, 2019, 8:34 pm

Waffle Stomper wrote:
December 8th, 2019, 8:45 am
Are those rocks I see on top of the slab?
Yeah, and chunks of ice too. I assume people were messing around and tossing stuff on the lake.

Post Reply