Lake Michigan Completely Covered In Gorgeous Shards Of Ice

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Lake Michigan turned into a frozen piece of artwork which could have been crafted by ice queen Elsa herself, as its solid surface splintered into thousands of shards.

After months of freezing Winter, Spring has finally sprung and the world is starting to thaw. At the beginning of the month, fifty-six percent of the Great Lake was covered by ice, but the rising temperatures have caused it to start melting.

The incredible scenes at the lake, which is bordered by Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana, are a result of water moving under the frozen surface, pushing up the layers of ice and causing them to stack on top of one another in unique patterns.

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The stunning display was visible along South Haven’s pier on Tuesday (March 19).

While the frozen imagery would surely look incredible up close, the US Coast Guard has warned those enjoying the scene to stay off the ice, MLive report.

The fact it’s fractured into thousands of pieces should be enough indication the surface isn’t very stable, and those razor-sharp icy edges look like they’d have no problem causing some damage.

However, should anyone still be tempted to venture onto the lake, US Coast Guard BMC Grant Heffner emphasised:

No ice is safe ice especially this time of year. The ice is certainly deteriorating and breaking up.

I’m sure it won’t be long before Lake Michigan is fully melted and back to its liquid state, so residents and visitors should enjoy the Elsa-worthy scene while they can.

Disney could even head over there to shoot some background scenes for Frozen 2 and save them some time on animation.

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Some fascinated Twitter users took to social media to share their amazement at the phenomenon.

One person wrote:

This is mesmerizing. The frozen water of Lake Michigan has started melting and is pushing up these shards of
ice. I’m obsessed!

The frozen shards haven’t been the only thing Lake Michigan has displayed this Winter, as earlier this month a huge submerged crucifix became visible under the ice.

According to Fox News, the lake is home to the only underwater crucifix in freshwater on record.

Hundreds of people flooded to the site – which is located about 260 yards from the shore of the town of Petoskey, in Northern Michigan – to spot the 11-foot statue, onto which a five-foot-five-inch figure of Jesus Christ is attached, through a hole in the ice.

It’ll be sad to see the rare scenes disappear as the ice melts away, but at least it’ll mean warmer weather is on the way!

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Emily Brown

Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.