On the edge of Lake Michigan, near Glen Arbor, giant ice balls are washing ashore.
During the winter, massive sheets of ice form on the surface of the lake. When chunks break off, the passing waves shape them into spheres, forming these ice balls. Depending on the temperature, the balls may grow in size, with layers of water coating the ball and then freezing. Some of these boulder-sized pieces of ice have been found to weigh over 50 pounds!
While this phenomenon is not unheard of, the size of the ice balls is much larger than previously seen.
Sources:
- Rachel Hunt