In various regions of the world, ice is capable of modeling surreal landscapes, which at first glance you would not consider real. The good news is that many can be visited to verify their existence and fascinate you with their forms.
Here we list 7 of those natural ice formations, Which one would you like to see live and in full color?
1. Frozen Lake Baikal
It is impressive enough on its own: it is the oldest lake on our planet, estimated to be between 20 and 25 million years old, and the deepest body of continental water, reaching up to 1,620 meters at most. It is a World Heritage Site.
During the winter it freezes and in some areas the ice it can be a meter thick. Huge “scratches” are formed over much of its surface, creating thousands of mosaics. According to the Bored Panda website, there are shallow parts where the ice is so clear that you can see the bottom perfectly.
Photo: iStock
With due precautions, travelers arrive each year to travel long distances within the lake skating or even camping on it, according to the BBC. There is also a temporary “road” where vehicles pass. He ice it remains until May, but since April people stop standing on the surface.
Another attraction is the islands and islets of Lake Baikal, which number approximately 45. The largest is called Olkhon and it hides caves where the ice is organized into sharp stalactites.
Photo: iStock
2. Greenland icebergs
With the exception of Antarctica, nowhere in the world would you find as many icebergs as in the Ilulissat Icefjord, located on the west coast of Greenland, 250 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle. The thousands of masses of ice They come from the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier, one of the most active and fastest in existence. Ilulissat is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Icebergs can be seen in all shapes and sizes: from walls without an apparent limit and columns that seem sculpted by an artist, to arches so large that ships can pass under them. But remember that the visible part of the iceberg is only about 10% of its total mass. Its play of light and shadow is also spectacular, in addition to the combination with the tones of the sky.
The landscape looks different depending on the season of the year. In spring, a thin white layer covers the horizon with thousands of ice chips; in summer monumental masses can be seen on their way to the ocean and during winter the icebergs remain frozen in place.
Foto: Visit Greenland
… Read more 7 great mysteries that Antarctica keeps in its depths
3. Ice caves in Iceland
There are many places in the world where it is possible to visit caves of ice, but the Vatnajökull National Park, in Iceland, is one of the most iconic. They are born in winter and, unlike what happens in other countries, the result is always different each year.
These caves are located in the Vatnajökull region, one of the largest glaciers by volume in Europe. The caves appear as channels through which the water flows from the depths of the glacier; This happens in the summer, but the water stops running and the ice hardens until winter.
Visit a cave ice it is like being inside a diamond, where a wide range of blues glows, from dark to brightest.
It is essential to get there with an expert guide, because caves can be very dangerous. Crampons and a helmet are used to enter.
Photo: Unsplash. Valdemaras D.
4. Penitents of the Andes
They look like sharp daggers driven into the desert floor, and are called penitents because their silhouette is reminiscent of Catholic believers who cover their faces with a conical garment at Easter. These ice formations They are born in the Andes region of Chile and Argentina, at altitudes above four thousand meters above sea level, according to the BBC.
Penitents are made by a combination of weather conditions that include extreme winds, sudden temperature changes, and strong solar radiation. They measure from a few centimeters to five meters in height.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons. ESO / B Tafreshi
5. Snow monsters in Japan
Here we cheated a bit, because these natural formations are made of snow, not just ice. On the heights of Mount Zao, a volcano located between the Yamagata and Miyagi prefectures, ghostly figures appear in February: they are alpine trees, which this season are trapped under layers of snow and ice, caused by heavy rainfall and winds.
Also known as “juhyo”, snow monsters can be several meters tall. They have become a tourist attraction that can be enjoyed from a gondola, on marked trails or illuminated at night.
… Read more 4 winter destinations in Canada and the United States for fun in the snow
6. Ice bubbles in Canada
Every winter, when Abraham Lake freezes over, thousands of bubbles are trapped below the surface creating a landscape longed for by professional and amateur photographers.
The phenomenon is not so strange, as it happens in other bodies of water (like Lake Baikal in Russia, even); however, the large concentration of bubbles is the main characteristic of Lake Abraham. These are actually methane bubbles, which are generated when dead organic matter falls to the bottom of the water and bacteria feed on it, releasing the gas.
Smoking is super prohibited, as methane is a flammable gas and bubbles are capable of bursting, releasing it.
It is an artificial lake created in 1972, west of the province of Alberta, in the Rocky Mountains region.
Photo: iStock
7. Perito Moreno, Argentina
All glaciers, almost by definition, are spectacular: they are huge masses of ice perennial and snow, which spread over the earth like tongues.
The Perito Moreno, in Argentina, is one of the most visited and beautiful of the world. Its front, the part that is normally visited, is about five kilometers wide; the glacier is 170 meters deep (although only 78 are seen) and covers an area of 250 kilometers, greater than the city of Buenos Aires (203km2)!
It never stops moving, so it is often possible to witness the fall of large blocks of ice from the glacier.
It is located in the province of Santa Cruz, in the south of the country. It can be admired from walkways with viewpoints, on various boat trips or kayaking, to name examples.
Photo: iStock
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