Magnificent Ice Sculptures and the Secrets They Keep

Many areas are currently experiencing frigid cold weather, keeping many inside unless they need to travel to work or other necessary trips. But the cold, freezing weather can also display some natural wonders that are unique and beautiful. Some of the images you see may only last for an hour, a few minutes, or even split seconds. It will never be repeated or look exactly the same.

Imagine seeing a body of water so full of trapped bubbles, it looks like an effervescent drink poured into a glass. That is what you will find at Lake Abraham in Alberta, Canada. These bubbles are highly-flammable methane that has frozen below the water surface.

What a ghostly sight! Imagine looking out over Maxwell Bay in Antarctica and seeing a ship stranded below the surface of the ice. The Brazilian yacht Mar Sem Fim (which means “Endless Sea”) sunk on April 7th, 2012. The yacht belonged to a Brazilian journalist, who was on his way to film a documentary.

Hopefully, drivers in Russia are familiar with the shapes of their traffic signs as this sign is nearly unrecognizable. The sign is covered in blowing rain, that froze it into a beautiful sculpture.

This little guy was probably out scouting food or the next lily pad, but his timing was terrible. As he set out on his journey, he was caught in a snow and ice storm. As you can see, his trip was cut short, and he was forever to be remembered as the “Frozen Froggy on the Fence.”

This beautiful blue wall is a waterfall that froze layer-over-layer, creating a magnificent blue wall of ice. The light in the background caused it to have a blue glow. As you can see, the water below is still moving, so the soft mist of the waterfall was light enough to freeze, leaving the water below unfazed.

I sure hope this did not happen on a Monday. What a terrible way to start the workweek. Looking at this picture makes you feel cold. The freezing landscape around it is desolate, and the vehicle is frozen in place, waiting for a thaw.

What a dichotomy, we think of spring and blooming trees and shrubs, but it seems like these beautiful blooms were not quite ready for an unexpected freeze.

Timing has to be about perfect to create a beautiful mural like the one in the picture. It appears that the flowers were blooming and hit by an unexpected frost, which made them fall from their branches.

Upon first look, it is hard to determine what these monoliths are. Could they be sculptures or trees? No, they are actually geysers that have been frozen in time.

The delicate dragonfly has a lot of natural predators in the wild. They must learn to dodge arthropods, reptiles, frogs, and some types of fish. Luckily they have a very light body and very agile, so many can avoid the predators found in the wild. It is difficult, however, for them to live through frigid cold weather.

Interestingly, the right type of weather can change everyday items into beautiful objects. Even a dirty old trash can, can become a visual delight when covered is a glaze of ice and ice sickles.

Spider webs are one of the most miraculous things ever found in nature. They are intricate, beautiful, and created by spiders to catch and consume their prey. This web won’t be carrying out its natural function because it is encased in ice.

How many of us enjoy the beauty of a lighthouse? They light the way for water-borne travelers and are the topic of many breathtaking photos. This lighthouse is no different. It is basked in mist and water coming off the water below.

Cherry trees are beautiful. They have colorful, fragrant flowers that turn into delectable cherries. This cherry tree either has its seasoned confused or an unexpected cold snapped turned these ready-to-eat cherries into the frozen variety. Most cherry trees start flowering in spring and bear fruit after the blooms mature.

All right, this is just plain wrong and may lead to many sleepless nights from children that have seen their favorite Sesame Street Character frozen.

During the initial phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was difficult finding paper products like toilet paper at retailers. Yet, someone had enough to leave it outside and let it freeze.

In 1953, a military plane crashed on its way to Anchorage, Alaska. It crashed near a glacier killing all 41 passengers and 11 crew members. The object landed on the ice, which begs one to ask, “how think is that ice to hold a plane, cargo, and crew?

Many haven’t determined if this is a staircase or a short toboggan slide. This staircase is leading downward into…. well, something, for sure. It would be a treacherous trip if you decided to climb the stairs, either up or down.

This is a sad photo. This poor fox decided to take a hike but fell into a stream and drowned. This is bad news for the fox, but an awful sight for the person that came upon it. The cold weather can be deadly to many forest animals.

Wooly mammoths have been extinct for nearly 40,000 years, yet one was discovered, preserved in ice. It was preserved so well that scientists have determined it was less than 10-years old at the time of its death. It is also the only wooly mammoth found with its brain intact.

This poor guy did not stand a chance. Foxes are small forest animals, and even though their coats grow thick in the cold, it is not enough to keep them warm in below zero temperatures. This fox was found in a German Lake, frozen solid and perfectly intact.

Alligators are creepy when they are lurking around the swamplands or frozen like this creepy guy. Alligators and crocodiles look like prehistoric creatures that should have gone the way of Pterodactyls and T. Rex.

This poor fish went out for a snack and froze before he had a chance to enjoy it. It is truly a breathtaking photo of a fish, literally being frozen in action.

This guy is packing on the years!  This dino is thought to be around 110 million years old.  It was unearthed from the frozen tundra. The bones themselves are pretty creepy, so we can imagine what it looked like with its skin, teeth, etc.

The Wooly Mammoth liked cold climates like the Arctic, Siberia, and Alaska. While he thrived in the cold weather, probably due to his wooly coat, they often succumbed to extreme temperatures. This one was around 39,000 years old and found in Siberia.

This poor kingfisher was probably diving into the blue water to find a fish for dinner. Instead, it ended up headfirst into a block of ice, or it made it into the water, only to be frozen once it hit the air. This is a common occurrence.

Who would have that that dogs were around 12,460 years ago? Well, that is thought to be the age of this puppy. It was found in the Siberian tundra. This find was a phenomenal find because the animal was so well-preserved;

Norwegian folklore often talks about the Vikings and their courageous adventures. Juvfonna, Norway, has proven to be a treasure-trove of unearthed Viking gear. Items found at this site are nearly 3,500-years-old. A Viking boat (shown), arrow, bows, and leather goods were found at the site.

Nature certainly can make her statement when she wants. A quick look at this snowy photo looks like it has been the scene of a crime. Actually, it is caused by iron-rich water. This glacier is located in Antarctica, where nearly everything freezes.

Usually, glaciers tend to gobble up everything in their way, trees, forests, etc. As they freeze and gather bulk during the cold months, they begin to uproot trees and destroy the landscape around the freezing mass.

It is surprising to see how many ancient copper arrowheads look like more modern weapons. These copper arrowheads were found with other items that help scientists to determine their ancient beginnings.

Sometimes we do not want to find preserved! Especially if it is harmful to humans. In this case, the bacteria was preserved by the ice and intense cold found in the Arctic. Some areas are so frigid that they are devoid of oxygen.

World War 1 had a devastating effect on the world. Many people were killed and battlefields we found across the globe. Some battles occurred in the Alps, but many of those fighting were ill-prepared for the frigid weather.

There are remnants of other people in the Alps, along with the bodies of soldiers. One of the bodies recently found was thought to be around 300-years old. The only reason the body was in such good condition is that it was found deep in the ice.

Many frozen spears and other weapons have been found in the U.S., including in the Yellowstone area. Interestingly, no humans were thought to inhabit Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming 10,300 years ago.

One of the most important discoveries made was again the in the Alps. The Otzi Ice Man was found between the borders of Italy and Austria. He is believed to be from the Austrian area and around 5,300 years old when found.

Yes, there were wooly rhinos. Not surprisingly, they were found in freezing climates, like those in northern Russia, where this one was found. Scientists believe that this wooly rhino was only about 18-months-old when it died, around 10,000 years ago.

Cave lions, also known by their ancient name, sabretooth tigers, roamed the Siberian landscape for many centuries. Russian scientists and explorers recently found a pristine specimen frozen in Yakutia, Siberia. The animal weight 881 pounds, and because of the frozen climate, was extremely well-preserved.

The water and mist lapping up from Lake Michigan have decorated this lighthouse in a gorgeous bath of white ice. The top looks almost like a beautifully frosted cake, but note the ice is so thick, it is hard to determine what the structure is.

Here is an example of an ancient weapon that was found deep in the ice and preserved. It is a long dart-like object called the atlatl dart. It looks very similar to bows and arrows and maybe the ancient version of those weapons that were modernized.

You know they say, what you eat will come out eventually.  Darts, arrows and other interesting, unexpeted items were often found in the excrement of a caribou. Perhaps the caribou ate the dart and some point and eventually relieved itself of it.

It is surprising to find how many spore-causing bacteria have survived throughout the ages. Most have been found deep in ice caves and other untouched areas of freezing. These recently discovered bacteria and spores, thought to be about a quarter-million years old.

Not all bacteria are good. Many bacteria were the result of dead animals, who may have been prone to diseases and other dangerous maladies that could be transmitted to others. Some bacteria can exist on their own, without an animal host.

As the global temperature warms up, many issues need to be addressed. One is the excess water from glaciers and other ice masses, will they flood our oceans and spill over onto land masses?

This body of water looks like someone was blowing bubbles, and they were captured under clear glass. The truth is much more frightening. These are bubbles made from methane that is trapped below the surface of the water by ice.