Ice Vase in Birdbath

 

Photographer: Dwight Manuel   
Summary Authors: Dwight Manuel; Jim Foster

Here's a cool photo for a hot summer's day. This frozen vase like structure appeared overnight in a birdbath in my yard near Asheville, North Carolina. It's known as an ice vase or ice spike. These curious protrusions seem to form when water confined in a shallow puddle or pool quickly freezes. The surface of the pool freezes first; however, water below the surface continues to flow but as it freezes it's forced through the last remaining unfrozen spot on the surface. The result is a water-filled frozen tube extending above, sometimes conspicuously above, the surface of the pool. Photo taken on December 19, 2020.

Asheville (2 miles west), North Carolina Coordinates: 35.58, -82.59

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