When you hear the word “volcano,” your thought is probably of boiling rivers of lava erupting from a tropical peak.
However, in the grip of a massive freeze, Lake Michigan is currently seeing eruptions of “ice volcanoes” along its coastline. What does that mean, exactly?
In Grand Rapids, the National Weather Service noticed the rows of conical ice mounds along the shore were acting as funnels for the lake’s lapping waves. While the term “volcano” isn’t accurate, as these are neither mountains nor are they full of magma, the ice structures look very similar to their larger, hotter cousins.
These mounds of ice are formed as the ice shelf develops when the temperatures in the region plummet for the winter months. However, since the lake is so massive and always moving, it can’t freeze in its entirety. As such, the waves continue lapping against the ice shelf at its shores.
Researchers at Michigan Tech explained the phenomenon, stating “after the ice shelf has built out, waves continue to travel underneath the ice and are forced up through cracks and previously formed cones.” Speaking on behalf of the NWS, meteorologist Cort Spholton went into further detail on the structures.
With water bottling itself through these cones of ice, the outcome is a familiar shape not often seen in frigid areas.
“The waves…were strong enough so the water channels through, it squeezes water upwards and tosses the floating ice up,” Spholton explained to reporters. “As it happens, over the course of hours or days, it forms a cone, and it resembles a volcano.”
The largest of these structures can become as tall as twelve feet, due to the constant motion of the waves pushing water up through ever-growing conical tubes. According to researchers at Michigan Tech, these very tall cones are most commonly found on offshore rock reefs or sand bars, where there is less chance of them being bowled over.
Researchers encourage locals to not venture out onto the ice volcanoes. Due to the way they are created, they are hollow, and climbing on them or walking over them could cause them to collapse into the frigid waves. As such, while they’re gorgeous to observe from a distance, you shouldn’t go exploring!
