Lake Baikal, in the Russian region of Siberia, is a massive body of water—the world’s deepest and most voluminous freshwater lake. Its location and the surrounding geography can lead to fascinating phenomena in the winter, as ferocious winds and cycles of melting and refreezing build and sculpt works of structural beauty—stones supported on wind-worn pedestals, undulating surface ice, encrusted beaches, crazy icicles, frozen methane bubbles, and more. Below, a collection of some interesting and beautiful images from the clear ice of Lake Baikal.
Photos: The Incredible Ice Formations of Lake Baikal
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Read moreA small stone stands on a "leg" above the ice of Lake Baikal. At one point the bottom of the stone froze to the surface of the ice, and over time, relentless winds wore away its underpinnings, sublimating the ice and shaping a smooth pedestal within a shallow depression. For a complete scientific examination of this phenomenon, you can view this presentation by Team Ukraine at the International Physicist's Tournament 2018. #
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Read moreMore shaping of the surface of Lake Baikal by wind, sublimation, melting, and refreezing. In this case, multiple small ice chunks scattered across the ice at one point, freezing to the surface and then, in turn, being sculpted by the same winds forming pedestals and cavities. #
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Read moreIce-covered trees on the shoreline of Lake Baikal #
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Read moreA van drives across Baikal's frozen surface, which is crisscrossed with cracks. #
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Read moreA tiny bit of clear ice raised above the lake surface, windswept and smooth #
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Read moreShoreline pebbles coated with frozen lake water #
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Read moreSunset viewed from inside an ice cave on Lake Baikal's Olkhon Island #
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Read moreA chunk of ice near Baikal's shore sits on a pedestal as winds slowly create a deep depression in the surrounding ice. #
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Read moreFrozen columns of methane bubbles, trapped in Baikal's ice #
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Read moreA windswept stone is slowly isolated on Baikal's surface. #
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Read moreA closer view of a stone on an ice pedestal, and the surrounding wind-formed depression, on Lake Baikal #
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Read moreIcicles hang from trees in a grotto on Baikal's Olkhon Island. Cycles of melting and refreezing, coupled with strong winds, drive the diverging directions of the icicles. #
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Read moreA well-worn, very smooth piece of ice attached to a small pedestal on Baikal's surface. #
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Read moreStrong winter winds drive drifts of snow across Lake Baikal. #
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Read moreA tent, illuminated from inside, stands on the surface of a frozen Lake Baikal at night. #
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Read moreA man walks through ice crystals on the shore of Lake Baikal. #
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Read moreThe sun sets behind a tiny wind-worn piece of Baikal ice, standing above its surface. #
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Read moreIce-encrusted tree branches, near Baikal's shoreline #
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Read moreA spiral-shaped crack extends below the photographer's feet. #
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Read more"Dragon Rock," Ogoy Island, Lake Baikal #
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Read moreSunlight passes through a very clear slab of Baikal ice. #
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Read moreRounded icicles hang from the roof of an ice cave on Baikal's Olkhon Island. #
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Read moreSnowflakes accumulate in the depression surrounding this well-worn bit of suspended Baikal ice. #
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Read moreFormations inside the ice caves of Olkhon Island #
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Read moreA small stone, suspended on an ice pedestal on Lake Baikal #
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Read moreA sunset viewed through clear slabs of Baikal ice #
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Read moreAn aerial shot of two hovercraft on the ice near Olkhon Island #
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Read moreA wind-sculpted chunk of Baikal ice barely remains attached to the surface on a narrow pedestal. #
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Read moreSkaters cross an expanse on the surface of Lake Baikal. #
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Read moreBaikal ice, sculpted by wind and sunlight, near the snow-covered shoreline #
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Read moreUnusual ice formations along Baikal's shore #
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Read moreAnother view of the smooth wind-worn ice surrounding the stone from the first image in this series #
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Read moreA visiting tourist lies on her back during an outing on Lake Baikal. #
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