Updated 21 November 2020 at 15:52 IST
China: 20-feet wide spinning disc of frozen ice reappears, here's how it's formed
A large disc of frozen ice, with a diameter of about 20 feet, has been spotted spinning slowly and continuously on a river in northern China.
A large ice disc, with a diameter of about 20 feet, has been spotted spinning slowly and continuously on a river in northern China. According to Chinese state media, the circular ice is formed by a natural phenomenon and it appeared on November 18 in Genhe, which is a city known as ‘China’s pole of cold’. Video of the frozen circle turning anti-clockwise on a partially frozen waterway is doing round on social media platforms.
According to reports, the ice disc was spotted near a neighbourhood in the western suburbs of Genhe in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The temperatures in the city ranged between minus four and minus 26 degrees Celsius on the day the frozen ice disc was spotted. The residents were delighted to see the mesmerising rare occurrence.
However, this was not the first time that a spinning ice circle was found. Back in 2019, a smaller ice disc, measuring two metres wide, had appeared to spin on its own in an anti-clockwise direction on Genhe River. The city, which is situated near the border between China and Russia, is known for its harsh winter which usually lasts eight months.
Formation of ice discs
Ice discs, which are also known as ice circles, ice pans, or ice crepes, came into being due to the fact that warm water is less dense than cold water. The spinning ice circle is formed when the ice melts and sinks into the water body and creates a vortex underneath the chuck, which causes it to rotate. According to National Geographic, the “whirlpool effect” slowly erodes the plate of ice until its edges are smooth and its overall shape is perfectly round.
The very first rotating ice disc was recorded on the Mianus River in the US and published in the Scientific American in 1995. One of the largest and the most famous ice disc was spotted in recent times in Maine. As per reports, it was found in Presumpscot River in downtown Westbrook, Maine. The spectacle was nearly 300 feet in diameter.
Published By : Bhavya Sukheja
Published On: 21 November 2020 at 15:54 IST