Buzz
The ice cubes floating in your soda are no mere chillers. They come from a remarkable substance that leads to incredible phenomena like the emerald green icebergs of Antarctica and even ice volcanoes on distant planets.
This frosty marvel can move in the blink of an eye, preserve things for millennia, and even serve as a critical material during nuclear disasters. Across the globe, from China to Norway, ice is honored in grand festivals that showcase its beauty and strange qualities.
10. The Timeless Ice Pop
On a scorching day, an ice pop can melt so quickly that you might find yourself licking your hand more than the treat. But in 2018, a British company came up with a solution, unveiling the world's first "non-melting ice lolly."
While it does eventually melt, this ice pop lasts significantly longer than the typical kind. Bompas & Parr, the creative company behind this innovation, is famous for its quirky food creations, like flavored fireworks. Their clever approach to solving the dreaded ice pop drip was a breakthrough.
Back in World War II, Geoffrey Pyke invented pykrete—ice infused with wood pulp and sawdust. Pyke dreamed of using it to build aircraft carriers, a vision supported by Winston Churchill. Unfortunately, the project was canceled due to high costs, and Pyke tragically took his own life. Little did he know, his invention would later inspire the creation of the non-melting ice lolly.
The concept of pykrete inspired the key design of the ice pop's heat resistance—fruit fiber strands. Though the idea may seem simple, it took a year to perfect, with the ice pop finally launching in an apple flavor. Thanks to the fibers, this version is a bit chewier than your average ice pop.
9. The Enormous Spinning Disk
In the winter of 2019, a remarkable sight appeared in Maine's Presumpscot River. Near a bend in the water, a massive disk of ice spun lazily, measuring 100 meters (330 feet) across.
This slowly rotating ice swirl was striking, but not entirely rare. Given the right conditions, nature can easily create such formations. A large eddy, typically where a river curves, traps ice chunks.
The ice disk in Maine likely began with small ice fragments caught in the egg-shaped whirl of the eddy. As more ice was carried downstream, the swirling motion and its impact with the shoreline caused the pieces to collide and freeze into a single solid disk. The continued motion of the eddy and friction against the banks gave the disk its perfect circular shape.
The Presumpscot River has probably produced similar ice disks before, and in 1993, North Dakota saw a similar phenomenon. The Sheyenne River formed a smaller disk when ice collected at an eddy.
8. The Collapse of Larsen B
Larsen B, an ice shelf in Antarctica, had been known for its remarkable stability, standing strong for about 10,000 years. However, in 2002, it disintegrated in just a matter of weeks. A massive chunk of around 3,250 square kilometers (1,250 mi) of ice broke off and plunged into the ocean, marking the first time such a vast amount of ice had disappeared so rapidly.
The only noticeable warning sign was dramatic. Over 2,000 meltwater lakes had appeared across the shelf in the months leading up to the collapse. These lakes form during the summer months when melting ice collects in depressions. Since each of these lakes could hold more than a million tons of water, scientists began to wonder if their combined weight might have been the catalyst for Larsen B's disintegration.
In 2016, the hypothesis was put to the test. As the melt season approached, several basins on the McMurdo Ice Shelf were equipped with sensors. The gathered data confirmed that the accumulating meltwater lakes caused the shelf to bend under the added weight.
McMurdo made it through the season, but during a theoretical test, the shelf 'collapsed' when the lakes grew slightly larger and moved closer together. This was essentially the key piece of evidence for the eventual breakdown of Larsen B.
7. The Frozen Mountain Range
The Gamburtsev Mountains, Antarctica’s largest mountain range, is roughly the size of the European Alps. Yet, no one had ever seen these massive peaks in person until recently.
The entire range is covered by a thick layer of ice, reaching up to 3,050 meters (10,000 feet) deep. This icy cover is what keeps the 100-million-year-old mountains appearing remarkably young. Typically, mountains of such age would have been heavily eroded, but the ice likely slowed or paused this natural process when it encased the range.
In a four-week project that concluded in 2009, scientists flew over the Gamburtsevs in planes equipped with radar, which mapped the area below and revealed an extraordinary landscape. The mountain peaks were found to be 2,700 meters (8,850 feet) above sea level, and deep valleys were filled with rivers and lakes.
Interestingly, in certain areas, the water appeared to flow uphill. The immense pressure from the ice above helped push the water against gravity. At higher altitudes, however, the water froze, creating the layer of ice that has preserved the Gamburtsevs.
6. Fukushima’s Ice Barrier
In 2011, an earthquake and tsunami devastated a nuclear plant in Japan, and the repercussions are still being felt. One of the most severe issues is water contamination. To address this, in 2017, the Japanese government developed a plan to prevent radioactive water from leaking out of the Fukushima plant and contaminating groundwater.
An underground barrier made entirely of permafrost was built, extending 30 meters (100 feet) deep and 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) in length. The total cost of the project was $320 million.
From the outset, the ice wall faced criticism. It quickly became clear that while the barrier slowed the spread of contamination, it did not stop it entirely. Radioactive water continued to leak at a rate of 500 tons per day. On the positive side, around 300 tons could be pumped out for purification. Prior to the installation of the ice wall, the situation had been even worse.
However, the project remains costly. The permafrost barrier demands an annual maintenance fee of $9.5 million. For now, it stands as the most effective solution for a plant so contaminated that even robots are unable to enter and clean the uranium locked inside.
5. Ice Volcano
Ceres is a peculiar body. From the 1800s to the present day, astronomers have reclassified it three times. It was first identified as a planet, then downgraded to an asteroid, and most recently, reclassified as a dwarf planet.
This shape-shifting object is also significant for another reason—the discovery of cryovolcanism. This phenomenon happens when ice volcanoes erupt, releasing boiling saltwater instead of molten lava. Although scientists suspected the existence of cryovolcanoes in the solar system, none had been found until then.
In 2016, NASA’s Dawn mission studied the 965-kilometer-wide (600 mi) Ceres. The focus was on Ahuna Mons, a colossal mountain rising 3,962 meters (13,000 ft) tall and spanning 17.7 kilometers (11 mi) across its base.
The discovery of such a massive cone on a small dwarf planet was surprising. Even more unusual was the fact that it stood alone. But its shape and isolation were strong indicators of volcanic activity. (Only volcanoes can create solitary mountains.) Furthermore, Ahuna Mons was composed entirely of ice, complete with a volcanic dome, slopes, and peak, similar to volcanoes found on Earth. All evidence points to Ahuna Mons being the first documented cryovolcano.
4. Ice Instruments
At the 2018 Ice Music Festival in Norway, the stage itself was sculpted entirely from ice. Musicians performed on instruments made from the frozen waters of Lake Finse and a local glacier. Drums, woodwinds, guitars, trumpets, and harps were all crafted to mimic—and produce sounds like—their traditional counterparts. The festival also introduced the world’s first ice double bass and saxophone, each with two openings.
When it comes to music, many are astonished by how closely the ice instruments resemble their conventional versions. The primary distinction, however, is the volume. The cold instruments whistle, thump, and sound off in softer tones. Additionally, musicians face a unique obstacle: playing without gloves is essential to ensure the sound quality, so they perform bare-handed.
Playing an ice guitar in subzero conditions can numb the fingers of any musician. During a performance, artists alternate between warming their hands or continuing to play, making it a challenging experience.
The most intriguing aspect of the ice instruments lies in their origins. When carved from natural ice, they create acoustically accurate sounds. However, instruments made from artificial ice (such as from a freezer) lack these same sonic qualities.
3. Ice VII
In 2018, the fastest form of ice was discovered inside diamonds. Found deep underground, Ice VII grows at an astonishing speed of over 1,600 kilometers per hour (1,000 mph).
Laboratory experiments unveiled a few intriguing properties of this fast-moving ice. It forms under conditions of both high pressure and temperature. Interestingly, it can either freeze almost instantaneously or gradually form from the surface down.
The two different behaviors baffled scientists until they realized that Ice VII doesn’t freeze water in the typical manner. Usually, lowering heat is necessary for a liquid to solidify. However, in the case of Ice VII, it expands rapidly as it cools, defying the usual freezing process.
Ice VII begins to form within molecular clusters, avoiding the usual heat issue and enabling the ice to spread in mere nanoseconds. The direction it spreads—either explosively or downward from the surface—depends on the temperature difference between the water and the ice crystals.
This unusual ice might assist in the search for extraterrestrial life, but ironically, it could also help rule out lifeless worlds. The extreme pressure required to create Ice VII is several thousand atmospheres, far too much to support life. Any alien planet with such conditions is likely devoid of life.
2. Green Icebergs
The Southern Ocean is home to many icebergs, but some of them are strikingly green. In 1988, scientists discovered one near East Antarctica. Even more remarkable than its color was the clarity of the ice, which appeared as smooth and clear as solid glass, free of bubbles. Unlike typical blue ice from ancient glaciers, this green ice is a rare find.
Initially, these green icebergs appeared to be a strange anomaly of nature. However, further investigation revealed that they might have an important role in distributing ocean nutrients. The green ice did not originate from land glaciers but from the undersides of floating ice shelves.
A recent study found that the Amery Ice Shelf, the source of the 1988 iceberg, contained high levels of iron. This iron was the result of rocks being ground into powder by glaciers slowly moving over them. Eventually, the iron makes its way into ice shelves and oxidizes once it reaches the seawater.
Iron oxide particles take on a green color when light passes through them. These icebergs likely spread iron to phytoplankton, helping them survive in remote areas where they typically could not thrive.
1. The Harbin Festival
Each winter, China holds a dazzling festival dedicated to all things ice. In 2019, the 35th Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival anticipated 10 million visitors.
For two months, visitors wandered through monumental ice and snow sculptures. These included massive creations like castles and the Colosseum, all made from giant ice blocks. The real enchantment, however, occurred at night when the sculptures were illuminated from within in a variety of colors, creating a fantasy atmosphere that almost made people forget the biting cold.
Sightseers had no time to get bored. The ice sculptures stretched across 743,000 square meters (8 million ft) in Harbin. Creating this winter wonderland required 113,000 cubic meters (4 million ft) of ice, which was rapidly transformed by an army of thousands of workers who carved the massive blocks.
In addition to the stunning ice architecture, the festival featured subzero swimming, mass weddings, and competitive snow sculpting.
