Mystery of Giant Ice Circles Resolved

LiveScience.com on Yahoo ^ | 6/1/09 | Jeremy Hsu

[NormsRevenge]

earth 'movements' of a gaseous nature.

[NormsRevenge]

Late in April 2009, astronauts aboard the International Space Station observed a strange circular area
of thinned ice in the southern end of Lake Baikal in southern Siberia. The ice ring had a diameter of 2.7 miles (4.4 km).
Credit: NASA

[Charles Henrickson]

Alien figure skaters?

[MAD-AS-HELL]

fish farts did that?

[JoeProBono]

[ETL]

"methane gas rising from the lake floor represents the likely culprit. Methane emissions can create a rising mass of warm water that begins swirling in a circular pattern because of the Coriolis force, or the phenomenon caused by the Earth's rotation that also helps create cyclones."

From the believe it or not file: As I was reading the above excerpt I was watching a History Channel doct and this same exact subject came up!! It was a segment on giant whirlpools in the ocean created by methane gas below.

[colonialhk]

The oceans we are killing are killing us through global warmng...what about the polar bears... they are doomed by natural methane...noooo!

[Daniel II]

So that’s where the earth’s but*hole is.

[dayglored]

What the heck is that a picture of? Is that person pushing off onto a tiny circular ice floe? Please tell me that is photoshop or something...

[JoeProBono]

"What the heck is that a picture of?"

Ice Circles

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

Close: It would have to be an awfully big fish to fart like that.

More likely a freshwater whale fart. Resembles an underwater volcano emission.

Don’t light any matches there, my Russkie friends.

[MAD-AS-HELL]

A school of fish going in circles that have bad gas after eating anchovies could do that ya know!

[Tanniker Smith]

"methane emissions"??

So the aliens are farting in their spaceship?

[a fool in paradise]

But experts say they can explain the mystery, and it's not aliens - methane gas rising from the lake floor represents the likely culprit.

[JohnCliftn]

Duh, methane? Pfooey. hahaha Lake ice melts in Spring where spring water enters. Lake water freezes in Autumn where lake is calmest.

[InvisibleChurch]

A large coffee mug.

[Jet Jaguar]

LOL!

[dayglored]

>> "What the heck is that a picture of?"

> Ice Circles

Sheesh, ask a stupid question, get.... ;-)

[JoeProBono]

LOL!

[dayglored]

I swear you must have the world’s largest collection of interesting and offbeat images. I’m always impressed by the stuff you post. My hat is off to you...