12/26/2021

stars on ice

Another interesting feature of winter on the pond is the 'ice star'  or 'lake star'.  In my search for information about these patterns, I found many theories -- all related to the physics of temperature, moisture, pressure, and ice formation.  One of these theories is that patterns are formed in early winter when a hole allows water to swell up from beneath and spread over the surface, leaving dark fingers of melted ice radiating from the hole.