I Found the Most Unbelievable Miniature Ice Sculptures on a Secluded Beach

Most of my posts on Steemit will be about gardening and homesteading, but one of my many passions is photography.

It was a very cold start to the day, the sunrise was one of pinks and purples and the freezing fog coated trees in a glistening skin. I was on my way to Llyn Brianne reservoir in Mid Wales to do some freelance work for an online permaculture course. We ventured down to one of my favourite hot chocolate spots hidden from the single track road that winds its way along much of the reservoir.

At that hot chocolate spot is a small beach, and we noticed that the whole thing had risen up from the ground. What on earth could have caused this? I usually go to large bodies of water when the weather is a bit warmer, but I am so glad I went in the cold. I doubt what I saw happens every time but I could very much be wrong.

As you can see from this image, ice had appeared from the sand and the silt at the beach and grew like a fungus creating beautiful frozen stems. I then noticed that the ice has actually picked up stones with it and at the top right of the image you can clearly see stones being propped up by the ice. 

Here is another photo I took to demonstrate the strength of the ice. I have never experienced anything quite like it, and this went on for the whole length of the beach (a modest 15m/47ft perhaps?). It was a carpet of tiny ice shafts. Because it was warming up, every now and then you would see a stone drop back onto the beach. 

My guess for the cause of this was that when water freezes it expands so the water in the sand was forced out of the ground, and in fact my hypothesis seems to be correct because after a little research I found a process called ‘frost heaving’ and here is the definition Google gave me:
Noun - ‘The uplift of soil or other surface deposits due to expansion of groundwater on freezing’

I decided to give you a view from the beach looking out towards the reservoir as a bit of context:

If you want to have the high quality versions of these photos then please feel free to contact me on discord @huwsnursery#1449

I always love being in the wilderness. Some of the patterns you come across are absolutely incredible. The fragility of the frost heaving on the beach made it that extra bit more special, and I hope to continue to share some of my findings in nature with you whenever I stumble upon them.

If you have a favourite nature photo then I would love to see it :)