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Pancake ice mesmerizes on Lake Superior

By FOX 2 Staff
Published  January 4, 2024 5:08pm EST
Great Lakes
FOX 2 Detroit

Pancake Ice forms on Lake Superior

A phenomenon formed on the banks of Lake Superior this week as pancake ice made its way to the greatest of the Great Lakes. Cheryl Koval via Storyful

LAKE SUPERIOR, Mich. (FOX 2) - A very cool sight was spotted on the banks of Lake Superior on New Year's Day and it's an indication that the Great Lakes will, hopefully, freeze soon.

Pancake ice was spotted on the top of Lake Superior in Chequamegon Bay in Ashland, Wisconsin, on Monday, January 1. The cool phenomenon was caught on video by Cheryl Koval, who lives on the shore of Lake Superior.

Pancake ice isn't drastically different from traditional ice. What is different about them, however, is that they are in the form of discs and float on the surface of the water. They can range in size from a foot to 10 feet with a thickness of 4 inches and are typically grouped with rimmed edges. The edges are caused by each disc colliding with the others around it.

Pancake ice occurs in cold conditions on big bodies of water. Lake Superior is the largest of those Great Lakes here. When strong waves don't allow the surface to freeze into a singular sheet of ice, the ice still freezes but forms into a circle in the video here.