Went down to the pond to see if had started to thaw yet. Temperature was up to 42 today. There was only about 6 inches of open water around the edge of the island. Other than that was still froze solid.

What causes these fractures in the ice? Read one article that said it was Gas holes.
Gas holes are created by a persistent source of gas from rotting vegetation under the lake bottom. The rising bubbles drag up water from a few feet below the surface. This water is usually a couple or three degrees above freezing. The steady flow of above freezing water melts out a bell shaped cavity in the ice. In cold weather there is often just a small hole in the roof of the cavity to let the gas out.

If it actually opened up the ice, it must have froze back. It was still above freezing when I took this picture.

[Linked Image]

Last edited by Learninboutfish; 01/12/25 09:30 PM.
2 Acre, Completed July 2022, CC,BG, Sept. 2022, LMB June 2023, GSF, YBH invasion in 2022. BG, CNBG, RES, 2025, TP seasonal.