Originally Posted by HighCountryGirl
This is a very old thread, but I was still unable to find a definitive answer to what is causing these things to appear. When we first saw them hubby & I assumed an animal had fallen through the ice and gotten frozen over - but nobody was ever found in spring. The pond is 8' deep and about the size of a hockey rink. I can get 7"+ thickness out there, and the clear spider veins are darned solid. So welcome to the close of 2022 and we now have Chat GPT to research & find the answer for us. So for anyone who was STILL wondering after 17 years...

Spider-like ice rosettes are formed when thin layers of ice form on top of a frozen pond or other body of water. These rosettes are formed when the thin layers of ice are pushed up by the expansion of the water underneath as it freezes. The ice layers are pushed up in a circular pattern, forming the characteristic "spider-like" appearance of the rosettes. The size and shape of the rosettes can vary depending on the temperature and humidity conditions at the time they are forming.

One way to visualize the process is to imagine a layer of water on top of a frozen pond. As the temperature drops, the water begins to freeze from the bottom up. As the water at the bottom of the layer freezes, it expands and pushes the water above it upwards. This creates a circular pattern of ice on the surface of the pond, with the center of the circle being the highest point. The thin layers of ice that form on top of the water continue to be pushed upwards as more and more water freezes, creating the distinctive spider-like appearance of the rosettes.

It's worth noting that ice rosettes are not a common occurrence, and they are typically only seen in very specific conditions. They tend to form when the temperature is extremely cold and the humidity is low, as these conditions allow the water to freeze quickly and evenly. They are also more likely to form in areas with relatively still water, as the movement of the water can disrupt the formation of the rosettes.

It will also happen when the ice is thawing, the water on top of the ice will make a hole and the "legs" are the rivulets of water running to the hole. Then it gets colder out and it all re-freezes.

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