50+ Mysterious Things Found Trapped in Ice

Ice can be deep, dark blue, and mysterious, or it could simply be keeping your soda at the right temperature. Icy landscapes can be beautiful to look at but treacherous to traverse. Ice may help to preserve us or possibly harbor something more perilous. Water is unique because it commonly exists as a liquid, solid, and gas. It often moves between these forms, and when it does, it sometimes traps things along with it. Sometimes, those things are plain and ordinary; others are mysterious and beautiful. After scouring the internet, we’ve found a few of our own. Here are 50+ mysterious things found trapped in ice.

1. Trapped Bubbles In Canada

This sight that looks like a soda can about to burst from beneath you is from Lake Abraham in Alberta, Canada. However, the bubbles are extremely dangerous since they are frozen methane. If even one of them pops, there can be a significant explosion.

2. Frozen Sign, Russia

This scene is from the aftermath of a severe snowstorm in Russia. The temperatures are so cold that the rain’s droplets froze before the wind could blow them away. Hopefully, no one will need the sign in these conditions soon.

3. Frozen Waterfall

Interestingly, the waterfall is not completely frozen. Only the top layers are frozen, with the water within still flowing. The mist from the waterfall froze before the actual volume of the water could be affected significantly. The surrounding lighting gives it a blue glow. This is extremely rare since the water at the bottom of the fall would usually freeze first. This is not all that dissimilar to what are known as “Slurpee waves.”

4. Frozen Blooms

This is what happens when sudden rainstorms in a predominantly cold region occur. There probably was enough warmth for the plant to grow and bloom. However, the unexpected rainstorm must have frozen them in place, creating this spectacular display of flowers that look alive but have died.

5. Frozen Towering Monoliths

No, these are not trees or even towering rocks that have frozen over. These are geysers. Even if they are associated with extremely high temperatures, the weather here is several degrees below zero. As a result, they froze the moment they sprung.

6. Trash Can With Icicles

This one is not a very rare object. We see and use them multiple times every day. However, seeing such a beautiful pattern of icicles forming on their edge is significantly rarer. This is a great example of how cold temperatures can convert an insignificant object into a sculpture.

7. Waves Crashing Into A ‘Frozen’ Lighthouse

Most of us must have seen waves crashing into a lighthouse, creating magnificent plumes. However, this image from Wisconsin shows something rarer. The wave and all the spray on the lighthouse have frozen in place due to the weather. Unfortunately, it will remain like this until the Sun comes up at full blast.

8. Frozen Toy

This is what happens when a toy is left outside the house in a snowstorm. It creates a horrifying image that will take some time to forget. We know The Muppets is a favorite for many, but you have to admit, this one looks far too disturbing, even for the beloved character, Animal.

9. Crashed Plane

This crash site is from Alaska. The military airplane was carrying 41 passengers and 11 crew. It crashed in 1953 while en route to Anchorage. Unfortunately, the area was so desolate that rescue workers could only reach it in 2003. Unfortunately, there were no survivors. However, imagine the ice’s strength and thickness to support this huge structure for so many years.

10. A Frozen Fox

The image is, undoubtedly, sad. The poor fox must have been out searching for food or water when it fell into the stream, meeting its demise. This is another reason why many creatures hibernate through the winter. Regardless, the extremely low conditions mean not even a single strand of animal fur has decayed.

11. Frozen Mammoth

Mammoths have gone extinct 40,000 years ago. However, their remains can be found in pristine condition. This specimen is so well-preserved that scientists have even found its brain intact. Such a phenomenon is only possible because of the extreme weather conditions prevalent during the time.

Read: Scientists Are Reincarnating the Woolly Mammoth to Return in 4 Years

12. Frozen Alligator

Alligators and crocodiles are some of the oldest living creatures on the plane. They had significantly recognizable ancestors fighting for life with the dinosaurs. As such, the reptiles’ ability to survive extreme conditions has gone a long way to ensuring their survival. For example, this alligator may look frozen and dead but is, in fact, not so. It can snap at any prey that comes close to it.

13. Frozen Dinosaur Remains

This dinosaur fossil is believed to be 110 million years old. Paleontologists discovered it frozen under the tundra. They theorize that the creature froze to death during a snowstorm. Over the millions of years, more snow and ice built up, preserving it extremely well.

14. Frozen Kingfisher

Even if it looks rare, fishermen in colder regions often come across sights like these. The kingfisher probably dived in and froze before it could come out again. Today, it sits in a museum as a featured exhibit that warns viewers about how dangerous freezing weather can be.

15. Frozen Viking Boat

In Juvfonna, Norway, one of the most significant areas for finding Viking artifacts exists. One of their wooden boats has not decayed because of the cold weather. Scientists have also encountered leather goods, arrows, bows, and even reindeer traps.

16. Glacial Forests

The low temperatures associated with glaciers usually mean that no life can exist. In fact, even as they spread, they uproot trees. However, some ancient forests continue thriving in such areas because of a natural layer known as “sediment moraine.” Life finds a way.

17. Frozen Bacteria

Bacteria are one of the few living creatures that can survive indefinitely, even after being frozen. As such, the Arctic can contain frozen pathogens from millions of years ago, because it lacks oxygen, which can wreak havoc on our immunity system. Sometimes, frozen landscapes are better left undisturbed.

18. A Frozen Body In The Alps

This frozen human corpse actually dates back over three centuries! Scientists named it “Long Ago Man”. They found the corpse along with a walking stick, 95 animal felts, and a fur coat. He was probably one of the earliest explorers in the area – a testament to his adventurousness.

19. The Ice Man

This mummified remains was also found in the Alps. Known as the Otzi Ice Man, he is believed to be about 5300 years old. The preserved remains had an arrow lodged in the shoulder. He also had several health issues, including worn joints, gum disease, and gallstones.

20. Frozen Cave Lions

Cave lions, or more popularly known as sabretooth tigers, were inhabitants of Siberia for several centuries. This well-preserved specimen was discovered frozen in Yakutia, Siberia. Scientists believe the creature weighed 881 pounds.

21. Frozen Ancient Weapon

This object is known as the atlatl dart. Scientists believe that the item was a hunting tool. Depending on the hunter’s preference, it could be between 4 and 6 feet long. In fact, scientists believe there are communities that still use this ancient weapon today.

22. Frozen Spores

These bacteria were recently discovered, along with the spores generated by it. Scientists believe that they are at least 250,000 years old. Because of its spores, the bacteria could survive till they were discovered and brought to a location with a more comfortable temperature.

23. Frozen Runoff

Most probably, some runoff water was flowing down from the mountain when there was a sudden plunge in temperature. This made the water literally freeze as it was. As such, the ice does not look like a surface that can be climbed up.

24. Ice Table

Who said only nature can be creative with freezing temperatures? It seems like the only thing keeping this group of people from playing beer pong was a table. So they made a table and some natural refrigeration for the alcohol.

25. Riding A Horse Over A Frozen Landscape

Riding a horse over a frozen lake like that requires bravery. For one, all those white lines look awfully like cracks. Moreover, the vein-like lines beneath the surface are also ice. It almost looks like the two are riding over the skin of some giant creature.

26. Frozen Statue

Firstly, no, this is not a man. This is a metal statue of an old man with quite a glum look on his face. The spectacular thing to note here is how the icicles have formed on the metal surface. It’s pretty much like they are jagged but symmetrical thorns.

27. Frozen Bubble

We have seen a lake full of frozen bubbles. Now behold a frozen bubble of air all by its lonesome. This one, in particular, has not yet completely frozen over. You can still see the thin film of the unfrozen bubble at the top. Eventually, it will become an ice sphere.

28. Geo Lake

This is a lake in Oregon whose surface has frozen and made such beautiful, intricate patterns. Nature is more of a geometrical perfectionist than we will ever possibly be. It is difficult to imagine that all of this is just water.

29. Frozen Fish

Usually, even if the surface freezes, the water underneath remains liquid, so the fish survives. However, in some cases, so much snow covers the frozen ice on the ocean’s surface that the fish underneath do not get enough oxygen or light to remain alive. This results in them being frozen alive inside boxes of natural ice, which can wash ashore.

Read: Pool installation unearths bones that date back to ice age

30. Frozen Ripples

These are ripples frozen in ice in a scene that feels like time has stood still. The rocks must have hit the water moments before the stream froze, leading to these intricate patterns. It is not only an example of Nature’s beauty but also an example of how quick freezing can be.

31. Frozen Volcano

It’s not a volcano exactly, but it is more like a volcano-like structure. When there is repeated freezing and melting in an area, the ground can build up into a structure that resembles a volcano. Particularly, the pressure of the frozen water, pushes the surrounding ground to jut out, resembling a volcanic crater.

32. Frozen Bone Pits

In 1942, a Himalayan forest guard discovered a horrifying pit of human bones from a lake near the mountain range that thawed during the summer months. Scientists date them to 850 AD. Locals believe that the people had died by angering a deity while in the midst of a celebration.

33. Frozen Wooly Rhino

In 2014, scientists in Serbia discovered a confusing carcass named Sasha. At first, they believed it to be some kind of a reindeer. However, they later realized that it had a much closer resemblance to a rhino. Sasha remains one of the only specimens of the wooly rhino.

34. Frozen Plant

Once more, in Siberia, in 2012, several plant species that were previously unknown to man were discovered frozen beneath the depths. Apparently, a squirrel had burrowed deep within these samples during the ice age. The depth has preserved it and can provide valuable insight into how the plants have evolved in the modern day.

35. Gamburtsev Mountain Range

Rising to about 11200 feet or 3390 meters, this mountain range lies completely submerged beneath merely 600 meters of ice in the Antarctic. Scientists still cannot understand how the range exists like this without eroding away under such a thin layer of ice.

36. Frozen Yacht

On April 7th, 2012, Mar Sem Fim, a Brazilian yacht, capsized off of Maxwell Bay in Antarctica. A Brazilian journalist and a crew of four men were on board as they headed to film a documentary. Fortunately, everyone survived, but the weather made the rescuers take two days. The sunken wreck still sits a few meters below the water’s surface.

Read: ‘Like Time Travel’: Explorer’s Ship Found Off Antarctica’s Coast 100 Years After South Pole Expedition

37. Frozen Frog

The poor frog must have been searching for food or a lily pad when a snowstorm hit him. The icicles have given him eyebrows and a beard for the beholders to witness. It is a tragic fate but a slightly artistic one.

38. Frozen Truck

It seems like the truck had some engine issues, leading to it being abandoned in a desolate area. A later snowstorm then rolled around and froze every surface on it solid. The sight definitely makes you wonder about the power of Mother Nature.

39. Frozen Floral Mural

These are actually flowers that have frozen shortly after they fell on the ground. A surprise frost had probably forced them off of the branches onto a damp ground. There, they froze in spectacular fashion to create this beautiful mural.

40. Frozen Dragonfly

There is no lack of predators for a dragonfly. However, their agility is one of the best in the world. Unfortunately, not even that could save this particular specimen from being in place. The insect was possibly looking for food or shelter when a cold spell arrived.

Read: Female Dragonflies Will Literally Fake Their Own Deaths To Avoid Males

41. Frozen Spider Web

The spider’s silk is one of the strongest organic materials in the world. Moreover, the weaving is so intricate and beautiful that it is extremely difficult for even humans to replicate. However, this web will not serve the intended function since it is frozen solid. Nevertheless, it does make for a spectacular sight.

42. Frozen Cherries

Cherry trees usually bloom in spring and bear fruits during late spring, the beginning of summer. As such, it is safe to say that these cherries experienced an off-season cold spell, resulting in chilled cherries straight on the tree’s branches.

43. Frozen Staircase

This stairwell can very well serve for a short toboggan ride. However, for anyone looking to use it, it will be extremely treacherous. It is a beautiful white scene for an onlooker but a nightmare to clean up for the house owner.

44. Frozen Puppy

Dating back to about 12,460 years, scientists unearthed this near-perfect preserved remains of a frozen puppy. They were originally searching for wooly mammoths. However, this find shows how long our canine friends have been around.

45. Bloody Glacier

No, it is not a fake scene from a horror movie, and no, that is not blood. That is actually iron-rich water melting out of a glacier in Antarctica. Scientists believe that rock particles, iron, the ocean, and the glacier all contributed to the formation of this rare mixture that caused the macabre scene.

46. World War I Remains

From 1915 to 1918, the “White War” was fought by Austria and Italy as part of the First World War. Their border lay in the Alps, so naturally, their soldiers had to brave the intense cold while fighting for their lives. Even today, researchers discover the remains of soldiers and all kinds of war supplies being slowly melted out.

47. Frozen Penny

In cold regions, icicles are not really rare. However, what is rare is having a penny stuck inside an icicle. That seems to have been the case in this picture. There must have been a penny on the roof that flowed down the drain and froze just as it came down.

48. Frozen Cloud Sculpture

Although the picture shows flowing water, the frozen formation was created when the temperature dropped below freezing. Moreover, it is not a cloud. It is actually just a thick layer of ice over a rock. Leave it to Nature to create the most interesting replicas of itself.

48. Frozen Egg

This is one of those wacky things you may wonder about but never really encounter. However, one person decided to try and see if it was possible. As such, somehow, they managed to break the eggshell just enough to let the yolk flow through. However, it was cold enough to freeze the whole liquid in place.

49. Bronze Age Tunic

This is a woolen tunic that’s been woven by hand and dates back to 300 A.D. It was discovered in 2011 in Norway. Archaeologists theorize that it probably belonged to a reindeer hunter. It was heavily worn and found in a crumpled ball.

50. Viking Age Mittens

Dating back to about 900 A.D. this singular mitten was made from stiching together several different types of textiles. It was discovered in central Norway near a village called Lom. Even people back then knew the importance of keeping their hands warm.

Read: Polar bears caught feeding on a whale carcass in breathtaking photos