Go with the Floe on Lake Superior

The recently-formed ice floes on western Lake Superior were blown toward the shorelines at Duluth, Minnesota on March 4, 2017. As the ice met the rocky shore, it broke into plates and began shuffling and stacking on land. The 1/2" (1-1/4 cm) thick sheet of ice sounded like glass cracking and breaking as it split into plates.

The smooth, dark areas in the video show the ice floe moving toward shore, fueled by easterly winds around 15 mph (24 kph). With little texture to hold it in place, the stacked ice frequently slides down the incline and out onto the ice floe, gliding effortlessly on the smooth surface of the frozen lake. Some clips show many plates being shuffled but few being stacked, likely due to the fairly slow movement of this particular ice floe and its lack of texture to provide a little grip for stacking.

Unlike smaller lakes whose surfaces freeze completely, it is rare for Lake Superior's surface to be fully frozen. Small lakes may have ice shoves in the spring when the surface ice has diminished and is not attached to shorelines. In contrast, the Lake Superior region experiences ice shoves and ice stacking throughout winter whenever the sheets of ice are moved toward shore by wind and waves.

Unfortunately, this winter has produced minimal ice cover on Lake Superior, so ice stacking events have been few and far between. We were grateful to have witnessed this anticipated phenomenon come to life from our front row seats at Brighton Beach.

We enjoyed getting up close and personal with this ice shove event. During part of the shoot, I (Dawn) sat with my tripod and boot nestled into the edge of the stacked ice. It was a fun experience to witness the action at surface level and feel plates of ice pushing against my boot. Once the ice plates started moving my tripod, it was time to shoot from another perspective. :) I never tire of these ice stacking events, and each one I have witnessed has had its own unique characteristics. I particularly enjoyed how the ultra-smooth texture of the ice plates made it very difficult to stack very high on land without sliding down to the ice floe. Those plates looked so graceful as they slid and spun back onto the lake. We hope you enjoy this glimpse into life along the shores of our Great Lake Superior.

If you enjoyed this video footage, please give it a thumbs-up, check out our other videos on our channel, and subscribe if you like what you see. Feel free to comment if you're so inclined.

Explore our inspirations from nature to deepen your connection and enrich your surroundings at www.RadiantSpiritGallery.com. We are passionate about preserving and sharing nature's artistry through photography, its wonders through video, and our experiences through writings. You can support the future of our photography and videography business and outreach by making a purchase through our website or licensing video.

Video © Dawn LaPointe, Radiant Spirit Gallery. Contact us for licensing information.

www.RadiantSpiritGallery.com
...Inspirations from Nature
www.facebook.com/RadiantSpiritGallery
IG: @RadiantSpiritGallery and Dawn.LaPointe

Видео Go with the Floe on Lake Superior канала Radiant Spirit Gallery