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Monday, January 22, 2018
Ice Tables Along the Creek
What I call 'ice tables' form along creeks and rivers and down in the swamps here under certain winter conditions. You start with a 'January thaw' (doesn't matter if it's January; anytime in winter will do), and you get high water levels that flood up or over the banks, or fill the swamp. Then you need a good solid freeze while the water is at that level.
As the thaw ends, and the water level subsides, most of the ice will subside (or crash) back down to lower levels, but sections that have frozen solid around tree and shrub trunks and stems may stay up in mid-air like a table!
This is the case at Wodehouse Creek, the karst system I've written about before where the creek disappears into sinkholes. In the high flows of a winter thaw, the creek backs up above those sinkholes forming a lake. And then you have the ice tables left behind as the creek subsides again.
This is a broader view of the photo above to give you the context. The creek runs right through the middle of the photo.
The Red Osiers that this chunk of ice is frozen to are a definite sign of spring! (Only 2-3 months away!)
Ice frozen on smaller shrubs like these willows will tend to collapse sideways, but if it's frozen to larger trees, it stays up like a flat table - check out the photos below.
So next time you see these ice tables you can be a detective and figure out what's been happening here over the past few days! It's not just the season that's interesting, it's the daily pattern of changes in response to the weather over the season if you look closely enough.
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The colours of those red osiers particularly stands out in these conditions.
ReplyDeleteOnly 2-3 months away. It’s a long winter yet, FG.
ReplyDeleteWho says you only learn by going to school. I keep learning just by reading your Blog.
ReplyDeleteHopefully winter will be gone in less then 2 Months.
Be Safe and Enjoy!
It's about time.
Wow - that 1st pic is so cool! I've never heard of these before.
ReplyDeleteNature is a furniture builder too!! Fascinating to know how they are formed.
ReplyDeleteWow, how cool is that!? Thanks for more new stuff. :-)
ReplyDeleteInteresting formations. Never seen anything like it here.
ReplyDeleteVery nice shots.
ReplyDeleteIt was 79 here in Tampa yesterday. Raining this morning...and will all day. Sigh.
That's a pretty common phenomenon along our larger streams, but always neat to see. It's even more fascinating in wooded wetlands where there's no current to disturb the ice as the water level drops.
ReplyDeleteHello, the ice tables are cool. I have seen something similar on our creeks and rivers here. Lovely photos. Enjoy your day and week ahead!
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've seen such ice tables around here, since it rarely gets cold enough to snow that much. They are really interesting phenomena. :-)
ReplyDeleteSome years we get a lot of these, other years not... just depends on the sequence of freeze and thaw.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting. I have seen these in winter up by the mountain creeks.
ReplyDeleteMB
That's an interesting phenomenon! Glad you documented it for all of us to see.
ReplyDeleteso pretty, a good explanation on the ice tables. the red osiers are beautiful!!!
ReplyDeleteIt's very pretty scenery, I like how the splash of red comes through the snow.
ReplyDeleteYou have the most interesting posts! I have never seen an ice table, but now that we live here in Montana, it might be more likely. Have a 'cool' weekend!
ReplyDelete