There is a strange phenomenon that causes the rock to “float on the water”. A rare natural phenomenon occurs in Lake Baikal in Siberia. These are stones that seem to float on the water.
Not only drawn to the unique natural sites around the lake, the mysteries of Baikal are also what prompts many curious visitors to explore.
In winter, Lake Baikal in Siberia attracts because there is a rare natural phenomenon called “Baikal Zen” which makes it seem like large rocks are floating on the water.
Shared images of the rare phenomenon show large rocks evenly distributed on “feet” above the lake’s surface, giving the impression of floating in the air.
Lake Baikal is an interesting body of water, an area of such a size that it is easy to mess with the sea, and it is also the deepest and oldest lake on Earth, the most large freshwater lake in volume.
Of course, these are just some of the best known facts about Lake Baikal. There are more mysterious things out there that are less known to impart a “mysterious aura”.
The Baikal Zen phenomenon is one of them. Scientists have been studying for many years but still do not have a satisfactory unified explanation.
An interesting phenomenon is formed on the surface of Lake Baikal only in winter when certain conditions arise. Flat rocks resting on thin ice, a few inches above the surface of the lake, appear to float on the water.
It was a magnificent sight, but it also left scientists around the world scratching their heads for a long time.
Experts believe the Baikal Zen phenomenon occurs when the flat rocks on the surface of the lake freeze, but the hot rays of the sun then melt the ice under the rock. However, heat is not the only cause of this phenomenon because if the sun is hot, the ice will melt evenly and there will be no stable pillars of ice for the stone to adhere to.
Therefore, it is possible that occasional strong winds blowing over Lake Baikal played an important role in creating strange phenomena. Strong winds can prevent the central ice column from melting, experts say, while most of the ice beneath the rock melts, creating a concave surface, with the central pillar still being the fulcrum. The strong winds acted like scissors to eventually cause the icicles to turn into small pylons.
According to Russian photographer Elena Vtorushina, who witnessed and photographed the Zen Baikal phenomenon in 2018, the wind is blowing strongly against the ice. It is not clear whether this particular phenomenon is occurring in other parts of the world if the weather permits, but there are opinions that the water in Lake Baikal itself could be the cause.
