Incredible pic shows 50ft ice 'gems' on frozen lake in Siberia

Filed under: Travel News

Solent

This amazing picture shows one of the world's most beautiful natural phenomenons - ice hummocks - in all their shimmering glory.

Russian landscape photographer Alex El Barto Trofimov travels almost 400 miles south from his home in the heart of Siberia to shoot pictures of one of the world's oldest freshwater lakes, Lake Baikal, which he describes as "a real jewel of our planet".

During March, a combination of the temperature, wind, and sun cause the lake's frozen surface to crack and form these majestic turquoise-coloured blocks of ice akin to oversized precious gems.

The ice hummocks are enormous, with some reaching over 50ft.

According to weather.com, the 25 million-year-old lake is so clear that when the water freezes over in the winter it is possible to see over a 100 feet below it.

But, although it's beautiful, it can be a treacherous place to take snaps, and Baikal describes it as unpredictable. With temps plunging to -38C, frostbite and hypothermia are a threat.

But, according to the Daily Mail, he can't wait to go back for another photo shoot. He said: "There's still a lot of unexplored places in Lake Baikal and my job as a photographer is to show people the miracles of the nature here.

"I am pleased with my photos but I want to go back and take some more interesting and unusual shots."

See more of Alex's pics on his website.

The world's most extreme places

World's coldest place: Antarctica
 Deep within the Arctic Plateau, a site known as Ridge A, more than 4,000m above sea level, has the coldest average temperatures ever recorded on earth, at -70C.  Will Saunders, who led a study team of scientists to find the coldest spot, described it thus: "It's so calm that there's almost no wind or weather there at all."
Where is the world's oldest continually inhabited city?
World's oldest continually inhabited city: Damascus
 This is a bit of a contentious one, as several other spots in the Middle East also claim the title, including Jericho, and Sidon in Libya. But archaeologists claim there is evidence of human habitation dating back at least 11,000 years in Damascus. Today, it's a metropolitan area that is home to 2.5 million people.
Where will you find the world's greatest vertical drop?
World's greatest vertical drop: Mount Thor, Canada
 This spectacular mountain, in Auyuittuq National Park on Baffin Island, Nunavut, has a sheer 4,100ft  drop, with an average of 105 degrees. Despite its remote access, it's popular with rock climbers seeking a thrill... but we reckon you'd need to be mad to try it.
Which is the highest capital city in the world?
World's highest capital city: La Paz, Bolivia
 Surrounded by canyons and occupying a huge crater bowl 3,600m above sea level on the Altiplano highlands, La Paz leaves you breathless in more ways than one. The city lays claim to the title of highest capital city above sea level (and it boasts the highest airport, too). Second-highest is Quito, Ecuador (2,850m), followed by Bogota in Colombia (2,580m).
Which is the world's longest river?
World's longest river: River Nile, Africa
 Stretching 6,670km (4,160 miles), the Nile flows northwards, beginning in Burundi and stretching through several countries including Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt, stretching into the Mediterranean Sea.
Where is the coldest inhabited place on earth?
World's coldest inhabited place: Omyakon, Russia
 This  small village of around 500 people in the Sakha region of Siberia holds the record for the lowest temperature ever recorded by a permanently inhabited settlement. The lowest temperature recorded here is -71.2C Average temperatures range from -45C in winter to 10C in summer, making it the place with the most significant temperature difference in the world too. It's not an easy place to visit: the nearest city is a three-day drive away...
Where is the hottest place on earth?
World's hottest place: Lut Desert, Iran
 There's a debate over the hottest place on earth, but with the mercury reaching 70.7C, Iran's Lut Desert has held the highest recorded temperature on the planet since 2005. The 480 sq km area is strewn with dried lava rock, which absorbs the heat of the sun. It's so hot that it's considered abiotic, meaning that no life can be sustained here. Not the best place for a holiday, then...
Where is the highest waterfall on earth?
World's highest waterfall: Angels Falls, Venezuela
 The highest waterfall in the world, also known as Kerepakupai meru (waterfall of the deepest place) drops nearly a kilometre. 3,212ft (979m) with a clear drop of 2,647ft (807m).
What's the world's highest mountain?
World's highest mountain: Mount Everest, Himalayas
 With a peak of 29,028ft (8850m), Everest is five and a half miles above sea level.The world's best known and tallest mountain straddles Tibet and Nepal and is believed to be at least 60 million years old. Thinking of going? The number of people who have attempted to climb Everest is around 4,000. Number of people who have succeeded: Less than 700.
Where is the closest point on earth to the moon?
World's closest point to the moon: Mount Chimborazo, Ecuador
 Ok, so at 21,000ft, it's not as tall as Everest. But it's actually closer to the moon and stars than anywhere else on earth, due to the curvature of our planet. This also means its summit is the farthest point on the earth's surface from its centre.
Where is the coldest place on earth?

Weird weather and strange phenomena around the world

Tornados, USA
 Tornados have been ripping through parts of the USA at an alarming rate during 2011. This example was captured on camera in Limestone County, Alabama, in April. A tornado is a violent, rotating column of air that it is contact with a cumulonimbus cloud and the ground. Also called twisters, they’re characterised by the condensation funnel that touches the earth, and are surrounded by clouds of dust or debris.
Frozen canal, Scotland
 On 11 January, 2010, two pranksters decided to drive their car along the frozen Union Canal in Winchburgh, West Lothian, Scotland. Unfortunately for them, the thaw had already started to set in. The canal froze solid during he longest spell of freezing weather in the UK for almost 30 years.
Dust storm, India
 This dust storm engulfed the desert city of Bikaner, in the western Indian state of Rajasthan on 2 April, 2010. The town was already broiling in temperatures of 39C. Dust storms happen when strong wind carries loose sand and dust away from one area and deposits it in another.
Northern Lights, Alaska
 This image of the Northern lights was captured in the Takotna, Alaska checkpoint during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in March 2011. Occurring just within the Arctic and Antarctic circles, the Northern lights – or Aurora borealis, to give them their Latin name – are the light display in the sky caused by the collision of charged particles directed by the Earth's magnetic field.
Rainbow, UK
 This impressive rainbow resulted from a spectacular storm and was photographed in Brandon Hill Park near Clifton, Bristol, in the UK on 27 August, 2010. The rainbow seems to rise from the top of Cabot Tower - which is itself 105ft tall - showing its immense scale. Rainbows are an optical phenomenon that occur when the sun shines on to moisture droplets in the atmosphere.
Freezing rain, USA
 This set of footprints in freezing rain was snapped in Lexington, Kentucky, USA on 16 December, 2010. Rain that falls and becomes ‘supercooled’ when surface temperatures are below freezing point can freeze on impact with anything it touches, unlike snow which remains only partially frozen. The resulting ice is known as glaze. Freezing rain is one of the deadliest weather conditions, bringing down power line and causing numerous road traffic accidents and personal injury.
Smog, Russia
 This example of smog was pictured hanging over Moscow, on 7 August, 2010, and was caused by the billowing smoke from peat bog and forest fires. Smog was originally a description of the pollution resulting from factory smoke and fog in the 1900s. Today it’s more often caused when sunlight reacts with car exhaust, coal power plants or factory emissions and the compounds released from petrol, paints and solvents.
Hurricane, Porto Rico
 This crashing wave was caused by the approaching of the Hurricane Earl in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, in August, 2010. Earl battered some islands across the northeastern Caribbean with heavy rain and roof-ripping winds, rapidly intensifying into a major storm on a path projected to menace the United States. Hurricanes are triggered by low pressure areas forming over warm ocean waters.
Supermoon, around the world
 In March 2011, the 'supermoon' was the closest it had been to earth for18 years lighting up the night sky from just 221,567 miles (356,577 kilometers) away. This snap was taken from Huntington Beach in Los Angeles.
Rainstorms, China
 Rainstorms come and go, but not usually as dramatically as this downpour which completely flooded the town of Wuzhou in southwest China on 9 June, 2010, proving that the trusty umbrella isn’t always protection enough...
Volcanic ash cloud, Iceland
 Ash covered everything for thousands of miles after the eruption of Iceland's Grimsvotn volcano in May 2011 sent clouds of ash high into the air, carrying it toward the European continent on the wind, disrupting flights for the second time in less than a year.
Lightning, Zurich
 This magnificent lightning strike hit a tower during a thunderstorm in Zurich, Switzerland on 12 August, 2010. Lightning occurs when the balance between the negative charge of storm clouds and the positive charge of the earth is redressed by a current passing between the two - with literally stunning results.
Sun halo, Arctic circle
 This halo around the sun was photographed  on the island of Spitsbergen in the Arctic Circle on 19 April, 2011. These halos - spectacular and eerie at the same time - are caused by ice crystals in high clouds. They tend to occur during the summer months, during ‘midnight sun’ season in the Arctic and Antarctic Circles.