The Winter sees Siberia’s Lake Baikal turn to the scene of a unique phenomenon called ‘Baikal Zen.’ Some big stones balance on thin legs made of ice above the surface of the frozen water. The process makes the rocks look as if they were floating in the air.
Some interesting and unique things combined make the lake Baikal one of its kind. It is massive in its size and can be easily mistaken for a sea. It is rated as the largest in terms of its volume, and some say it is the oldest and the deepest lake on earth. These are only the famous facts about the lake Baikal. Other than this, it has many mysterious and unjustified things going alongside, just attributing to increasing its uniqueness.
The Baikal Zen phenomenon is one of many unexplained things in the Lake Baikal, which gives it an almost magical and mystical aura. Considerable in size, Zen-like pebbles balanced perfectly on thin ice can be seen on the frozen lake. Making the rocks appear as floating above the water body. Scientists have been trying to develop logical reasoning for years. However, they haven’t concluded.
Photos having captured the mysterious phenomenon surfaced internet over four years ago. However, most of the population denied the idea calling it a digital manipulation. Later, the mysterious natural phenomenon proved its ground that such a natural phenomenon of art can be formed on the lake’s surface. Although it was marked that no matter how crazy the idea is, it also requires a certain condition to form Baikal Zen, and those conditions are only met in the colder months.
You must be wondering what it actually is. Well, it can be explained as flat, Zen-like stones floating on thin crystals of ice. It makes a magnificent sight that has been undergoing extensive research to determine what actually forms it like this. A team of Ukraine tried to explain the method in the easiest ways through the following presentation back in 2018. You can have a look to understand the mystical formation better.
Conclusion on Baikal Zen formation so far
The mystical phenomenon takes place when the flat Zen stones freeze on the Baikal lake’s surface. The sunlight then heats them to a point where the underneath ice starts to melt. But there is ambiguity involved with this, too, as if it was only heat that played a part to form these, the rest of the ice would melt alongside as well, not leaving the stone to float above the surface of the ice.
Another significant role is played by wind in forming the Baikal Zens over the lake. It prevents the center of the ice from melting when flowing in a specific direction, forming a thin pillar of ice underneath the Zen rocks.
One considerable explanation from a Russian photographer to this mystical phenomenon says, “they are blown on to the ice by the strong winds and wind up freezing in place.”
It is not known until now if a similar phenomenon takes place elsewhere in the world too. However, some sources state that the clear water of Siberian lake also influences the phenomenon in a way, although there aren’t any pictures or evidence of such to happen anywhere else other than the Baikal lake.
