It’s Not Aliens…

Last night as the sun fell behind the clouds, you could hear a low baritone song emanating from beneath the lake ice that sounded to me as if a lost whale was searching for the way out. Sometimes in winter the lake will moan, crack, and boom. Sometimes you’ll hear a sound like Star Wars lasers shooting from one side of the lake to the other. It’s not aliens.

What’s happening is that the “solid” ice on the surface of the lake is bending, vibrating, and cracking. Changing temperatures, strong winds and moving water below can all work with the ice to produce all sorts of amazing sounds. The bluffs surrounding the lake can help to amplify the sound and create echoes and delays.

Of course, when you don’t know too much about science or nature, lake sounds can trigger some strange ideas.  In fact, just a month ago in Colorado, one man was convinced that “White Sphere” Aliens were hiding under a local lake!  You can read that story here if you like –  Mysterious sounds heard underneath frozen lake in Colorado spark alien conspiracy theories – New York Times

Well, maybe it’s not aliens but it is another cool thing to check out when you visit Devil’s Lake State Park during the winter months. Nature is pretty amazing!

Learn More – Hear Ice Sing! from Science Rendezvous

Derrick Mayoleth

For nearly 2 decades the Skillet Creek blog has focused on 3 main goals; To inspire you to visit and explore the Devil’s Lake region, to help you get the most your visit by sharing tips, events, and other helpful information. Lastly to advocate for our environment & wildlife and talk about how we can keep our natural areas amazing now and into the future! That last goal can sometimes cause controversy, but it’s the only way we can accomplish the first two. – Derrick Mayoleth, Owner.