The needles are several centimeters long, people are fascinated by them

Apr 29, 2013 12:41 GMT  ·  By

Shortly after rolling out a very wicked whirlpool, Mother Nature has decided to amaze us by creating several piles of absolutely stunning ice needles.

Apparently, the ice needles showed up near Medicine Lake in Minnesota this past weekend. As noticeable in the video above, the needles are several centimeters long and sound just like broken glass when played with.

Sources say that ice needles typically form when the temperature of the soil is well above 0 degrees Celsius (that's 32 degrees Fahrenheit) and the surface temperature of the air stays below said temperature.

Thus, liquid water makes its way to the surface and freezes the moment it becomes exposed to the sub-zero temperatures.

Still, it appears that the ice needles in the video above were the result of warm winds making their way over the thin ice covering Medicine Lake.

This phenomenon is believed to have caused the ice to turn into splinters and accumulate as such on the shore.