Ice Finger of Death Caught on Camera for First Time Freezes Everything In Its Path

Rare footage of a natural phenomenon came into the public’s attention recently, focusing on something called „an ice finger of death”. This unusual manifestation of the force of nature happened in the Antarctic while forming brinicles.
A brinicle is an empty ice tube, which reaches down into the frozen waters of the Antarctic and they were first observed by scientists in the 1960s.
This is one of the first times it has been observed while in action and caught on camera, as these ice-fingers happen only in optimal conditions. They appear in the polar regions, where they have enough space to be formed under blocks of floating ice.
The footage featured here is taken from the BBC’s Frozen Planet series where the crew had special cameras with which to film this amazing thing happening.
Watch the footage to learn more about ice-fingers and how they are formed, and make sure to share this peculiar information with everyone interested in odd natural phenomena.

A diver examines a large brinicle. (Image Credit: Andrew Thurber, Oregon State University)

At Little Razor Back Island, Antarctica, this 3m deep area is home to thousands of brinicles that often extend to the seafloor. Living amongst them are thousands of amphipods that can be seen swimming in this image. While normally only close to the ice, when disturbed the amphipods swarm, much like a nest of bees. (Image Credit: Andrew Thurber, Oregon State University)

Diver Rory Welsh swimming by a 2m long Brinicle in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. (Image Credit: Andrew Thurber, Oregon State University)

VIA: EarthlyMission