Signs

Signs

Similar to the infamous crop circles, Siberia’s Lake Baikal displays mysterious large “ice rings” during March and April.

For years, this phenomenon has puzzled scientists, with speculations ranging from natural causes to extraterrestrial activities.

A team of researchers, however, confirmed that the rings are actually caused by nature itself, USA Today reported.

Hydrologist Alexei Kouraev and his team wrote in their study that eddies of warmer water swirling under the ice are responsible for the odd circles.

His team drilled holes near the ice rings to measure the temperature and salinity of the water below. They noted that the water in the eddies was two to four degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the surrounding water.

The currents rotate in a clockwise direction and are strongest at their outer edges, thinning the ice above in a distinctive shape, Kouraev explained. He added that the reason why the circles’ centers remained frozen was because the current was weak or absent there.

Ice rings have diameters of about three to four miles and can last for days, or even months.

Aside from aliens, scientists had speculated that methane gas emissions from the lake’s bottom were the reason behind the odd circles.

Lake Baikal is the world’s largest and deepest freshwater lake with a unique variety of fish and freshwater seals.