- Tourists have flocked to see the rare sight of a floating ice disk on the Liao River
- Locals in north-east China’s Liaoning Province were shocked to see the rare sight
- Social media users are debating how the ice disc might have been made
- The phenomenon is often seen in the Arctic, Scandinavia and Northern Canada
This is the mesmerising moment a giant disc of ice started floating on its own in a Chinese city.
Hundreds of tourists have flocked to see the rare sight of a floating ice disk in the middle of the frozen Liao River in north-eastern China’s Liaoning Province.
The large ice disc could be seen spinning like a record in the middle of the river after it became separated from the frozen surface on New Year’s Day in Faku County.
Locals have been visiting the disc to stand on it before it disappears.
Images being shared on social media shows people bringing their pets along too.
Social media users are continuing to debate how the ice disc might have been made, with experts yet to weigh in on the phenomenon.
Hundreds of tourists have flocked to see the rare sight of a floating ice disk in the middle of the frozen Liao River in north-eastern China’s Liaoning Province
The large ice disc could be seen spinning like a record in the middle of the river after it became separated from the frozen surface on New Year’s Day in Faku County
The phenomenon is often seen in the Arctic, as well as Scandinavia and Northern Canada, but is very rarely seen elsewhere.
One leading theory suggested that the chunk of ice has been slowly ‘carved’ into the perfect circle while spinning in the middle of the river.
However, experts have said this theory is not true, Metro.co.uk reported.
The phenomenon is often seen in the Arctic, as well as Scandinavia and Northern Canada, but is very rarely seen elsewhere.
Physicists from the University of Liege in Belgium said it is caused by temperature in the water rising and becoming more dense.
When the water around the edge of the disc begins to melt, it begins to twist and create a vertical vortex, similar to how a plughole is formed.
The ice then grinds around the surrounding ice forming a perfect circle.
These are often very small in size, but can grow as large as 17m across.
The sight comes almost exactly a year after an ice disc was spotted in Michigan and only a month after a disc stunned families of hikers in a mountain in upstate New York.