Odd Pancake-Like Ice Shapes Form In Chicago Frozen Lake

Strange ice formations showed up on Lake Michigan along Chicago's shoreline.

According to CNN, photos taken at Loyola Beach at Rogers Park displayed "ice pancakes" in the frozen lake.

The photos were captured by Sharan Banagiri. Banagiri said the images were taken on a walkway going to the lighthouse.

Over the weekend, the freezing cold temperatures brought the highest ice coverage to the Great Lakes that's been recorded in six years.

This time of year is when the cold temperatures form odd shapes in frozen waters, such as ice pancakes, ice bits and ice balls, CNN reported.

Ice pancakes are exactly what they sound like, frozen round pancake-like discs floating around bodies of water.

According to Met Office, there are two ways ice pancakes can form.

"In oceans, seas and lakes the discs are created when waves cause forming pieces of ice to knock against each other rounding their edges as they freeze and grow. Small rims are created on the edges as the knocking causes splashing water to freeze and join the rim.

They are also believed to form when foam on a river begins to freeze which begin to join together and as they are sucked into an eddy (a swirling current of water) and form into a circular shape as a result. As other bits of frozen foam and ice hit the forming disc they freeze to it and increase its size."

Below is a picture Banagiri shared with CNN showcasing the ice pancakes.