Lake Michigan's Massive Ice Balls Look Like Cocoa Puffs

Giant ice balls line the shores of Lake Michigan following this week's deep freeze. The incredible sight was captured by many YouTube videos.

The winter phenomenon is not new. The ice balls, or boulders, form just as the lake begins to freeze, according to AccuWeather meteorologist Jim Andrews, and the motion of the waves molds the ice into spheres.

"Small fragments of floating ice act like seeds," explains LiveScience, "with layers upon layers of supercooled lake water freezing around them as the balls churn in the waves."

The boulders, which are probably the size of basketballs, could weigh up to 75 pounds. They wash up on the shores of the lake like this because solid ice is less dense than liquid water, so it floats. Looks kinda like a giant bowl of Cocoa Puffs.