Cold winters like this – with temperatures in the teens and twenties being the norm -- tend to make some people question why they live so far north. Those who stay know that, despite their nastiness, our winters are interesting in their own right and beauty can found in such harsh conditions.
One of the coolest sights of the winter months is out in force this year after a few warmer winters that weren’t conducive to their best development: Niagara County’s Lake Ontario shoreline is now home to countless ice volcanoes and more are being made.
An ice volcano is not a true volcano since it’s not a geological phenomenon. But,
they are called volcanoes by laymen and scientists alike because there is no
better way to describe what happens when the conditions are right and they are
in their full fury.
When the waves come roaring in with heights in excess of 5 feet, they will go
under ice sheets that have formed along the shore. The power of the waves will
plow through a weak point in the ice – a hole or a crack – and spew through
that spot.
Done repeatedly, that hole will grow in size and it is not uncommon to find
blowholes up to 4 feet in diameter. Most become much smaller over time (and
after subsequent freezes), but the waves still must seek the point of least
resistance, so the water continues to break through the ice sheet in that spot
in varying amounts of pressure and spray distance -- in a really good wind you
can see eruptions 10 feet in height.
In a sustained storm, small conical mounds (over 5 feet in height) can appear
over a day’s time because of this ... the spewing water creates its own
mountains. Over days of good wave action, working ice volcanoes can make
mountains up to 20 feet in height and they will continue to shoot water until
the waves come to an end and the volcano becomes capped due to the lack of
water exploding out in volume and consistency.
Ice volcanoes can be found anywhere along the Lake Ontario shore, but the best in
Niagara County are to be found at Golden Hill State Park and Olcott Beach. That
is because the shoreline in those places is somewhat protected by Thirty Mile
Point and the breakwall, respectively, which inhibits a great deal of the predominant
westerly winds and allows for a certain calmness which in turn allows
substantial ice sheets to form along the shore. When the wind shifts to the
north or northeast, that’s when the volcanoes will appear.
To see them in all of their glory, you will want to be there on the windiest,
nastiest day possible, so prepare for the occasion — dress warmly and bring a
facemask or scarf. You do not want to go on a calm day or one with a southwest
wind as you will not see any eruptions (although you will still get to marvel
at the size and shape of the volcanoes).
At Golden Hill, the best spot to see them is in the area near the boat launch,
which is the entrance a quarter mile east of the main entrance to the park
(where the campsites and lighthouse are) on Lower Lake Road in Barker. There is
a spacious parking lot at the boat launch (and there is no admission fee
charged even in-season). In Olcott, park in the hamlet or along Krull Park and
walk to the area of the swimming beach.
A word of advice: do not venture out onto the ice sheet to look at or climb the
volcanoes or mountains. The areas around the volcanoes can be incredibly strong
from the build-up of ice or they can be very weak (there’s a reason water is
blowing through that area) and they can easily cave in, and often do, just from
their own weight.
So, the next time Mother Nature turns on us and you don’t mind taking the ride
out to the lake and facing the elements head on, get out and enjoy the ice
volcanoes. If you are there at the right time and under the right conditions,
they can be pretty awesome ... and in the future you’ll be hoping for more cold
and windy winters.
From the 11 January 2025 Greater Niagara Newspapers
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