Mesmerising sea of ‘ice pancakes’ the size of pizzas spans river in the Scottish highlands
A MESMERISING sea of iced pancakes the size of pizzas have covered a river in the Scottish Highlands.
Gamekeeper Peter McKinney, 51, was out working when he snapped the frozen phenomena in Dunearn, Nairnshire.
The father-of-three spotted around 30 of the icy creations shimmering in the sun off a tributary of the River Findhorn.
He was so shocked by the unique spectacle he decided to capture it forever in these stunning photos.
Peter said: "These are extra large ones, they were the size of a big pizza.
"I would say it's rare. I've been working in the country for 35 years and it's the first I've seen them like that.
What are ice pancakes and how do they form?
An ice pancake is a type of ice that is in round pieces that range from being 30 centimetres in diameter to three metres.
Ice pancakes are formed in two ways.
One way is that is formed on water and covers slush or grease ice.
Another way is that it is created by breaking ice rind, which is a shiny crust of floating ice.
"They just stuck out. The sun was hitting them and they just stuck out in that different shape. And the way they were glowing in the sun gave them a different feel."
According to the Met Office ice pancakes form on rivers in cold conditions when foam is sucked into a swirling current of water and freezes into a circle.
Peter added: "It's a strange shape to happen in nature, a circular shape. It's not something you see very often. Not a lot of people have ever seen them.
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"You get them in running water in a river or small river. It's the way the water runs and it comes back on itself and goes around in a circle.
"From the churning water you get foam and scum and whatnot and that just forms a circle.
"Sometimes they're stuck together but these ones are all floating loosely so it must have been perfect conditions for them."
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