Stunning pictures capture blue ice - with some blocks as high as 30 feet tall - forming on the Straits of Mackinac in Michigan

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[h=2]Stunning pictures capture blue ice - with some blocks as high as 30 feet tall - forming on the Straits of Mackinac in Michigan[/h]

NEW Stunning photographs have captured the epic natural phenomenon known as blue ice forming on Michigan's upper and lower peninsulas over the weekend (inset top and bottom). Photographers have flocked to The Great Lake State's shoreline to capture the irregular rectangles towering with the iconic Mackinac Bridge in the background (left). Blue ice occurs when snow falls on a glacier, is compressed, and becomes part of the glacier. Air bubbles are squeezed out and ice crystals enlarge, preventing the passage of light and making the ice appear blue. Dozens of people lined up along the shore to take photos and climb onto the big blocks of ice, some towering over 30 feet tall. A combination of wind and the current pushed the chunks to shore, where they piled up on top of each other to build 'mountains' of ice. One photographer said it had been seven years since she saw blue ice chunks along the Straits of Mackinac, the waterway that flows under the Mackinac Bridge, connecting two Great Lakes - Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.

 

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[h=1]Mountains of rare blue ice form in Michigan: Stunning pictures show stacks of the natural phenomenon up to 30ft high on the shores of the Great Lakes[/h]

• The epic, natural phenomenon was seen forming on Michigan's upper and lower peninsulas over the weekend
• Blue ice is formed when snow falls on a glacier, is compressed, and becomes part of the glacier
• Air bubbles are squeezed out and ice crystals enlarge, preventing light passing through, making the ice appear blue
• Dozens of people lined up along the shore to take photos and climb onto the big blocks of ice, some towering over 30 feet tall
• A combination of wind and the current pushed the chunks to shore, where they piled up on top of each other to build 'mountains' of ice
• One photographer said it had been seven years since she saw blue ice chunks along the Straits of Mackinac
• This is the waterway that flows under the Mackinac Bridge, connecting two Great Lakes - Lake Michigan and Lake Huron

 

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Stunning photographs have captured the epic natural phenomenon known as blue ice forming on Michigan's upper and lower peninsulas over the weekend
Photographers flocked to The Great Lake State's shoreline to capture the irregular rectangles towering with the iconic Mackinac Bridge in the background.
Blue ice occurs when snow falls on a glacier, is compressed, and becomes part of the glacier. Air bubbles are squeezed out and ice crystals enlarge, preventing the passage of light and making the ice appear blue.
In the middle of her work shift Sunday morning, mother-of-three Tori Burley received a text message from her father that excited her: 'The blue ice is back!'

 

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Stunning photographs have capture the epic natural phenomenon known as blue ice forming on Michigan's upper and lower peninsulas

 

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Photographers have flocked to The Great Lake State's shoreline to capture the irregular rectangles towering with the iconic Mackinac Bridge in the background

 

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Blue ice occurs when snow falls on a glacier, is compressed, and becomes part of the glacier. Air bubbles are squeezed out and ice crystals enlarge, preventing the passage of light and making the ice appear blue

 

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In the middle of her work shift Sunday morning, mother-of-three Tori Burley received a text message from her father that excited her: 'The blue ice is back!'

 

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It had been seven years since Burley, a freelance photographer who grew up in Mackinaw City, Michigan, spotted blue ice chunks along the Straits of Mackinac, the waterway that flows under the Mackinac Bridge, connecting two Great Lakes - Lake Michigan and Lake Huron

 

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It had been seven years since Burley, a freelance photographer who grew up in Mackinaw City, Michigan, spotted blue ice chunks along the Straits of Mackinac, the waterway that flows under the Mackinac Bridge, connecting two Great Lakes - Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.
'The blue ice is incredible, when it shows up, it's like these mountains of ice just appear on the shores out of nowhere,' Tori Burley told the Detroit Free Press.

 

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'They're huge, I haven't seen a photo that truly does them justice on just how giant they are.'
Dozens of people lined up along the shore to take photos and climb onto the big blocks of ice, some towering over 30 feet tall.
A combination of wind and the current pushed the chunks to shore, where they piled up on top of each other to build 'mountains' of ice.

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'The blue ice is incredible, when it shows up, it's like these mountains of ice just appear on the shores out of nowhere,' Tori Burley said

 

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Burley said she advises fellow photographers to shoot at sunrise or just before sunset to get the perfect shot

 

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She said: ''The lower light gives the ice the best blue glow and makes it pop a lot more in photos'

 

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Dozens of people lined up along the shore to take photos and climb onto the big blocks of ice, some towering over 30 feet tall

 

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A combination of wind and the current pushed the chunks to shore, where they piled up on top of each other to build

 

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Jeff Caverly, a photographer from Essexville, said two years ago he and his brother were on the way to Tahquamenon Falls and were at a loss for words when they saw the blue ice under the Mackinac Bridge in the afternoon light.
'We grabbed our cameras and took a hike out on the ice to explore,' Caverly told the Press. 'The ice had piled up and there were great views everywhere.'
'It's way prettier up close. When you're standing there, it's just towering right next to you.'

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Jeff Caverly, a photographer from Essexville, said two years ago he and his brother were on the way to Tahquamenon Falls and were at a loss for words when they saw the blue ice under the Mackinac Bridge in the afternoon light.

 

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'We grabbed our cameras and took a hike out on the ice to explore,' Caverly told the Press. 'The ice had piled up and there were great views everywhere'

 

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Another photographer who captured stunning images of the ice formations is Jennifer Cole, the talent behind Jen Cole Photography

 

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A native of Mackinaw City, Cole says there's so much to love about the place where Michigan's two peninsulas meet

 

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'I grew up watching my dad take photos and share that passion with him,' she said. 'I love the beauty of northern Michigan'

 

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Another photographer who captured stunning images of the ice formations is Jennifer Cole, the talent behind Jen Cole Photography.
A native of Mackinaw City, Cole says there's so much to love about the place where Michigan's two peninsulas meet.
'I grew up watching my dad take photos and share that passion with him,' she said. 'I love the beauty of northern Michigan.'
Burley, of trilliumandpine.com, said she advises fellow photographers to shoot at sunrise or just before sunset to get the perfect shot.
'The lower light gives the ice the best blue glow and makes it pop a lot more in photos,' she said.