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Anyone for a snowball fight? 

By 0 and 0 and 0
04 November 2016

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'We have them only in one place. It's as if someone spilled them. They are all of different sizes, from tennis balls to volleyball.' Picture: Ekaterina Chernykh

Like thousands of white cannonballs dumped on the beach, you think these have to be manmade, perhaps part of some sculpture exhibition. But the giant snowballs are entirely natural, although the sight has not been witnessed here in living memory. 

It was ten days ago that the villagers of Nyda, just above the Arctic Circle, started noticing the phenomenon. Some are the size of tennis balls. Others almost as large as a basketball. 

Local resident Ekaterina Chernykh said: 'We have them only in one place. It's as if someone spilled them. They are all of different sizes, from tennis balls to volleyball. 

Map


Snowballs

It was ten days ago that the villagers of Nyda, just above the Arctic Circle, started noticing the phenomenon. Pictures: The Siberian Times, Sergey Bychenkov

'We all were very surprised. Many people believed it only when saw with they own eyes. This has not happened previously. And there was not so much snow for them to form. It's so interesting.'

Valery Akulov, from the village administration, said: 'Even old-timers say they see this phenomenon for the first time. These balls appeared about a week and a half ago.

Snowballs


Snowballs


Snowballs

'We all were very surprised. Many people believed it only when saw with they own eyes. This has not happened previously.' Picture: Ekaterina Chernykh, Social media

'When the water in the gulf rose, it came into contact with the frost. The beach began to be covered with ice. Then the water began to slowly retreat, and the ice remained. Its pieces were rolling over in the wet sand, and turned into these balls.'

Spokesman for the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) Sergey Lisenkov said: 'It is a rare natural phenomenon. As a rule, grease ice forms first, slush. And then a combination of the action of the wind, the outlines of the coastline, and the temperature, may lead to the formation of such balls.'

While not seen here for as long as anyone can remember, a similar phenomenon was noticed at Lake Michigan in 2014. 

Comments (11)

Мне очень интересно!
Alan, USA
08/11/2016 07:53
3
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Thank you for reporting and #1 photos.
Curt Bovee, Maine USA
08/11/2016 05:37
3
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It's definitely a secret Ai Weiwei project. I saw some of his stuff in greece once
The unicorn, USA
08/11/2016 04:31
2
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It is really fantastic.
Mariusz, Poland
08/11/2016 03:37
4
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seems to be the place of the summit meeting between Misses LePen of France , Misses Merkel of Germany , Misses May of GreatBritain , Misses Lagarde of the InernationalMonetaryFund , Misses HillaryClinton of the UnitesStatesofAmerica.

But , where are the male turtles ?
Thomas Malachit, provadia, varna, bulgaria
08/11/2016 02:42
3
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Call Nepal and invite the Himalayan snow men

to throw them in for fun, a Yeti may only have

strong enough to do that.
KS, Finland, Helsinki
07/11/2016 04:42
11
1
This is nature at it's best, real organisms must be creating these, like the stromatolites found in WA Australia (made in warm teperatures) they are made in cold temperatures.
Trevor, Australia
07/11/2016 04:15
4
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Very interessant, of course...I am grateful for Siberian Times to the publication of such reports.
Boris Pekarovič, Brezno/Slovakia (EU)
06/11/2016 12:36
6
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I think it's a secret project of Ai Weiwei
Rutger H. Cornets de Groot, The Hague, Netherlands
06/11/2016 09:39
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I totally agree Benedikt, and I would just suggest that it is Mother Nature and Father Time who will always have the last word.............so thank you to everyone working so hard to understand and protect Nature.
Pamela Tetarenko, League City, USA
05/11/2016 17:06
8
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no one can beat mother nature....
Benedikt, Moscow
05/11/2016 08:21
17
0
1

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