Mysterious Sand Slabs Appearing On Lake Michigan Beach

Mysterious slabs of frozen sand have been showing up on Lake Michigan's shores. For Nate Voytovick, the phenomenon is "just fascinating."

"We usually see it in the winter," he told FOX-5 News. "Some years are more dramatic. It's pretty awesome." The slabs look like rocks that have been eroded for decades at the bottom of the lake bed, but they're actually the result of freezing temperatures and powerful wind gusts. "Every year, as wind blows across the lake, there's no friction to stop it, so it pushes the sand around," he said. "Then, once it freezes over, the sand locks in place."

Voytovick, who lives in St. Joseph in Southwest Michigan, was walking along the beach this week when he spotted some of the sand slabs. He pulled out his camera and caught them on video, which was then shared on YouTube. Hundreds of slabs of sand covered in snow and ice can be seen in the clip, scattered down the beach as though mother nature had taken a big hammer to the shoreline.

"I've lived here my whole life and I probably take it for granted," Voytovick said. "Every year, it's a little different. If there are stronger winds, you'd see even crazier sculptures."


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