Vertical Icicle, is this for real.

[anobium]

Is this for real, an icicle growing upwards or is it some Photoshop thingy

 

[Mottie]

It’s a bottle, upside down.

 

[anobium]

Yes it does look like that, but it's true, apparently, it's a phenomena which is very rare, and from what I've read scientists have tried to replicate it but can't. It was in the bird bath of my garden last Saturday morning after a very severe overnight frost. I've taken loads of pics and videos.
In my vain attempts to preserve it I thought I would remove it and place it in the freezer. Guess what. it shattered and more surprisingly it was hollow. Nature is very strange.

 

[Mottie]

It’s a bottle, upside down.

Yes it does look like that, but it's true, apparently, it's a phenomena which is very rare, and from what I've read scientists have tried to replicate it but can't. It was in the bird bath of my garden last Saturday morning after a very severe overnight frost. I've taken loads of pics and videos.
In my vain attempts to preserve it I thought I would remove it and place it in the freezer. Guess what. it shattered and more surprisingly it was hollow. Nature is very strange.

I stand corrected.

 

[anobium]

But how does it happen? We have stalagmites and stalactites which is understandable, but these!
They have no name, anybody any idea. I think upcicles sounds right.

 

[SFK]

My guess...

Water expands when it freezes (which is why ice is less dense than water and floats).
Ice forms on surface of bird bath.
Ice gets thicker on lower surface of ice layer.
This new ice, as it is bigger than the water it is formed from, exerts pressure on the water below it.
If there is a small hole in the ice, to reduce the water pressure, the water goes through this hole.
This escaping water freezes on its outer side starting to form a tube.
If the thickness of the surface ice continues to increase, the water will continue pushing up, forming a tube of ice with an inner area of water.

sfk