Incredible pic shows 50ft ice 'gems' on frozen lake in Siberia

This amazing picture shows one of the world's most beautiful natural phenomenons - ice hummocks - in all their shimmering glory.

Russian landscape photographer Alex El Barto Trofimov travels almost 400 miles south from his home in the heart of Siberia to shoot pictures of one of the world's oldest freshwater lakes, Lake Baikal, which he describes as "a real jewel of our planet".

During March, a combination of the temperature, wind, and sun cause the lake's frozen surface to crack and form these majestic turquoise-coloured blocks of ice akin to oversized precious gems.

The ice hummocks are enormous, with some reaching over 50ft.

According to weather.com, the 25 million-year-old lake is so clear that when the water freezes over in the winter it is possible to see over a 100 feet below it.

But, although it's beautiful, it can be a treacherous place to take snaps, and Baikal describes it as unpredictable. With temps plunging to -38C, frostbite and hypothermia are a threat.

But, according to the Daily Mail, he can't wait to go back for another photo shoot. He said: "There's still a lot of unexplored places in Lake Baikal and my job as a photographer is to show people the miracles of the nature here.

"I am pleased with my photos but I want to go back and take some more interesting and unusual shots."


See more of Alex's pics on his website.

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