Labyrinths of stones form in cold landscapes when water freezes into ice needles that push pebbles to one side. Overtime, the rising and falling of ice needles move the pebbles into intricate ...

Neat rings, stripes and swirls embellish many cold, rocky landscapes. Although these beautiful stone patterns look like humanmade artwork, they’re all natural. Scientists have long known that such ...

Strange, regularly repeating stone patterns that sometimes form in cold settings are generated by needles of ice that push soil particles and stones slowly around. This is the conclusion of an ...

Perfect circles of stones cover the ground in parts of Alaska and the Norwegian islands of Spitsbergen. Elsewhere in the far north, stones form other striking patterns on the ground: polygons, stripes ...

Some of the most breathtaking zen garden patterns on the planet owe their existence to an unlikely artist: thousands of tiny “ice needles.” From swirls to circles to orderly rows, each delicate design ...

Experiments and modeling work offers new insights into the striking patterns of repeating stones seen in frost-prone landscapes. Nature is full of repeating patterns that are part of the beauty of our ...