Mystery of frozen cave in summer

A strange ice cave in Pennsylvania, USA, seems to go against the laws of nature by always freezing in the summer and melting in the winter.

Ice columns in Coudersport Ice Mine. Photo: Facebook.

The Coudersport Ice Mine in Sweden, Pennsylvania, is one of the mysteries that geologists have been puzzled by, according to Amusing Planet. It is a small pit-shaped cave with an opening that is 8 feet wide and 10 feet long. At the bottom of the 40-foot-deep cave is a layer of ice. Large ice columns measuring 25 feet long and up to 3 feet thick hang from the walls and just below the cave mouth.

Unlike other ice caves that only form in the winter, the ice at Coudersport Ice Mine forms during the hottest part of the year. The ice begins to form in the spring and gradually increases in size as the weather gets hotter. When winter comes, the ice in the cave immediately melts into water.

Researchers have yet to discover what causes the strange ice formation at Coudersport Ice Mine. The most common theory is that during the winter, cold air enters the center of the mountain through cracks. Because the cracks are unusually connected, the cold air collects in caves similar to Coudersport Ice Mine. The cold air comes into contact with underground water, creating ice. This process only occurs in the spring and summer, when underground water appears at the bottom of the cave.

As winter approaches, the mountain is once again filled with cold air, while the warm air that has accumulated in the rocks since summer is gradually pushed out. The warm air escapes through the ice caves, causing the ice to melt.

According to VNE