Select language:

French scientists unraveled secret of Baikal Zen

 / Главная / Russkiy Mir Foundation / News / French scientists unraveled secret of Baikal Zen

French scientists unraveled secret of Baikal Zen


01.10.2021

Photo credit: WinWolf / pixabay.com

French scientists have managed to unravel the phenomenon of Baikal Zen -  big stones balancing on thin legs made of ice above the surface of the frozen water, the Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper writes. 

Specialists from the National Center for Scientific Research and the University of Claude Bernard Lyon 1 worked on this case. Physicists believe that this phenomenon is explained by the sublimation of ice, when the ice turns into a gas, bypassing the intermediate liquid stage.

The stones do not allow the ice directly under them to heat up from the sun, but at the same time the rest of the ice around the stones melts and evaporates. As a result, only a thin icy leg remains under the stone.

This "magic" is facilitated by the weather conditions of Lake Baikal - clear weather and strong winds. The sun melts the ice, and the winds blowing in different directions do not allow the substance to turn into a liquid form - the melting ice is simply blown out from under the stone.

Russkiy Mir

News by subject

Publications

Marco Maggi: ”Russian to the Bone" 20.01.2024
Italian entrepreneur Marco Maggi's book, "Russian to the Bone," is now accessible for purchase in Italy and is scheduled for release in Russia in the upcoming months. In the book, Marco recounts his personal odyssey, narrating each stage of his life as a foreigner in Russia—starting from the initial fascination to the process of cultural assimilation, venturing into business, fostering authentic friendships, and ultimately, reaching a deep sense of identifying as a Russian at his very core.