Environment
Lake Michigan Is Serving Up 'Snow Pancakes'
These discoid ice sheets are formed by the motion of waves.
Chicago might be known for its pizza, but this month it's served up a different sort of discoid food: so-called "snow pancakes," circular ice sheets that have appeared along the shore of Lake Michigan like a legion of lost, mega-sized Frisbees.
These rimy formations visit the Great Lakes from time to time, as well as other regions experiencing bitter cold. (Scotland recently saw an extreme example of frosty flapjacks.) The folks at the Universities Space Research Association explain the process that creates them: