Phenomenon? Lake Erie Ice 'Donuts' Are a Rarity in Nature

Patch reader and Avon Laker Chet Roberts snapped these photos off Miller Road Park the evening of Feb. 13.

"Take a look at these ice donut holes I shot at Miller Road Park earlier this  evening," Roberts said in an email. "Maybe one of your readers will know why water would form into a donut shape and then freeze. (It's the first time I've seen something like this!"

He snapped the pictures from the fishing pier looking west.

We searched the Internet for similar photos and found only a few.

The closest picture was this one taken in 2007 of ice circles, which more resemble donuts than traditional ice circles.

This photo of new and old ice discs was taken near a Lake Erie beach---in Michigan.

This one was taken by a photographer near a tiny creek in Palmer, Alaska.

Wikipedia has this explanation:

"An ice disc, ice circle, or ice pan is a natural phenomenon that occurs in slow moving water in cold climates. Ice circles are thin and circular slabs of ice that rotate slowly in the water. It is believed that they form in eddy currents."

With warmer weather on the way today, you might want to get down to the Park to see if you can get a picture of this rare phenomenon. We wonder if the warm undercurrents from the GenOn plant have anything to do with their formation.

So we're asking you, have you seen these before?