There is a reason that Walt Disney chose to freeze his head. Ice is the great preserver and over the lifespan of our world, many things have ended up frozen beneath the surface of some body of water or another. Scientists have increasingly turned to ice in order to make discoveries about our past and predictions about our future. Today, we are going to take a close look at 40 incredible scientific discoveries that were found encased in ice! Buckle your seatbelt, this might get a little weird!

Trapped Methane Gas

There are natural environmental events happening all around the world, but that doesn’t make them any less remarkable. Here, we can see bubbles of methane gas trapped below the surface of a body of water. I would hesitate to crack that ice in order to pop the bubbles, however. Methane gas is incredibly flammable — and dangerous.

Frozen Flood Waters

This picture looks like something out of a band Roland Emmerich film. What we are actually seeing is a flash flood that was frozen in its tracks. How cold does it have to be for something like this to happen? Actually, you know what, we don’t care. We’ll never willingly go somewhere that cold.

Frozen Balloon

Sometimes, the most amazing discoveries showcase the most mundane of objects. Here we can see a frozen balloon that was found on a river near Moscow. We have so many questions about this discovery that we don’t know where to start. We’ll just say this, the next time you let your balloon float away, just know that it’ll end up somewhere.

The Frozen Volcano

What makes this discovery so amazing is the dichotomy between what we’re reading and what we’re seeing. This is a frozen volcano surface located in China. These natural and bizarre features are created due to weird differences in water pressure. Once the water freezes, the entire fixture begins to protrude out of the ground.

Frozen Craters

We are starting to believe that some weird stuff goes down in Siberia. This is a frozen crater that was located beneath in the Siberian wilderness. This crater was discovered by a team of oil workers as they were flying over the area. The crater is 200 feet across but nobody knows how deep the crater goes. We wonder what’s down there!

Ancient Tunic

If you want to dress in the hottest outfit from 230 A.D., we have your back. This tunic was found frozen within a melting glacier by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology as well as the University of Oslo. Researchers were able to thaw the tunic in order to learn quite a bit about how and when it was made. As more glaciers melt, expect discoveries like this to become commonplace.

Extraterrestrial Markings

Are we alone in the universe? Have aliens come from beyond our solar system in order to leave strange eggs frozen beneath an icy mass of water in Utah? We probably know the answer to that question. This picture was taken in Utah and it shows a bed of ice that appears to be filled with a formation of frozen eggs. The people who discovered this event were incapable of breaking the ice in order to take home a sample.

Buried Gems

Finding buried treasure is literally one of the most exciting things that a person can do. In 2012, a French explorer stumbled upon a treasure trove within the Bossons Glacier in France. Inside of the buried box, the explorer found a mail pouch that was filled with hundreds of rubies, sapphires, and emeralds. The gems were likely recovered from an Air India plane crash back in the ’50s.

The Super Virus

Ice can preserve life, but not all life needs to be kept around. We are looking at a picture of a rejuvenated, 30,000-year-old virus. Found in the permafrost of Kolyma, Russia, this viral sample is without a modern cure. We hope that the Russian lab that is hosting this discovery makes sure to keep the lid on tight.

Mystery Creature

Siberia is filled with wild creatures and has been for countless years. With so much area to cover in this frozen wasteland, it makes sense that some weird discoveries can be found in ice. We are looking at a picture of what is alleged to be one of the first domesticated breeds of dogs — ever. We can only imagine what else is buried in ice.

The Subglacial Forest

The Mendenhall Glacier has been melting for hundreds of years. Recently, however, this melt has gone on to reveal an ancient wilderness, tucked away below the ice. The greenery located beneath the ice of the Mendenhall Glacier is estimated to be at least 2,300 years old. Talk about amazing, right?

Ship Breakers

This picture showcases the effectiveness of human creativity. We see a massive container ship that is transporting goods on Lake Michigan. The only reason we can see this ship trapped within the ice is because of an HD drone that was able to travel across the water. We’re sure the crew didn’t love being stuck, but we bet they got out okay.

Glacier

Located outside of Cooke City, Montana, a glacier filled with grasshoppers was discovered. We aren’t just talking about a couple of frozen grasshoppers, to be clear. There were millions of grasshoppers recovered frozen within the ice. According to scientific research, these grasshoppers actually belong to an extinct species. Scientists have since dubbed this finding, Grasshopper Glacier. We never said they were creative.

In Ice

Take a moment to YouTube yourself a Rhino attack. Are you back, now? Horrifying, right? Here we see a baby rhino, covered in fur, that was discovered in Siberia back in 2014. The ancient woolly rhino has since been moved to the Academy of Sciences where it has been extensively researched. They named the rhino Sasha, by the way.

Frozen Flower Field

There is something about frozen objects that makes them almost surreal. In this picture, we can see a frozen field of flowers that had been on the edge of blooming. Some sort of precipitation had occurred which stopped the flowers mid-bloom.

Frozen Lighthouse

If you suffer from thalassophobia, you struggle seeing images related to ‘the deep’. So, with that frame of mind, would you be scared of pictures that show ‘the deep’ coming for you? This frozen lighthouse was shot in Michigan and is apparently a common enough sight. Still, this picture sends chills straight up to our spines!

Russian Waterfalls

In Russia, it is a common sight to see waterfalls that have seemingly frozen in midair. These majestic sights can be truly stunning to behold, but they aren’t intrinsic to the frozen tundra. In fact, the frozen waterfall pictured above was found in Minneapolis. 

The Ice Fox

When scientists discover perfectly preserved specimens like this, they have to feel like they struck gold. This fox was discovered in a frozen German lake by a hunter. The hunter had allegedly found numerous frozen creatures throughout his travels. While not intrinsically rare, what makes this find so amazing is how perfectly preserved the creature inside is. Germans apparently use this discovery as a reminder of the dangers that ice can pose.

Frozen Flowers

J.R.R. Tolkien wrote extensively about looking at something old in a new way. Here we see a flower, like any other flower, but it is encrusted in tiny flakes of ice. This frozen flower is a blend of something old and something new and it is altogether beautiful. We’d frame this and put it on our coffee table if we could.

Surviving the Ice

Did you know that alligators can survive an entire winter while frozen in ice? The picture you see above showcases an alligator stuck in ice, patiently waiting for the thaw to come around. For whatever reason, gators are able to preserve the health of their vitals and internal organs. Where we might die due to frostbite, alligators routinely survive. Talk about a killer survival instinct!

Fighting a Frozen Fire

If you’ve spent even a single winter in Illinois, you’ll understand how cold it can get. This picture shows the scene of a massive fire that took nearly 200 firefighters to control. The battle happened during single-digit temperatures and it culminated with the entire stockyard being coated in water which, as you understand, ended up completely freezing. Surreal!

Preserved Plane Crashes

If you think about how large our world is and compare that to how many flights go missing every year, you’ll start to come upon a realization. Plane crashes are routinely being found preserved in ice all over the world. This photo shows the remnants of a military plane that was presumed lost in 1952. Remnants of the plane were found in a glacier near Anchorage, Alaska. 52 people perished and it took over 50 years for the ice to melt enough for recovery operations.

Sequel to 2012

Okay, so this isn’t really a screenshot from an unreleased ‘2012’ sequel. This is actually a frozen lighthouse seated on a spit of land that stretches into Lake Michigan. Apparently, this is super common around the lake which means that we are going to stay very far away during winter. This image is beautiful, though.

Viking Recovery

If you want to learn a little more about Floki and Ragnar without the help of the History Channel, consider digging around in some Norwegian ice! This image shows an incredible Viking discovery in Juvfonna, Norway. Scientists have recovered reindeer traps,  weapons, and even clothing in the ice. We’re sure there’s a better story in there than another trip to Iceland with Floki. Are you listening, Michael Hirst?

Rana Sylvatica

When it comes to frozen frogs, this is certainly one of them. The rana sylvatica is native to North America. You can find this frog anywhere from North Carolina to the Boreal Forest in Canada. Frogs are routinely found frozen in ice due to how often they are near the water, even when it is cold. All it takes is for a little bit of shock to set in and a frog will be stuck in ice, incapable of escaping.

Chilean Sacrificial Site

The Incas thought that human sacrifices could help to sway the gods to bring them rain, crops, and protection. The Andes Mountains are littered with sacrificial sites that were established by the Incans.  Scientists have found more than 115 burial sites in the Mountains with one of the most famous discoveries happening in 1954. 

The Ice Bubble

This beautiful image showcases a frozen soap bubble. This bubble was blown in Montreal and the details captured on camera are nothing short of amazing. You can see different shades of color through the bubble as well as the details being derived from the creeping frost at the base of the bubble.

WWI Remnants

World War I was a global war and that meant that battles were fought everywhere, even high in the frozen Alps. Fighting in the mountains was awful and it exposed members of both sides to deadly elements that would take them to their graves. Scientists routinely recover soldiers, weapons, and remnants from ancient battles up in the mountains.

Atlatl Darts

Atlatl darts were used by ancient humans in order to hunt large animals on the prairie. Atlatl darts preceded the bow and arrow but gave similar results when used for hunting. These weapons were ornately carved and typically helped to signify the status or story of the person carrying them. They were an improvement from the conventional spear.

Sea Pigs

Have we taken a left turn into the world of Pokemon? Nope! Instead, we are looking at something known as a Sea Pig. These tiny creatures dwell at the bottom of the sea and are known for eating organic nutrients. These bizarre creatures have been discovered frozen in ice throughout the South Pole.