NUR-SULTAN – With winter destinations already abundant in Kazakhstan, one more spot can be added to the tourist map. A 14-metre ice volcano in the Almaty region has become a popular sight among locals despite the four-hour drive from Almaty.
Screenshot from a video published by Ruptly capturing the ice tower. Click to see the map In full size.
The ice tower is located in the Kegen district between the Kegen and Shyrganak villages. The beautiful nature creation has been there every winter, but only this year did it form into such an unusual shape.
Ice comes from hot spring water gushing through the thick layer of snow and ice. Water that evaporates from the ice tower creates an illusion of a volcano, not usual for freezing weather like what is being experienced in Kazakhstan now.
The ice volcano recently appeared in a Business Insider article.
“Similar cones can be seen in the US, often seen on the Great Lakes such as Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. There, water from the lake pushes under the ice sheet at the border of the lake, creating mounds of ice,” wrote the American media outlet.
A video published by Ruptly video news agency, part of the Russia Today (RT) networks, shows the ice structure from different angles.
