The remains of an ice ledge on the Lake Michigan shore near Winnetka, Ill. Most of the ledge disintegrated during a thaw in January. Photo by Neil Libby.
In this photograph from NASA’s Earth Science Photo of the Day, a January thaw caused this ice shelf on the Lake Michigan shoreline to collapse near Winnetka, Ill., according to photographer Neil Libby. As successive winter storms buffet the coast with strong winds and large waves, icy slush builds up on the newly-formed shore ice, creating ice shelves. The ice shelf pictured here stood 8 feet above the water.