Here is a glimpse of the giant ice boulders which were out in earnest Sunday afternoon (Jan. 23) along Esch Road beach in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

Honor’s Timothy Young shared this phone footage of the surreal Great Lakes phenomenon. The pearl-like ice orbs are created by wave action. Ice pieces first break off from larger sheets on the lake, then are tumbled and smoothed — while bulk is added — as they toss in the freshwater surf.

See a video of the ice boulders in motion on the Leelanau Ticker Facebook page. 

Commentors were awestruck by the eerie formations, noting that they looked like “meatballs,” “frosted donut holes for giants,” and could be the origin of the phrase “amazeballs.”

The National Lakeshore urges visitors to be aware of the unpredictability of the dynamic ice formations at the shoreline, which could be concealing fissures or ice volcanoes, and note that avalanches are a possibility on steep, snow-covered dunes. “Ice formations along the Lake Michigan shoreline may be tempting to explore but are dangerous. Please exercise caution! Freezing temperatures, as well as slippery and unstable surfaces, create hazards.”

Photos courtesy Timothy Young