Rare and majestic sand sculptures only exist for minutes
The fleeting phenomenon only happens at select beaches during certain weather conditions, appearing at dawn and disappearing when the sun comes out.
The lake shores of St. Joseph, Michigan, were full of sand pillars and shelves forming all over the area on Jan. 14. These structures were by frozen sand eroded by strong, frigid winds.
Drone photographer Nathan Voytovick captured a rare, fleeting meteorological phenomenon on Jan. 14, 2025. As if sculpted by an artist, intricate sand structures appeared, then disappeared, on a beach in Michigan.
They are called "sand pillars" and are created when frozen or dense columns of water in sand are eroded -- or, in some cases, added to -- by the wind blowing additional sand around them. Although the pillars are constantly changing, they are very fragile.
Video from drone photographer Nathan Voytovick shows sand sculptures in St. Joseph, Michigan on Jan. 14, 2025.
Voytovick's video Thursday showed a miniature sand blizzard blowing amongst the tiny surreal landscape of alien-like monoliths.
The pillars form overnight, so there is a very small window to photograph them after dawn. As soon as the sun hits them, the frigid grip of subfreezing temperatures releases, and they crumble to the beach, leaving no signs they were ever there.
Drone photographer Nathan Voytovick captured the rare, fleeting meteorological phenomenon called "sand pillars" on March 18, 2024, at Saint Joseph, Michigan.
Voytovick took a similar video at the Saint Joseph North Pier Inner Lighthouse in Saint Joseph, Michigan, on March 18, 2024.
“Just the idea of sand freezing is cool,” Voytovick told Storyful.
Sand pillars are typically formed in the winter and can grow up to 15 inches tall. Shorter versions, only an inch or two high, can be seen when temperatures are above freezing. If winds and temperatures are steady with cloudy skies, the pillars can last more than a day as they constantly change shape and size.
Did you know that freezing temperatures and gusty winds can create stunning pieces of art in the natural world?
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