Plate ice along Lake Superior, Grand Marais, Minnesota (© wanderluster/Getty Images)

When winter tightens its grip on Lake Superior in Minnesota, the shoreline transforms into a landscape of tilted, glass-like shards known as plate ice. Thin sheets fracture under shifting temperatures, then drift and stack as the wind presses them toward land. The result is a field of translucent blues and silvers, catching the light at sharp angles and making the water's edge appear sculpted rather than frozen.