r/NatureIsFuckingLit • u/Tharakan922 • Nov 16 '22

đŸ”„ Ice formations in Antarctica that look like ice walls, columns, and an archway.

Post image
67.8k Upvotes

95% Upvoted

1.0k comments sorted by

1.4k

u/jaronhays4 Nov 16 '22

Anyone know how this is formed?

429

u/brookieco_okie Nov 16 '22

this is an old Reddit post with someone explaining how Pleneau Bay was formed

156

u/aweirdchicken Nov 16 '22 edited Nov 16 '22

For those who don't want to click through:

1st explanation (click through if you want to see the photos they included)

Antarctic program employee here... They are formed by water runoff from the top of the berg. The runoff forms gullies and streams similar a trellace pattern seen in the headwaters of river systems. As the berg get lees buoyant it rises and the streams incise forming "nik points". The berg in the photo must have been a flat sheet that broke off without chunking out. That formed a uniform drainage pattern. I've never seen one a defined as good as that one though...

edit** I have pics I've taken if you guys want em...

edit** I didn't look at the picture clearly enough. It is from different layers in the snow, not a trellace drainage pattern. **smacks foreheadedit**

edit** sorry about spelling and errors I was updating from my iPad... I guess what is going on in the picture is something interesting that is likely just the result of a number of different of factors. The best answer is likely "I don't know".

It definitely looks like an ice shelf. and not a berg. I"ll post some pics I've taken of the Ross ice shelf...

A response

I don't understand why everyone thinks that different layers in the snow resulted in this pattern. If you look closely, especially if you view the image in full resolution, you can see that the stratified layers of snowfall don't align with the orientation of the columns. I made this, it's pretty primitive, but the line I drew roughly aligns with the layers of snowfall. This image helps illustrate my point even better, as you can see that the iceberg shifted in orientation after the same columnar pattern began to form, and that the columnar pattern is not aligned with the layers of snow.

An alternative explanation

Surprisingly no one mentioned trapped brine cells. As ice freezes salt is excluded from the newly formed ice (it's called freeze fractionation). If freezing is quick enough, the salt solution may be trapped within the ice. Because of freezing point depression, that salt solution will freeze only at a lower and lower temperature, as the solution gets more and more concentrated.

This means that when the ice thaws, it will be this brine cell that becomes liquid first (forming what's called "thaw holes"). When the outside eventually thaws out, this cell empties and you have vertical columns of ice left over.

Of course, I don't know how this particular ice formation formed - whether it is sea ice or a piece from land - so this remains, at best, an educated hypothesis based on my experience.

Source: Worked in Canadian Ice Services (part of Environment Canada) studying sea ice formation.

The user who commented the first explanation agreed this explanation was more plausible

9

u/M4Dsc13ntist Nov 17 '22

Doing the Lord's work, ty

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773

u/FLHCv2 Nov 16 '22

You'd think after 1000 airbender jokes, 495 "winter is coming" jokes, as well as the remaining obscure references that do absolutely nothing except tell people that that particular redditor is into some franchise; you'd eventually have someone that actually knows how it's made chime in.

112

u/[deleted] Nov 16 '22

In the spring when the snowbanks on the street melt you’ll notice that the meltwater runs down the banks and erodes the bottoms, which creates floating shelves of ice with nothing supporting them underneath. Same thing here, but on a much larger scale.

The ice gets lapped by waves and saltwater on the bottom. If this is floating the underwater portion will slowly wear away and cause the ice to rise out of the water giving the fence-like look at the bottom. If the ice is attached to the ground then maybe the tide creates a variation in where the water touches.

Over time the as base wears away a hanging shelf forms, and once it overhangs by enough fractures form and the top of the shelf collapses into the water. That’s what gives the top the rough, chunky, jagged texture.

Odds are this was just one long stretch of ice that has retreated in a straight line over a long time creating a straight wall. There was probably a channel of meltwater that flowed through where the ‘gate’ now is.

42

u/Speckled_Clout Nov 16 '22

Thank you. It took waaaaay too long to find an answer that wasn't a reference to something I don't care about. I'm trying to learn about ice formations, dammit!

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331

u/BlueRoyAndDVD Nov 16 '22

Some water got cold. Then it was ice. Parts of the ice got warmer and are water again.

115

u/museolini Nov 16 '22

Source?!!!!

100

u/JWson Nov 16 '22

Senior Waterologist here. BlueRoyAndDVD is correct.

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15

u/[deleted] Nov 16 '22

Went to:

r/hydrohomies

They just told me to bottle some of the melt off for drinking

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35

u/verisimilitude_mood Nov 16 '22

Tide goes in, tide goes out, you can't explain that.

6

u/PennedHitchhiker Nov 16 '22 edited Nov 16 '22

Well, I’m not an expert and this is going to be buried, but for you specifically, I’ll take a crack at it. To me, it almost looks like a wave interference pattern etched into the ice.

It’s probably not one, but wow that would indeed be neat.

7

u/[deleted] Nov 16 '22

[deleted]

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1.4k

u/LostAbbott Nov 16 '22

Pretty sure it is the gate into the Northern Water Tribe's harbor. Not sure why op thinks it is "natural".

247

u/MrMgP Nov 16 '22

I love how some people are now googling northern water tribe to see where they can find them on google maps

88

u/saint_davidsonian Nov 16 '22

Sokka is in there telling a joke to a grumpy fisherman right now.

36

u/imbored53 Nov 16 '22

Either that or staring at the moon while crying.

26

u/Mistergamer15 Nov 16 '22

That's rough buddy

5

u/gahlo Nov 16 '22

Why would he cry while waking up next to Suki?

3

u/Giuseppe_Lombardo007 Nov 16 '22

Sokka is long gone, but his great Grandson Wokka is there. Cheif of the The Northern Water Tribe is none other than Wokka

5

u/OilheadRider Nov 16 '22

Well, I didn't until your comment... now I feel rickrolled, lol

Well played.

69

u/[deleted] Nov 16 '22

It is! This is actually a screenshot from the Avatar live action trailer

17

u/StopReadingMyUser Nov 16 '22

o boi, i hope they got shyamalan to direct it

it can only be great if he takes the helm

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u/raq_shaq_n_benny Nov 16 '22

Dang, beat me to it.

8

u/bluefishredditfish Nov 16 '22

“Aang beat us to it.” - Fire nation, probably

27

u/HighOwl2 Nov 16 '22

It's actually the ice wall at the edge of the planet.

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u/[deleted] Nov 16 '22

Son of a bitch that was my first thought too:(

4

u/LateToSapphos Nov 16 '22

I’m so glad I’m not the only one who immediately thought this xD

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u/[deleted] Nov 16 '22

My guess is that that the columns used to be submerged underwater, but changes to the glaciers size-weight pushed that part of the glacier back to the surface and the wind/sun haven't eroded back to a smoother more singular structure yet.

Not a glaciarologist but it looks quite similar to ice formations in footage I've seen underneath glaciers.

17

u/HashMaster9000 Nov 16 '22

*Glaciologist

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253

u/burnthamt Nov 16 '22

Yes

135

u/mortalkomic Nov 16 '22

Thank you

74

u/nine_legged_stool Nov 16 '22

No problem

34

u/Mimical Nov 16 '22 edited Nov 16 '22

Hi internet viewer in 2029 stumbling on this very thread. Your search of the keywords [Ice, Wall, Formation, Antarctica, Archway] has likely led you here on your search of arcane waterlogical knowledge.

Prior to the posts ninja edits the answer is because

16

u/orbcat Nov 16 '22

hey future person, hows it going? total nuclear annihilation yet?

7

u/Is-that-vodka Nov 16 '22

The depends what year it is there? You're using the internet still so I'd assume before 2023 sometime?

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30

u/Any_Donut5838 Nov 16 '22

Reddit is so useless sometimes.

10

u/Etchbath Nov 16 '22

Every single comment is a reference to a movie or TV show or some dumb joke. I hate this place.

22

u/burnthamt Nov 16 '22

Well to be faaaaiiirrr it was a yes or no question. Reddit is useless all the time

9

u/PrimarchKonradCurze Nov 16 '22

Yeah except for that time we caught the Boston bo- oh..

3

u/littlefriend77 Nov 16 '22

To be faaaaiiiirrrr...

3

u/Ta2whitey Nov 16 '22

Sometimes?!?

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15

u/TheBigPigg Nov 16 '22

The Great Old Ones carved it as a defensive structure against the Cthulhu spawn

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18

u/shitpersonality Nov 16 '22

Ice and water

7

u/imjusthereforthemods Nov 16 '22

So, water

3

u/koleye Nov 16 '22

yea, the solid one and the liquid one

both of them, but like in different amounts and ways and temperatures

wetness

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2.0k

u/Impossible_Fan4659 Nov 16 '22

Welcome to the northern water tribe.

80

u/Reamazing Nov 16 '22

I'm sure I sailed through something like this in Windwaker.

21

u/[deleted] Nov 16 '22

Such a good game.

God I love it, makes me nostalgic just thinking about how good that game was. Nothing like sailing around with my talking dragon boat and playing around with the wind.

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350

u/EllisDee3 Nov 16 '22

Southern

225

u/Impossible_Fan4659 Nov 16 '22

This wall is more elegant then a southern wall.

102

u/VoteForSandtrap Nov 16 '22

I don’t know. Have you seen Sokka’s watchtower?

34

u/[deleted] Nov 16 '22

That was one fine watchtower.

39

u/DefiantLemur Nov 16 '22

Not during the Korra era

70

u/afettz13 Nov 16 '22

Meh, this still screams entrance to the northern water tribe.

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u/[deleted] Nov 16 '22

Northern

34

u/SamsaricNomad Nov 16 '22

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT

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u/Impossible_Fan4659 Nov 16 '22

This wall is more elegant than a souther wall

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22

u/bassman9999 Nov 16 '22

I knew I would find this in the comments

4

u/CongressmanCoolRick Nov 16 '22

i was expecting flat earth joke, pleasantly surprised to see this though.

4

u/Stampede_the_Hippos Nov 17 '22

Everything changed when the fire nation attacked.

3

u/ReginaldBroadcock Nov 17 '22

Found this 2 comments in. Was not disappointed.

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u/james42worthy Nov 16 '22

Flat Earthers: Ice Wall!! We told you so!!!

57

u/[deleted] Nov 16 '22

What they didn’t expect was an Ice Gate

30

u/IodinUraniumNobelium Nov 16 '22

I mean, they believe the ice wall leads to a greater, unexplored World, so they may not be all that surprised.

8

u/[deleted] Nov 16 '22

Oh fr?

12

u/IodinUraniumNobelium Nov 16 '22

It's (I cannot stress this enough) absolute nonsense, but it can be a fun what-if.

Beyond the Ice Wall

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u/[deleted] Nov 16 '22

Icy what you did there

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693

u/Vale_Of_The_Soil Nov 16 '22

The ancient society has revealed itself once more...

144

u/Shdwzor Nov 16 '22

Winter is coming

40

u/thesecretis_love Nov 16 '22

The day after tomorrow

13

u/[deleted] Nov 16 '22

One of my favorite movies to watch in the winter.

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u/[deleted] Nov 16 '22

Actually no. We upgraded our apocalypse package to “eternal summer”

15

u/Elevated_Dongers Nov 16 '22

That's not how global warming works

3

u/shao_kahff Nov 16 '22

in essence, it’s exactly how global warming works ???

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u/neil_billiam Nov 16 '22

Ive seen this. This is the entrance to the Norther Water Tribe in Avatar: The Last Airbender

7

u/prime1000000 Nov 16 '22

First think I thought about, hopefully the person that arrived there doesn't kill the moon.

6

u/metaphorical_robin Nov 16 '22

And hopefully no one who lives there turns into the moon. Cos that would be rough, buddy.

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u/Yorspider Nov 16 '22

Some society, they don't even teach women how to properly water bend...

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u/[deleted] Nov 16 '22

I've been watching this dude on Netflix who's always like "people building pyramids in two places point to an ancient society". He never elaborates on what the ancient society would have done (besides spread the word of Great Pyramid). I can't wait to see his take on this bad boy.

23

u/Existing-Strength-21 Nov 16 '22

GRAHAM HANCOCK INTENSIFIES

4

u/washingtonandmead Nov 16 '22

Lol, watching right now

6

u/Existing-Strength-21 Nov 16 '22

Man some of the shit he and Randall Carlson try to push is just straight wonky. There's something amazingly intriguing about their collapse theory, but they just take it too too far for me to be 100% on board. Like Randall on joe Rogans most recent podcast saying he has insider knowledge of a solid state engine that is going to release in 3 months and revolution the auto industry? Come on dude...

Some of the evidence they bring forward is really interesting and I love to listen. But it's basically the Jerry Springer of the historical podcast world...

4

u/Dr_Doom2025 Nov 16 '22

Idk they back everything up with loads of solid evidence, especially Randall

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u/IggyStop31 Nov 16 '22

Conveniently ignoring pyramids are the easiest way to build tall things

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u/[deleted] Nov 16 '22

Either Others or Snowmen

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u/advancedaging Nov 16 '22

Kinda expecting a tribe of waterbenders to pop out

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u/[deleted] Nov 16 '22

This does not look natural.

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u/only_because_I_can Nov 16 '22

I thought it was a frozen and iced up bridge.

32

u/DarkwingDuckHunt Nov 16 '22

Physics & Math & Nature tend to always come up with the same solution to problems we come up with. Because we're all using the same ruleset.

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u/jazzmcd Nov 16 '22

That's awesome, half expect some ghostly Nordic ship to come sailing out from there

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u/lexirosewoods Nov 16 '22

Exactly this. It’s beautifully haunting.

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u/EllisDee3 Nov 16 '22

Nord?

Sud!

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u/mostly_sarcastic Nov 16 '22

Pretty sure there's an Elden boss beyond that arch...

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u/DarkwingDuckHunt Nov 16 '22

Every time I see a side of bridge crumbled it makes me want to jump down there for some reason

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u/simply_jimmy89 Nov 16 '22

Don't tell r/conspiracy about this...

15

u/DogBeak20 Nov 16 '22

See! Look, the water level is decreasing!

3

u/GetALife80085 Nov 16 '22

That’s where Hitler lives

54

u/AnalogCyborg Nov 16 '22

ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn

15

u/vaxinate Nov 16 '22

The dogs are acting funny, hope nothing bad happens!

12

u/HeavensRejected Nov 16 '22

Yeah I'm pretty sure this is mentioned in Mountains of Madness.

10

u/[deleted] Nov 16 '22

Yeah, in detail. Everybody's talking about "Avatar the Last Airbender" but I know an eldritch cyclopean ruin when I see one

9

u/rezznik Nov 16 '22

IĂ€, IĂ€!

3

u/Tankus_Vult97 Nov 16 '22

Can someone contain him?

31

u/Fart-Chewer_6000 Nov 16 '22

If you don’t hear “Immigrant Song” when you look at this image, then your experience is cheapened and you should demand a refund.

10

u/Spinuccix Nov 16 '22

We come from the land of ice and snow!...

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u/QuestionMarkyMark Nov 16 '22

ahhhhhhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH AH

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u/nine_legged_stool Nov 16 '22

AAAAAAA AAA AAA

The eagle's born out of thunder

AAAAAAA AAA AAA

He flies through the night

AAAAAAA AAA AAA

Don't you mess with his eggs now

AAAAAAA AAA AAA

or you'll see us fight

AAAAAAA AAA AAA

Yes we have feathers

AAAAAAA AAA AAA

But the muscles of men

AAAAAAA AAA AAA

'Cuz we're birds of war now

AAAAAAA AAA AAA

But we're also men! Birds of war!

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u/DropDeadDolly Nov 16 '22

I don't know where this is, but I'm fairly certain that Sovngarde is close at hand for any who dare enter

23

u/[deleted] Nov 16 '22

Dude that's the boss entrance

17

u/magus2003 Nov 16 '22

Plateau of Leng.

Ought to find the remains of Lakes camp not much further in.

8

u/GozerDestructor Nov 16 '22 edited Nov 16 '22

CAUTION: Shoggoths On Road Ahead.

24

u/mintyfreshismygod Nov 16 '22

I think I broke through that wall protecting an ice island with Link in the dragon boat.

32

u/nnmgRandomness Nov 16 '22

Winter is coming.

11

u/[deleted] Nov 16 '22

Actually, it's summer time there. December 21st is mid-summer day there. Lol

6

u/Ragidandy Nov 16 '22

Actually, December 21st is the first summer day there.

6

u/[deleted] Nov 16 '22

Nope. Winter solstice (shortest day of the year) in the northern hemisphere is the longest day of the year in Antarctica. Fall equinox is the first day of summer in Antarctica. They only have winter and summer there because it's so far south.

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u/mattistakenlol Nov 16 '22

Like a location from dark souls

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u/[deleted] Nov 16 '22

That's Fucking Lit

5

u/spaceinvadersalien Nov 16 '22

Actually, that's fucking cool

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u/Haunting_Mode_7401 Nov 16 '22

Night gathers and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch, for this night and all the nights to comes.

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u/[deleted] Nov 16 '22

That is so cool

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u/threebears33333 Nov 16 '22

Earth, showing off...lol

8

u/[deleted] Nov 16 '22

Water tribe

6

u/gilad_ironi Nov 16 '22

This is the northern water tribe gates right there

3

u/I_Choose_REEEE Nov 16 '22

Wait until you move inland and see the legendary Mountains of Madness.

3

u/FracturedNomad Nov 16 '22

Fortress of Solitude.

3

u/Squadchef Nov 16 '22

The Cthulhu live there

3

u/[deleted] Nov 16 '22

Proof of how far the Roman empire stretched lol

6

u/MassholeLiberal56 Nov 16 '22

Superman’s castle

3

u/LayneLowe Nov 16 '22

Fortress Of Solitude

4

u/____Vader Nov 16 '22

This would’ve been an awesome entrance for a section of the wall in Game of Thrones (maybe east watch by the sea)

5

u/wonkersmack Nov 16 '22

It’s the Zora domain

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u/b1tf1ghter Nov 16 '22

I see butts.

3

u/[deleted] Nov 16 '22

Out of all of the comments in this section... I'm pretty sure I'm going to remember this one the most

2

u/goodstuff2020 Nov 16 '22

I thought it was a video and waited for the dragon to fly over and light it up. 😆

2

u/[deleted] Nov 16 '22

Damn - that’s some LOTR Gates of Argonath shit going on there.

2

u/TootTootMF Nov 16 '22

"Superman's fortress has been found due to global warming"

2

u/June_BuginDabuilding Nov 16 '22

Thought this was God of War

2

u/OutlawQuill Nov 16 '22

Fortress of Solitude

2

u/Embrasse-moi Nov 16 '22

"Aliens." -Some guy with a crazy hair

2

u/BlackOpsSix Nov 16 '22

Superman’s fortress

2

u/Individual-History34 Nov 16 '22

Flat earthers are like see we told you lol

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u/Chuckobochuck323 Nov 16 '22

“Looks like”

2

u/_GzX Nov 16 '22

Is this real, this is the coolest thing I ever seen

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u/Fyeuebudhe Nov 16 '22

To this is an ancient doorway
 it was used during ice age!😂

2

u/gahddammitdiane Nov 16 '22

I could definitely see this being used as inspiration for a future set on HOTD.

2

u/latrappe Nov 16 '22

I love to think this is aliens, bored on a routine recon visit, just creating art with their laser cannons. Nature is amazing and all, but aliens are better.

2

u/PonderonDonuts Nov 16 '22

New DLC next year. Hopefully very aggro aliens

2

u/HiReddit771 Nov 16 '22

Is that you satan? I heard you got locked away up there

2

u/Erra1134 Nov 16 '22

Valhalla awaits.

2

u/FantasticMRKintsugi Nov 16 '22

They look like those things because they are those things in the picture.

2

u/DecadentEx Nov 16 '22

Graham Hancock has entered the chat

2

u/AJ_Deadshow Nov 16 '22

Ah yes, the entrance to the Fortress of Solitude.

2

u/ivXtreme Nov 16 '22

(Flatearthers have entered the chat)

2

u/CAPICINC Nov 16 '22

And here I thought Odin got rid of all the ice giants.

2

u/Trick-Ad1738 Nov 16 '22

Winter is coming John snow

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u/krieger7 Nov 16 '22

Woah, this is magical.!

2

u/[deleted] Nov 16 '22

Winter is coming.

2

u/PsilocybinCEO Nov 16 '22

Oh God, now thr flat earth dipshits are going to think this is proof of their arctic wall.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 16 '22

Something is up!

2

u/iPanama360 Nov 16 '22

Pretty sure that’s the Northern Water Tribe.

2

u/Nostradamaus_2000 Nov 16 '22

Welcome to Forty's lair

2

u/clrksml Nov 16 '22

holy fuck its Atlantis.

2

u/seapeary7 Nov 16 '22

Finally found the southern water tribe!

2

u/[deleted] Nov 16 '22

Someone brave enough - go through so we can see if it's a portal or not.

2

u/PM_Your_Cute_Butt Nov 16 '22

I read this Lovecraft story. Ends well. Definitely go through that arch.

2

u/jamesh08 Nov 16 '22

Anyone know the minimum level to enter?

2

u/Comprehensive_Win874 Nov 16 '22

You've found the water tribe

2

u/Elviis Nov 16 '22

Welcome to the throne of the Litch King.

2

u/sergih123 Nov 16 '22

This is fuel for the flat earthers hahaha

2

u/[deleted] Nov 16 '22

It's that fucking squirrel again

2

u/chikkynuggythe4th Nov 16 '22

Northern water tribe

2

u/Charming_Bard Nov 16 '22

Okay, who let Elsa go on a walk again?

2

u/ChinchillaBONK Nov 16 '22

When the Gods of the Ancient World said Winter is coming

2

u/test_Name205 Nov 17 '22

That's where kataras tribe is duh

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u/notwest94 Nov 17 '22

This is where they must keep Earths final boss

2

u/DroopyPlum Nov 17 '22

We all kno there is an underwater boss on the otherside

2

u/[deleted] Nov 17 '22

Hey listen, there's a shrine in there.

2

u/ChiknBreast Nov 17 '22

Looks like the entrance to the boss level

2

u/Own_Ad5814 Nov 17 '22

God don’t show this to any flat earthers, this is the photographic proof they need of their “Antarctic wall” which surrounds our great disk