I came across the following report in the web-version of the Norwegian newspaper «Aftenposten» today. A peculiar Fortean event seems to have unfolded close to Bergen, Norway.
Strange circles on the ice have appeared in Norway. They encircle mysterious holes in the ice. And to add to the strangeness, witnesses report bright lights in the night. The pictures was taken by one of the witnesses, John Halvor Sæle
My translation:
«Crop Circles» on the ice in Arna (Arna is a place right outside the center of Bergen – my remark.)
Friday night Ole Johan Hansen (77) noticed a mysterious light in the harbor Arnavågen in Bergen. The next morning was a beautiful and inexplicable pattern appeared right there on the ice.
– It was about two feet long, and was not like anything I’ve seen before. Since it was 11 o’clock in the evening and I was not sure if the ice is safe, I tried to look in my binoculars, to see if there was someone there. I could not see anyone, «says Ole Johan Hansen (77) to local newspaper Bergens Tidende. Hansen lives just off the waterfront at Arna harbor. When he got up Saturday morning, he could hardly believe what he saw.Symmetrically pattern
During the night has a symmetrical pattern formed on the ice. The pattern springs forth from about eight holes in the ice. According to Hansen the rings spread approximately 150 feet in the northeasterly direction, and nearly a 1000 feet the other direction. Neither Hansen nor John Halvor Sæle (58) who also lives close by, have seen the holes in the ice that the pattern encircles before Saturday morning.
-The pattern is amazingly pretty. I have never seen anything like it, said Sæle.
Meteorologist Geir Ottar Fagerlid admitted to local papers that he was thinking it must be a natural phenomenon when he saw the pictures. But acknowledged that the pattern is reminiscent of the mysterious phenomenon of «corn circles», which is not really understood by science.
Bergen, the western "capital" of Norway
– That there should be something truely inexplicable, is hard to comprehend. My theory was first and foremost that the rings can be created by warmer currents, for example from a sewage spill, which would make the ice melt. But it is hard to say. In any case, the sight is quite beautiful,says Fagerlid.
– Created by meteorite?
John Halvor Sæle believe the rings can have been created by a meteorite.
– It was the first thing that came to my mind. I don’t think that the holes are created by people. They are too big and too far from shore. It is a total mystery, says Sæle.Astrophysicist Knut Jørgen Røed Ødegaard confirms that the pattern may have been caused by a small meteorite. But he find this unlikely, as a meteorite would probably have been observed by many, and been seen as a bright streak in the sky before it ended in Arna.
High and low tide?
– It’s all very fascinating, I’ve never seen anything like it before. But I do not think it is anything supernatural . It is likely that the symmetrical pattern comes from holes in the ice after icefishing, and that the tide has has formed a concentric pattern around when the water rises and falls. That is not unusual, although I have never heard of them as symmetric as this, says Ødegaard.Unexplained light
– The light may have come from someone who was out on the ice fishing. But I can not see any tracks in the snow. The second theory is that what I saw was a reflection of street lights across the bay. But now it has become dark again, and I can not see any light reflection, says Ole Johan Hansen.
Astrophysicist Knut Jørgen Røed Ødegaard has no theory about what it was Hansen saw.
– The bright light can certainly not have come from any meteorite. A meteorite that is still shining brightly when it hits the ground, is so large that it would impact at a force of at least 1000 atomic bombs. Then Bergen would not exist today, says Ødegaard.
Close up of the pattern. The pictures was taken by one of the witnesses, John Halvor Sæle
I agree with Ødegaard. A meteorite is not a likely culprit. But it doesn’t seem like ice-fishing holes either. My guess is that some form of warm current or possibly warmer winds are to blaim. I have tried to find any information on the weather at the area recently, maybe micro-tornadoes of warmer winds could make such a pattern, and then natural currents and tides would embellish the imprints on the «rotten» sea ice? It seems the temperature has been rising in the area, and when the first witness noticed an unfamiliar light, he may have studied the ice closer in the morning, and noticed the pattern? The bright lights themselves could have come across the bay, as the witness himself suggests, possibly headlights from a stationary vehicle?
If you have any theories, feel free to post them in the comments below.
Please visit the article for the large version of the pictures.
Polar Coordinate 