Lake Michigan covered in ice shards in mesmerising new pictures as spring arrives

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The arrival of spring weather has had an interesting impact on Lake Michigan, where ice shards are beginning to pile up.

Lake Michigan has been frozen for most of winter, after a polar vortex brought below-freezing temperatures to parts of the US.

In Chicago, Illinois, temperatures reached -30C (-23F) during the peak of the cold front, which caused the formation of ice shelves on the lake – hills formed from waves crashing over existing ice piles.

But the recent thawing of the Great Lake has resulted in the sheets of ice breaking and ice shards being pushed to the surface.

The phenomenon, reported by MLive.com, and visible along Michigan’s South Haven’s pier, has been captured in stunning photos.

In the pictures, the broken shards can be seen layering as the frozen lake begins to warm up.

Despite presenting the perfect opportunity for photos, the US Coast Guard has warned that the ice should only be viewed from afar, as it is not safe to stand on the unstable ice.

“No ice is safe ice especially this time of year,” US Coast Guard BMC Grant Heffner told MLive.com. “The ice is certainly deteriorating and breaking up.”

Prior to the warmer weather, 56 per cent of Lake Michigan, which is bordered by Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana, was covered in ice.