Crop Circles' Now Appearing on an Icy Pond?

The local news station out of Buffalo, New York, over the weekend posted a photo from one of its readers who was seeking help to identify "crop circles" that had appeared in her backyard pond.

Pond circles spotted in Eden, NY. (Photo: Peggy Pye-Geravase/WGRZ Facebook)

Comments on the photo from followers of the WGRZ Facebook page have suggested everything from "extraterrestrials with cookie cutters," "ducks swimming in circles," "alligators coming up for air" and "methane gas bubbles," among others which included natural thaw.

The reader who took the photo, Peggy Pye-Gervase of Eden, said she watched the circles develop during the last snow storm and noted there were "no ducks in sight." She also refuted claims that it was photoshop saying "I'm good but not that good." And she noted that natural springs feed into the pond.

Watch WGRZ's report of the circles with Pye-Gervase's account of them:

One commenter, David Sloman, seemed to have the most promising idea:

The ice is quite thin. There is always a break in the ice at the center of the circle. Water penetrates upward above the ice due to the thermal differences and melts the snow. See if you can go out on that dock and confirm for yourself that there is a break in the ice in the center.

Pye-Gervase responded to Sloman saying that upon further inspection she did notice little cracks in each hole.

But even with reasonable explanations, this hasn't stopped people from having fun with ideas as to what could have caused the ice circles. Feel free to add your own ideas in our comment section below.

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Related:

• Locals Baffled by Crop Circles Appearing in Washington State
• Forget About Crop Circles -- Check Out These 'Snow Circles!'
• Students Claim Responsibility for Indonesian Crop Circle

(H/T: Daily Mail)