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Rotating ice disc in US river stuns the world

The ice disc appears to have been formed by a circular current.

The ice disc appears to have been formed by a circular current. Photo: Twitter

A giant, slowly rotating ice disk is receiving worldwide attention after appearing in the middle of a US river.

The 91-metre wide ice disc, which is spinning slowly counter-clockwise in Maine’s Presumpscot River, has drawn comparison to an alien spacecraft, a carousel and the moon.

The natural oddity has served as a large raft for ducks and other birds, according to local news reports.

Rob Mitchell, who owns a nearby office building, first spotted the alien-looking disc on Tuesday (Australian time) and immediately notified the city government. A drone was then used to gauge the scale of the object.

“The ducks were rotating on this big Lazy Susan,” Mr Mitchell said.

A vortex underneath the spinning disc, created by temperature changes in the water, is causing it to rotate, experts said.

As it spins, the edges of the moonlike ice formation are slowly chipped away, thereby producing its circular shape, according to researchers.  

The ice formation is believed to have formed naturally in a part of the river where a circular current creates a whirlpool effect, City of Westbrook’s Tina Radel said.

Locals say they’ve seen smaller ice discs before, but nothing like this one, Ms Radel said.

-with AAP

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