A spell of cold has frozen a river in the Karatohai Wetland

A spell of cold has frozen a river in the Karatohai Wetland, northwest China, creating rare natural patterns that resemble tree branches on the water surface. As the river iced over, flowing water beneath the frozen surface carved intricate shapes that spread across the ice like branches stretching outwards.

The formations, dusted with snow, resembled trees rising from the river and evoked the look of a traditional Chinese ink painting. Some patterns resembled young saplings, while others twisted like ancient trees. The shimmering textures and mist-like snow cover gave the frozen wetland a dreamlike quality — the romance of winter sealed in ice.