Needle ice occurs when the air temperature is below freezing, and the soil is above freezing. Water flows upward via capillary  motion as heat moves toward colder air above.

Chunks of soil, grass, and moss are lifted into the air.

These crystals were discovered in Winterville (naturally) during a run through an overgrown subdivision that never made it through The Great Recession. Click here for more photos of the area, and enjoy Ray Charles’ persuasion…