Ice blocks placed in a steady stream of water will start to vibrate back and forth just because they are melting.
April 23, 2026
Original Paper
Melting Ice Structures Oscillate in Flow
SSRN · 6623554
The Takeaway
Cylindrical and prism-shaped ice structures oscillate rhythmically when exposed to a constant flow of water. This movement is not caused by any change in the water's speed or the weight of the ice. Instead, the act of melting changes the size of the block, which shifts its reduced velocity into a range that triggers vibration. This means a disappearing object can generate its own mechanical energy through the process of losing mass. Understanding this oscillation is vital for predicting how icebergs and glacier fronts behave as they melt into the sea. It reveals a hidden feedback loop between melting and motion in nature.
From the abstract
We show how structures made of ice and free to oscillate in a direction perpendicular to the direction of flow oscillate due to the changes in their size as they melt when they are placed in flow. We show this both for a cylinder and for a square prism. In these experiments, we do not change the flow velocity, or the spring constant. Oscillations are observed only due to the change in the size of the structure as a result of melting. In the case of a cylinder, as the structure melts, its diamete