Fact Check: Viral images showing ice flowers are AI generated

Ice flowers are flower-shaped ice crystals, formed due to low temperatures. Winter is a time to witness the natural phenomenon of rivers. A few images claiming to be the ice flowers formed on the Songhua River in northeast China are being shared on social media.

The formation of ice flowers is a beautiful natural phenomenon in the Great Lakes region of North America. When the temperature drop below freezing temperatures, the non-frozen water under the ice layer is pushed upward, creating small cracks. Then, as very little water flows through these cracks and almost immediately freezes, very thin ice layers of irregular shapes are formed. As they accumulate, they create fantastic geometric shapes. God is an AMAZING artist.

These images were also shared by mainstream media like NDTV etc in January 2023. The images were viral in January 2023, and again are in circulation in January 2024.

Fact check:

The claim is False. The images are AI-generated.

When we searched for ice flowers on Songhua River, we found a Facebook page of People’s Daily, China shared in December 2022 with the caption “Frost flowers," flower-shaped ice crystals, cover the surface of Songhua River in NE China's Heilongjiang.”

When checked the viral images using AI detection tools like ‘Is it AI’ and Illuminarty, we found that the images are AI-generated.

The claim was also debunked by Snopes.com in January 2024 which also confirms that the images are AI-generated.

Hence, the viral images are not natural but are AI-generated. The image does not show the Ice flowers on the Songhua River in northeast China. The claim is False.