Tianchi Lake, located inside a volcanic crater in Northeast China's Changbai mountain range, continued to thaw rapidly on Saturday, with ice sheets and icicles widely seen on its surface.

Although summer has arrived, Tianchi Lake, which is high up in the mountain range, is just thawing out after six months of deep freeze.

Tianchi is on top of the 2,189-meter high Changbai Mountain in Changchun, Jilin Province. From mid-October to mid-June, it is typically covered with ice, which can be over a meter thick in winter.

As the lake continues to melt, moss and lichen have become visible on volcanic rocks, and flowers will soon bloom on the Changbai Mountains, which are located at a relatively lower altitude in comparison with the lake.