A recent heatwave in Europe created a lake high up in the French Alps at altitudes of more than 11,000 feet, in a place where temperatures are normally too cold to support liquid water.

The lake, measuring around 100 feet-wide, was spotted by rock climbing instructor Bryan Mestre at the base of the Dent du Gant and Aiguilles Marbres mountains in the Mont Blanc massif range, which extends into France, Italy and parts of Switzerland.

"I was surprised to see [the lake]in the Alps above the 3,000 meter line [around 9,850 feet,] water is always supposed to be in a frozen state," Mestre told the London Evening Standard. "When we go climbing for a day, if we bring a bottle of water or a camelback, the water starts to freeze after a few hours, even though it was in our backpacks all along, to give you an idea."