During winter, you can sometimes ice skate outdoors on a frozen lake. Why can’t you ice skate on a lake when it is not frozen?

Generally the ice should be more than 4 inches thick to skate on it safely. However, the ice thickness is not always even and there can be thin spots, especially near springs or near river inlets or outlets. Most lakes and ponds don't completely freeze because the ice (and eventually snow) on the surface acts to insulate the water below. Our winters aren't long or cold enough to completely freeze most local water bodies. This process of lakes turning over is critically important to the life in the lake.

Explanation:

in cartography, a contour line (often just called a "contour") joins points of equal elevation (height) above a given level, such as mean sea level. a contour map is a map illustrated with contour lines, for example a topographic map, which thus shows valleys and hills, and the steepness or gentleness of slopes.

explanation: