Jason Berard
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Does anyone know what conditions cause these type of crystals to form on ice?
thanks all!
thanks all!
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ice crystal formation???
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nartreb
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Those star-shaped crystals are classic hoarfrost - caused when still, cold air is cooled below its dewpoint (er, frostpoint) by contact with a cold surface (the ice). Typically this happens overnight when the surface is coldest.
It's not surprising that there's no frost on the rock, which would have retained warmth from the sun, but it's interesting that the ice seems to have been cooler than the nearby snow ...
many more frost & rime photos
On second thought: at least some of that frost might have fallen from branches above the ice, and just not be visible where it fell into the snow.
It's not surprising that there's no frost on the rock, which would have retained warmth from the sun, but it's interesting that the ice seems to have been cooler than the nearby snow ...
many more frost & rime photos
On second thought: at least some of that frost might have fallen from branches above the ice, and just not be visible where it fell into the snow.
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