Sunday, January 6, 2008

Ice Crystals

We discovered hoar frost on top of the ice on the West Branch of the Nezinscot River yesterday. Hoar frost is similar to dew. It forms when the air is super-saturated with moisture and the surface temperature is below freezing. The individual crystals are small and form from a single seed crystal and if left undisturbed can grow into beautiful formations. After several calm, cold nights, these crystals in a protected area of the river and on ice that was about 6 inches thick had time to grow into shapes that looked like ferns, feathers and lace.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Again Beth, Great shot of the hoar frost! Interesting too how its formed.
Louis