Snow balls on Siberian Beach Over the last several days, a beach north of Novosibirsk, Siberia has b
Snow balls on Siberian BeachOver the last several days, a beach north of Novosibirsk, Siberia has been covered by these spheres of ice. As a geologist, my reference point for the formation of these is ooids – spheres of calcium carbonate that form on beaches from a combination of chemistry and wave action (https://tmblr.co/Zyv2Js1biyRLw).These objects started as slush or snow near the beach. As they roll around in the waves, they are rounded and abraded, shaping them into something resembling spheres. To grow them up to this size, the water must also be supercooled – cooled below its freezing temperature – so that as the snow balls roll around, layer after layer of ice must coat its surface.This phenomenon is occasionally observed around the world, including every few years on the shores of Lake Michigan (https://tmblr.co/Zyv2Js16eGn12).-JBBImage credit: published in lots of places, http://bit.ly/2djwQXrReference: http://wapo.st/2fU4Krh -- source link
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