Gelifraction: how mountainsides can collapse
Freeze-thaw, also known as gelifraction or cryoclasty is the name of a type of erosion which can collapse mountainsides through freezing and unfreezing of water. It is becoming more frequent due to climate change, as this videographic explains. VIDEOGRAPHIC
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00:07 Gelly fraction, sometimes known as cryoclasti, is the name of a type of erosion, which can
00:12 collapse mountainsides through freezing and unfreezing of water.
00:16 When snow falls and transforms into water, it collects in the fissures or large cracks
00:21 along mountain slopes.
00:23 During wintertime or at night, the temperature falls below zero and the water freezes.
00:28 This volume increases, which enlarges the cracks.
00:32 The process repeats itself each time the water melts and refreezes.
00:36 The fissures continue to expand until they become too large.
00:41 The binding force of the ice ceases to function and the blocks of rock separate, causing rock
00:46 falls and landslides.
00:50 Zones which experience gelly fraction are those which are frequently exposed to temperatures
00:54 below zero.
00:56 With global warming, this phenomenon could become more frequent at higher altitudes.
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