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
Category
đź—ž
NewsTranscript
00:00 [music]
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.
01:00 [music]