Types of Ice in Ice Caves
Different freezing mechanisms result in visually and structurally distinct types of perennial cave ice.
Ponded water - Surface water that collects and ponds in a cave before freezing will form a clear ice mass, and can be tens of metres thick and of great age. Large ice masses are plastic and can slowly flow in response to gravity or pressure from further accumulations. Sculpting from air flow and sublimation may reveal ancient accumulation bands within the ice.
Accumulated snow - Compressed under the weight of ongoing accumulations, snow sliding or falling into a cave entrance may eventually form ice that is coarsely crystalline, akin to glacier ice. True underground glaciers are rare.
Ice formations - Water that freezes before ponding may form icicles, ice-stalagmites, ice columns or frozen waterfalls.
Airborne moisture (water vapor) – Freezing vapor can form frost crystals, frost feathers and two-dimensional ice plates on the cave walls and ceiling.
Needle ice - Infiltrating water that freezes within the bedrock can sometimes be forced into the cave passage.
Intrusions - The weight of a surface glacier perched atop a cave entrance can force glacial ice a short distance into the cave. The only known examples of this phenomenon are the several 'ice plugs' at the back of Castleguard Cave in Alberta.
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