Archive - Frost Crystal Congregation
November 06, 2021
Every weekend we present a notable item from our archives.
This EPOD was originally published March 7, 2010.
Photographer: Jean Francois Coliac
Summary Author: Jean Francois Coliac; Jim Foster
The photo above shows an assemblage of lacy frost crystals attached to a small plant in the French Alps. These large plate crystals formed in very cold but still relatively humid air. They grew incrementally as water vapor condensed at the most exposed points over the crystals’ surfaces (upon edges and imperfections). Note that frost crystals tend to form perpendicular to vertical features such as plant stalks or leaf stems. Photo taken in early February 2010.
