Ice lenses are bodies of ice formed when moisture, diffused within soil or rock, accumulates in a localized zone. The ice initially accumulates within small collocated pores or pre-existing crack, and, as long as the conditions remain favorable, continues to collect in the ice layer or ice lens, wedging the soil or rock apart. Ice lenses grow parallel to the surface and several centimeters to several decimeters (inches to feet) deep in the soil or rock. Studies from 1990 have demonstrated that rock fracture by ice segregation (i.
Ice segregation is the geological phenomenon produced by the formation of ice lenses, which induce erosion when moisture, diffused within soil or rock, accumulates in a localized zone. The ice initially accumulates within small collocated pores or pre-existing cracks, and, as long as the conditions remain favorable, continues to collect in the ice layer or ice lens, wedging the soil or rock apart. Ice lenses grow parallel to the surface and several centimeters to several decimeters (inches to feet) deep in the soil or rock.
Frost heaving (or a frost heave) is an upwards swelling of soil during freezing conditions caused by an increasing presence of ice as it grows towards the surface, upwards from the depth in the soil where freezing temperatures have penetrated into the soil (the freezing front or freezing boundary). Ice growth requires a water supply that delivers water to the freezing front via capillary action in certain soils. The weight of overlying soil restrains vertical growth of the ice and can promote the formation of lens-shaped areas of ice within the soil.
vignette|upright=1.5|Le cycle de l'eau Lhydrologie (du grec , « eau », et , « étude ») est la science qui s'intéresse à tous les aspects du cycle de l'eau, et en particulier aux échanges entre la mer, l'atmosphère (océanographie, climatologie...), la surface terrestre (limnologie) et le sous-sol (hydrogéologie), sur terre (ou potentiellement sur d'autre planètes). L'hydrologue contribue à la connaissance et gestion des ressources en eau et à leur durabilité en rapport avec les bassins versants environnementaux.
thumb|Creusement de trous dans le manteau neigeux sur le glacier Taku en Alaska, pour mesurer sa profondeur, sa densité. Le manteau neigeux ou manteau nival ou couverture neigeuse est le dépôt des précipitations neigeuses sur le sol ou sur une étendue avant le sol (toit). Constitué de l'accumulation stratifiée de neige, c'est donc toujours un mélange de cristaux de glace et d'air, avec souvent, si sa température est proche de ou après une pluie, de l'eau liquide.