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Geological Formations

Ice lens

Erosional and Karst Formations

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An ice lens is a body of ice that forms when moisture diffused within soil or rock accumulates in a localized zone, gathering within small pores or a pre existing crack and wedging the surrounding soil or rock apart as it grows. Ice lenses grow parallel to the surface and can reach several centimeters to several decimeters deep in the ground. Studies since 1990 have shown that this ice segregation process fractures rock more effectively than the older freeze thaw model once proposed for the same weathering.

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