Science Visualized Physics

Freshwater ice can melt into scallops and spikes

Water’s density quirk linked to surprising shapes

columns of freshwater ice forming, spikes, scallops and pinnacles

When columns of freshwater ice were submerged and melted in water, downward-facing spikes (left) formed at temperatures below about 5° Celsius, scallops (center) between about 5° C and 7° C and upward-facing pinnacles (right) above about 7° C.

Applied Math Lab/NYU

By Rachel Crowell

Water’s wacky density leads to strange effects that researchers are still uncovering.