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Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Five Meter Above The Snow Spikes, Which Never Melt - Penitentes

Andes Mountains in places where conventional penitentes formations are visible, they are the world's longest mountain range is under water in the stack, with over 7000 km and 500 km wide. The average height of about 4000 meters and spans along the western part of South America including Argentina, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela.


Penitentes are amazing ice spikes naturally in lowland areas, particularly high elevations in the Andes Mountains, which are more than 4000 meters above sea level is formed. The name of the ice peaks reaching heights penitentes different from a few centimeters like lawn even 5 m from the forest to harvest ice. As their blades pointing towards the sun stood like monks standing up to them if in deep prayer to one direction, toward the sun. When you start to freeze them in the early sunrays slowly and consistently appear to be melting.


People of the Andes Mountains to the phenomenon hit the fast winds in the area that was only part of the process; the wind had only limited role in shaping these beautiful sculptures. As per the recent scientific observations of sunlight that falls on the ice in addition to warm some of the light is trapped in ice under bending them into several blocks of ice that leads to uneven melting of the ice and that part of No melted ice that remains in the form of birth bizarre sculpture called penitentes.

Penitentes was first in the literature by Darwin in 1839 is described. On 22 March 1835, he had to push their way through snowfields covered in the near penitentes Password Piuquenes, in the way of Santiago, Chile to the Argentine city of Mendoza, reported local belief (continued until today) that them by strong winds from the Andes have been formed.




Scientists conducted much research on these various phenomena Lliboutry one among them is done. He reached this conclusion, the ice peaks formed due to differential erosion (erosion means the removal of snow melt or vaporize). Dew point (temperature, dew that is needed to compress) it is always below zero to remove snow (sublimation means no change of solid to gas directly under your middle stage that is liquid). Excellence requires higher energy input from melting.


Initially smooth surfaces of glaciers slowly and gradually developed depression and dry air takes away the ice in the process is called sublimation. Due to uneven wear penitentes taking shape and surface geometry enables them to sunlight to divert incoming trap it inside its walls. Hollow spaces become the black surface to absorb light, while reducing wind saturation due to increased air temperature and start melting point.


At present scenario when the fossil fuels burned in unprecedented amounts and in a few years back and gnawing air leaving gaping ozone hole in the sky, scientists turn to the phenomenon, looking for answers is whether any There are problems for this phenomenon in the formation of penitentes. Research intended to slow the melting of polar ice and open water quickly back land that may be low level and the island sinks. If their research on penitentes succeed and find the answer would be no small thing.
Interesting fact: Penitentes of certain caps Nazarenos monks called the name of New Mexico.

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