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The frost line—also known as frost depth or freezing depth—is most commonly the depth to which the groundwater in soil is expected to freeze. The frost depth depends on the climatic conditions of an area, the heat transfer properties of the soil and adjacent materials, and on nearby heat sources.
Permafrost temperature profile. Permafrost occupies the middle zone, with the active layer above it, while geothermal activity keeps the lowest layer above freezing. The vertical 0 °C or 32 °F line denotes the average annual temperature that is crucial for the upper and lower limit of the permafrost zone, while the red lines represent seasonal temperature changes and seasonal temperature ...
The patterned ground below Mugi Hill on Mount Kenya lies in an area of seasonal frost. [1] A pingo and polygonal ground near Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, Canada. Patterned ground is the distinct and often symmetrical natural pattern of geometric shapes formed by the deformation of ground material in periglacial regions.
Ice lens formation resulting in frost heave in cold climates. Frost heave is the process by which the freezing of water-saturated soil causes the deformation and upward thrust of the ground surface. [3] This process can distort and crack pavement, damage the foundations of buildings and displace soil in
Frost weathering is the collective name for those forms of physical weathering that are caused by the formation of ice within rock outcrops. It was long believed that the most important of these is frost wedging, which is the widening of cracks or joints in rocks resulting from the expansion of porewater when it freezes. A growing body of ...
If the winter temperature is below the freezing point of water, a frost front will form in the soil. This "frost front" is the boundary between frozen and unfrozen soil, and with the coming of spring and summer, the soil is thawed, always from the top down. If the heating during summer exceeds the cooling during winter, the soil will be ...
The soil moisture regimes are defined based on the levels of the groundwater table and the amounts of soil water available to plants during a given year in a particular region. Several moisture regime classes are used to characterize soils. These categories are terminology modifiers at the soil suborder level of characterization.
Parent material is the underlying geological material (generally bedrock or a superficial or drift deposit) in which soil horizons form. Soils typically inherit a great deal of structure and minerals from their parent material, and, as such, are often classified based upon their contents of consolidated or unconsolidated mineral material that has undergone some degree of physical or chemical ...