Nature Blows My Mind! The Strange Snow Formations Called Penitentes

Penitentes

So imagine this: You're strolling along a road in the Andes when suddenly you come across a patch of very spiky ice - spikes that hit as high as your waist, as high as your shoulders. There isn't any other snow around, just rocks and gravel... and these strange spikes of ice.

It'd be a little weird, right? These are called Penitentes (or nieves penitentes). The tall, thin spikes are typically blade-shaped and can be found at high altitudes above 13,000 feet and are made of hardened snow or ice. The blades usually are oriented toward the sun.

These amazing ice spikes, generally known as penitentes due to their resemblance to processions of white-hooded monks, can be found on mountain glaciers and vary in size dramatically: from a few centimetres to 5 metres in height. Initially, the sun’s rays cause random dimples on the surface of the snow. Once such a dimple is formed, sunlight can be reflected within the dimple, increasing the localized sublimation. As this accelerates, deep troughs are formed, leaving peaks of ice standing between them.


Sources:-
http://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/nature-blows-my-mind-strange-snow-formations-called-penitentes.html

http://www.oddee.com/item_96654.aspx