Kammeis
In geomorphology , Kammeis is the name given to small, bundled ice needles that seem to "grow" out of the ground. They arise on fine-grained and not completely frozen soils in periglacial areas with little or no vegetation .
On snow-free, but damp slopes , the frozen water in the ground "grows" upwards from the ground when it freezes in the form of ice needles perpendicular to the cooling surface . The phenomenon occurs when water freezes at the upper end of pores in the ground, expands in the process and protrudes a little out of the pores. If additional water is deposited at the lower end of the frozen ice needle and also freezes and expands when it reaches the surface, ice needles can be up to 30 cm long.
At the same time, floor material is also lifted; after the ice has thawed, this is deposited again down the slope, which is why the relief can be changed in the process, i.e. denudation (extensive removal) takes place. One then speaks of Kammeis solifluction (movement of soil particles on the slope, which is triggered by Kammeis formation ). Because Kammeis loosens the soil on the surface, the erosion effect of other processes such as flush denudation and deflation is increased.
A similar phenomenon is the hair ice on dead wood.
literature
- WR Franz: Effects of wind, kammeis and other abiotic factors on various plant communities in the Carinthian nature and landscape protection area "Nockberge" . In: Sauteria 1 , pp. 65-88. Salzburg 1986.
- Frank Ahnert : Introduction to Geomorphology . 5th completely revised and expanded edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2015, ISBN 3-8252-8627-4 , pp. 107 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
Web links
- Do you know Kammeis? Blog post explaining the origins of Kammeis
- Cotton candy in the forest. On: waldwissen.net