22 Miraculously Awesome Rare Natural Phenomena That Occur on Earth
15. Snow Donuts
Location: Snow, under the right conditions of formation.
Snow donuts are formed when a clump of snow falls off of a cliff or a tree into the snow pack. And if the conditions and temperature are just right, as gravity takes over, it pulls the snow down, and it rolls back on itself. Usually the center collapses and it creates what we call a pinwheel. But when the hole stays open, it creates a shape that resembles a car tire covered with ice, or a gigantic, white Cheerio!
The following conditions are needed for snow rollers to form:
-There must be a relatively thin surface layer of wet, loose snow, with a temperature near the melting point of ice.
-Under this thin layer of wet snow there must be a substrate to which the thin surface layer of wet snow will not stick, such as ice or powder snow.
-The wind must be strong enough to move the snow rollers, but not strong enough to blow them apart.
-Alternatively, gravity can move the snow rollers as when a snowball, such as those that will fall from a tree or cliff, lands on a steep hill and begins to roll down the hill.
Because of this last condition, snow rollers are more common in hilly areas. However, the precise nature of the conditions required makes them a very rare phenomenon.
Location: Snow, under the right conditions of formation.
Snow donuts are formed when a clump of snow falls off of a cliff or a tree into the snow pack. And if the conditions and temperature are just right, as gravity takes over, it pulls the snow down, and it rolls back on itself. Usually the center collapses and it creates what we call a pinwheel. But when the hole stays open, it creates a shape that resembles a car tire covered with ice, or a gigantic, white Cheerio!
The following conditions are needed for snow rollers to form:
-There must be a relatively thin surface layer of wet, loose snow, with a temperature near the melting point of ice.
-Under this thin layer of wet snow there must be a substrate to which the thin surface layer of wet snow will not stick, such as ice or powder snow.
-The wind must be strong enough to move the snow rollers, but not strong enough to blow them apart.
-Alternatively, gravity can move the snow rollers as when a snowball, such as those that will fall from a tree or cliff, lands on a steep hill and begins to roll down the hill.
Because of this last condition, snow rollers are more common in hilly areas. However, the precise nature of the conditions required makes them a very rare phenomenon.
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29 January 2023
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