Christmas Star Geo-Art
This series is being published in conjunction with the Farewell to Fall 2025 Community Celebration Event on Dec. 20. This cache will not be found at the published coordinates but the final coordinates can be worked out quite easily.
Snowflakes
How Do Snowflakes Form?
The life of a snowflake begins high in Earth's atmosphere, and if the snowflake is very lucky it might reach the ground.
Snowflakes have unique shapes: Photographs of many snowflakes showing how each has a hexagonal crystalline structure but a unique geometry. The shapes of the flakes are determined by the atmospheric conditions experienced as it fell through the sky. Conditions of temperature and humidity can change as the flake falls and cause variations in crystal growth.
A Tiny Particle High in Earth's Atmosphere
A snowflake begins when a tiny dust or pollen particle comes into contact with water vapor high in Earth's atmosphere. The water vapor coats the tiny particle and freezes into a tiny crystal of ice. This tiny crystal will be the "seed" from which a snowflake will grow.
Snowflake crystal structure: Photograph of a snowflake revealing its hexagonal (six-sided) crystalline structure. This crystalline structure makes ice a “mineral.”
Hexagonal "Mineral" Crystals
The molecules of water that form each tiny ice crystal naturally arrange themselves into a hexagonal (six-sided) structure. The result will be a snowflake with six sides or six arms. Ice crystals are “minerals” because they are naturally occurring solids with a definite chemical composition and an ordered internal structure.
The Snowflake Grows as it Falls
The newly-formed ice crystal (snowflake) is heavier than the surrounding air and it begins falling. As it falls towards Earth through humid air, more water vapor freezes onto the surface of the tiny crystal. This freezing process is very systematic. The water molecules of the vapor arrange themselves so that the hexagonal crystal structure of ice is repeated. The snowflake grows larger and larger as it falls, enlarging the hexagonal pattern.
Every Snowflake is Different!
Although all snowflakes have a hexagonal shape, other details of their geometry can vary. These variations are produced by different temperature and humidity conditions through which the snowflake falls. Some temperature/humidity combinations produce flakes with long needle-like arms. Other conditions produce flakes with wide flat arms. Other conditions produce thin, branching arms.
These different shapes have an unlimited number of variations, each representing the conditions of temperature and humidity and water vapor the snowflake encountered during its fall. A collection of snowflakes is shown at the top of this page. Notice the wide variety of shapes.
Atmospheric conditions for snow: Snowflakes form high in the atmosphere. They will reach the ground if the air temperature is below freezing all the way down.
Will They Reach the Ground as Snow?
The formation of snowflakes high in Earth's atmosphere does not guarantee snowfall on Earth's surface. That will only happen if air temperatures are below freezing all the way to the ground.
It is interesting that there are so many conditions that must be just right to make a snowflake and yet when we get a snowstorm, there is an unlimited amount of snowflakes that land.
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