15 different types of ice.

[BAZ]

Who would have thought it. It turns out there are 15 different "Phases" of ice. And according to the program was listening to, they don't yet know what makes ice slippy. You learn something new everyday.

 

 http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/scssi2008/pdf/9014.pdf

[T A WOW]

And how many of those would be the wrong type if it was on the train tracks.

[Sheila]

And how many of those would be the wrong type if it was on the train tracks.

all of them

[Tweedledee]

Fascinating stuff Martyn, thanks for posting that.

 

I read elsewhere that water in general has many very unusual properties, but never knew about all the different forms of ice.

 

The Clathrate Hydrates it mentions found in space are also found on earth. There are areas of permafrost on the earths surface and other deposits deep down on the sea bed which are Methane Clathrate Hydrates, (ice containing trapped Methane CH4), and are being investigated for use as a vast future energy source. Apparently just 1 cubic metre of the hydrate can release up to 164 cubic metres of methane, but it obviously needs to be extracted and contained carefully as it is a powerful greenhouse gas.

[BAZ]

Apparently water has memory as well, but I missed that bit. It's amazing stuff, who would have thought one oxygen and two hydrogen could be so complicated. It's all to do with how the molecules stack, how the temperature gradient works, and pressure.

And it still goes well with G & T.

[Tweedledee]

I'll take any phase of ice in my whisky and ginger thanks, Martyn.

 

The one with the memory might be best as tend to forget things after several glasses .