What did I say is a safe temperature for ice crystal formation (snowflakes)?  The prime snow growth region is -12° C to -18° C.   5° C   0° C   -5° C   -10° C   None of the above - Can ONLY form at -12° C to -18° C

Applications and Investigations in Earth Science (9th Edition)
9th Edition
ISBN:9780134746241
Author:Edward J. Tarbuck, Frederick K. Lutgens, Dennis G. Tasa
Publisher:Edward J. Tarbuck, Frederick K. Lutgens, Dennis G. Tasa
Chapter1: The Study Of Minerals
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What did I say is a safe temperature for ice crystal formation (snowflakes)?  The prime snow growth region is -12° C to -18° C.
 
5° C
 
0° C
 
-5° C
 
-10° C
 
None of the above - Can ONLY form at -12° C to -18° C
 
Expert Solution
Step 1: Introducing Snowflakes

Snowflakes are basically ice crystals in nature. They are formed by the freezing of the water vapour present in the atmosphere around us. The formation of snowflakes generally takes place when the temperature reaches below the freezing point. They are generally symmetrical in nature as they reflect the internal order of the water molecules that are present inside the crystal.

Step 2: Identifying the safe temperature for ice crystal formation

The correct option is 0° C.

For the formation of snow & ice crystals, there should be a source of water vapour & a surface must be present where the water vapour would freeze. The water vapour that is present in the air can come from various sources such as oceans, lakes & rivers. Also, it can result from the evaporation of liquid precipitation. The surface needed for the water vapour to freeze onto are known as nuclei. At first, tiny ice crystals are formed that are nucleated around a dust or salt particle which subsequently joins to form larger ice crystals. The growth of the ice crystals will continue until they acquire the weight to fall on the ground as snow.

Whenever the temperature of the cloud drops below the freezing point of water, i.e 0 °C.  the water vapour will start to turn into ice crystals. The unfrozen water vapour present in the cloud will freeze onto the existing ice crystals, thus resulting in their growth.

All of the temperatures below 0°C are safe for the formation of ice crystals. 



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