Patterned ground and stone circles formed above permafrost in the high Arctic on Spitsbergen, Svalbard. The patterns are formed by frost heave and fre

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Patterned ground and stone circles formed above permafrost in the high Arctic on Spitsbergen, Svalbard. The patterns are formed by frost heave and freeze thaw cycles which pushed the large rocks out from the centre of the circle leaving the ice in the middle.

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Size: 5760px × 3840px
Photo credit: © ASHLEY COOPER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: arctic, circle, cycle, freeze, geomorphology, ground, patterned, pebble, rock, spitsbergen, stone, svalbard, thaw, tundra