Frost shattered rock. This rock has been fragmented by freeze thaw weathering, the process by which the growth of ice crystals inside the pore spaces

---

Frost shattered rock. This rock has been fragmented by freeze thaw weathering, the process by which the growth of ice crystals inside the pore spaces of the rock gradually weakens the rock over time, eventually causing it to shatter. Freeze thaw weathering occurs in periglacial (extremely cold) and alpine environments where temperatures regularly fluctuate above and below freezing point. Photographed in Iceland.

---

Size: 5120px × 3401px
Photo credit: © DANIEL SAMBRAUS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: action, cold, europe, european, fragmented, freeze-thaw, frost, frozen, geography, geological, geology, geomorphology, ice, iceland, nature, periglacial, physical, process, processes, rock, shattered, shattering, split, weathered, weathering, wilderness