This is nothing unusual (see our website ), but the behavior it exhibited later was new to me.
This ice spike was narrow in the middle, but widened out towards the top, terminating in a point. By lunchtime it was melting, and the narrow waist in the middle had become extremely thin. I decided to take some photos, so I picked it up, fearing it would break, and took a couple of shots.
Then I was completely astonished to see the spike BEND in the middle. Over a period of about 4 or 5 seconds, the top folded over until it touched the ice below.
It remained bent like this while I put it back on the ground. So this hinge survived bending through an angle of about 110 degrees. I believe ice can become less brittle with the addition of certain other substances, but this was not even tap water. It was de-ionized water into which some rain had fallen, so it was about as pure as you can get.
I have written to several scientists about it, and will let you know if I find an answer as to why this happened. After all, ice doesn't bend. Does it...?
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