Question

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SEP Explain Phenomena The water in Blood Falls cascades over a glacier before reaching Lake Bonney. Why does the water not freeze as it passes across the glacier?

Answer 1

Because the water erupting at Blood Falls is an extremely salty, iron‑rich subglacial brine, its freezing point is far below 0 °C. Dissolved salts and other ions interfere with the hydrogen‑bonded ice lattice, so the brine must be cooled to a much lower temperature before ice crystals can form (freezing‑point depression). In addition the water is coming from a pressurized, subglacial reservoir and is flowing as a thin, fast film across the ice, which also inhibits nucleation and freezing. The combination of very high salinity (and slight geothermal/subglacial warmth/pressure) keeps the outflow liquid even in the cold air over the glacier.