Spiked snow: Rare gifts of nature that resemble a crowd of kneeling people
You might have witnessed snow falling flat on the ground which looks like soft, white veil or blanket. But have you ever seen snow spikes? Probably not. To get a glimpse of these strange, yet stupendously beautiful ice formations, you have to travel all the way to the Andes Mountains running along South America's western side. Known as penitentes or nieves penitentes, these are huge dagger-like blades of vertically aligned ice assembled in the middle of the Atacama Desert, which is part of a sub-region in the Andes Range, known as Dry Andes. These structures, which can grow as tall as 20 feet, are typically formed in high-altitude areas under cold and dry environments where there is an extreme climate.
How are these snow spikes formed?
When you look at penitentes, this the most obvious question to come to your mind is- how are they formed? The reason is as strange as the shape of these structures. Penitentes are formed when the sun's light directly turns the snow into water vapour without melting the ice. You might have heard of this process in your science class. It is called sublimation (the process where solids directly convert into gases bypassing the stage of conversion to liquid). Science can explain the strangest of phenomena, isn’t it?
Nieves penitentes might be harbouring
Now you know that penitentes are formed in cold and dry environment, a condition not ideal for life. But what if we told you that there might be some life growing in the spikes of snow? Yes, a group of scientists recently published a study citing signs of microbial growth in them. This means despite such harsh conditions; life has found a way for itself.
Penitentes in the eyes of Darwin
Famous naturalist Charles Darwin described these structures as frozen masses of snow converted into pinnacles. He observed that penitentes formations made it difficult for cargo to pass through these regions.
Not limited to Earth
Many scientists also believe that Earth may not be the only planet with penitentes! The icy moon of Jupiter, Europa, provides an ideal environment for forming penitentes as it is cold and dry. However, there is little to no evidence of these strange ice formations on Europa. Apart from Jupiter's moon, structures similar to penitentes are believed to be existing on Pluto too!
Fun fact
Do you know where these strange snow formations got their name from? Their very appearance. They look like a crowd of kneeling people performing an act of penance. In fact, penitentes remind one of the white, tall, narrow and pointed hats worn by penitents.