On the shape of ice stalagmites

2024/12/10 by Daniel Papa, Christophe Josserand, Papa, Daniel +3
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Engineering · Environmental Science · #Aerospace Engineering and Energy Systems #FOS: Physical sciences #Fluid Dynamics (physics.flu-dyn) #Geological Modeling and Analysis #Methane Hydrates and Related Phenomena

paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2412.07654

openalex publication_date 2024/12/10 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

The growth of ice stalagmites obtained by the solidification of impacting droplets on a cooled substrate (-50^∘C to -140^∘C) is investigated experimentally. It is shown that for any combination of substrate temperature and drop discharge, there is a critical height above which unfrozen water accumulates at the stalagmite's tip, drips and develops into fingers that give a star-shape to the stalagmite. Both the vertical growth and the radial growth of the stalagmite are discussed through the Stefan problem and mass scaling arguments respectively. Finally, a phase diagram that presents the stalagmite aspect ratio in function of the main control parameters is proposed.

Related

• An experimental apparatus for observing deterministic structure formation in plate-on-pedestal ice crystal growth
• A Taxonomy of Snow Crystal Growth Behaviors: 1. Using c-axis Ice Needles as Seed Crystals
• Toward a Comprehensive Model of Snow Crystal Growth: 5. Measurements of Changes in Attachment Kinetics from Background Gas Interactions at -5 C
• Toward a Comprehensive Model of Snow Crystal Growth Dynamics: 1. Overarching Features and Physical Origins
• On the Formation of Thin Ice Crystal Plates: A New Type of Morphological Instability in Diffusion-Limited Growth