freeze-thaw cycle
Ice expansion weathering
A freeze-thaw cycle is the repeated process of water freezing and melting, especially in rock or soil.
Water seeps into cracks, expands when it freezes, then contracts when it thaws—gradually breaking apart stone, concrete, or pavement.
The term appears in geology, construction, and climate discussions: Freeze-thaw cycles damaged the foundation.
Also called frost weathering.
- frostThin ice coating
- frost heaveSoil expansion from ice
- iceWater's solid form
- weatheringAtmospheric breakdown of materials
- erosionGradual wearing away
crack · expansion · contraction · glacier · polar region · rock · pavement · pothole · road salt · winter · melt · refreeze · cold snap · water · soil · heave · fracture · crystallization
freeze-thaw cycleconsolidation
Combining into unified whole
preservation · cementation · compaction · stabilization · protective coating
freeze, thaw, cycle, freezes, froze, frozen, freezing, freezer, thaws