frost heaving
Ice lifts soil
Frost heaving is the upward swelling of soil caused by ice forming beneath the surface.
When water in the ground freezes, it expands and pushes the soil—and anything in it—upward, sometimes by several inches.
This process can crack foundations, buckle roads and sidewalks, and heave fence posts out of the ground.
Gardeners in cold climates watch for frost heaving in early spring, when it can push shallow-rooted plants right out of the soil.
- patterned groundFreeze-thaw sorted terrain features
- freeze-thaw cyclesRepeated icing and melting
- freezingExtremely cold
- sidewalkPaved pedestrian pathway
- thawingFrozen matter liquefying
cold snap · cracked pavement · soil · foundation · moisture · expansion · freeze-thaw · tundra · temperature · arctic · glacial · winter · alpine tundra · groundswell · cold · frozen ground · upwelling · rupture
frost heavingsubsidence
Gradual ground sinking
compaction · soil compaction · consolidation · settling · sinking
frost, frosty, heave, frosting, froth, frosted, heaving, defrost, frosts