what the hell is that stuff?
Ever notice how after a large snowstorm, the large piles of what was once snow that are left on the side of the road and at the end of parking lots seems to undergo major changes.
First of all, it changes from nearly white just after the storm to brown, grey, or black.
Snow is fluffy, powdery or compressible. It has other physical properties that people normally associate with snow. The stuff on the side of the road is crusty and usually hard as a rock. I usually associate these properties with something like concrete that was not poured into a form and smoothed out.
Snow, as with most other frozen water, melts at 32 degrees Fahrenheit, 0 degrees Celsius, or 273 degrees Kelvin. The stuff on the side of the road seems to have a higher melting point, as the piles appear to remain intact for several weeks after the weather warms up. I've seen mounds that were around well into April, when the weather is usually no longer cold enough for snow.
Based on this evidence, I'm inclined to call this stuff a new substance. I hereby dub it.... permacrud.
First of all, it changes from nearly white just after the storm to brown, grey, or black.
Snow is fluffy, powdery or compressible. It has other physical properties that people normally associate with snow. The stuff on the side of the road is crusty and usually hard as a rock. I usually associate these properties with something like concrete that was not poured into a form and smoothed out.
Snow, as with most other frozen water, melts at 32 degrees Fahrenheit, 0 degrees Celsius, or 273 degrees Kelvin. The stuff on the side of the road seems to have a higher melting point, as the piles appear to remain intact for several weeks after the weather warms up. I've seen mounds that were around well into April, when the weather is usually no longer cold enough for snow.
Based on this evidence, I'm inclined to call this stuff a new substance. I hereby dub it.... permacrud.