Image courtesy veryveryfun.com.
Here are ten things you might not know about snow.
1. Snow is a mineral just like diamonds and salt.
2. A snowflake can be 50 times as wide as it is thick. Most snowflakes are thinner than a piece of paper.
3. The centre of a snowflake contains a tiny mote of dust, usually composed of volcanic ash or a even a particle from outer space.
4. Fresh snow is composed of 90 to 95% air, making it a good thermal insulator.
5. A "thundersnow" is a blizzard with lightning. Experts believe that ice crystals in clouds collide to generate electricity.
6. The largest snowflake in history measured 15 inches wide and fell in Fort Keogh, Montana in 1887.
7. Red, yellow or black snow is the result of pollen windblown dust, ash or soot.
8. The whitest spot in the United States is Valdez, Alaska (site of the oil spill) where the average snowfall is 326 inches per year.
9. Too much snow can drive a person crazy, a condition called "pibloktoq". This form of hysteria can lead to "echolalia" or the repetition of senseless words.
10. The "snowball earth" theory claims that the earth was covered in snow and ice 600 million years ago. However, its deterrents claim that a completely frozen earth would kill all living things.
Source: http://discovermagazine.com.
Image courtesy 4.bp.blogspot.com.
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