In article ,
Scott in SoCal wrote:

On Mon, 05 May 2008 23:16:52 -0500, Newbie wrote:

I am no great expert on the issue, but the following fact concerns me.
We all see potholes and damage to various surfaces from thawing and
freezing cycles. Now, it seems to me that this water was completely
open on one side. It could have just expanded into the air, but no, it
expanded in all directions and did the damage.

Well, once the part exposed to the cold air freezes, I'm guessing the
rest of the water can no longer expand in that direction as it
freezes. The older ice forms a solid barrier, forcing the newer ice to
expand in other directions.

If ice is like toothpaste, then why can it crack boulders? The
answer is, that it isn't like toothpaste and when it forms its'
lattice and freezes it takes more space, in all directions.
--

Billy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KVTf...ef=patrick.net
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0aEo...eature=related