Ice Ages Part 2 (From Worcester News)

Ice Ages Part 2

10:24am Tuesday 6th January 2009 in

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During ice ages the landscape is changed dramatically, even when it ends the melting of ice and snow continues to alter the land. At the edge of an ice sheet the ground is frozen for much of the year, but in summer a short lived thaw takes place melting the upper layer of ice.

When this takes place water is released turning the surface into a muddy stream. Large boulders and rocks slide down any uneven ground. When the temperature falls again below the freezing point the large rocks and boulders stop in their track, but each year they travel a little further.

This is called "solifluction and experts can recognize it by the variety of rocks it produces on hillsides showing the rocks lay close to an ice sheet. Water also seeps into minute cracks in rocks, when the water turns to ice, it expands creating larger cracks before shattering rocks and boulders. Frost shattering helps produce the small fragments from which soil develops.

Next Week.....Ancient continents and Boxgrove man.

Glossary: Ice Age: A period during which substantial part of the Earth's surface is covered by ice sheets and glaciers that have grown out from the polar and mountainous regions.

Weather for coming week Monday 5th January-Friday 9th January.

The cold block of high pressure that has been and continues to influence the weather over much of north-west Europe bringing cold conditions, will move to the south later this week bringing less intense frost on a west/south-west wind flow from off the Atlantic.

Monday and Tuesday cold dry and bright with sunshine. Harsh frost with black ice and freezing fog banks late afternoon, eventide and night lingering into each morning-tide.

Maxima temperature 2-4c 36-39f.

Minima temperature Minus 8c 18f on Monday Night....Minus 6c on Tuesday Night.

Wednesday cloudier, some brightness, a few snow showers about, otherwise dry.

Thursday and Friday fair and placid with the overnight frost less intense.

Maxima temperature 3-5c 37-41f.

Minimum temperature 0 to Minus 2c 32-28f.

Last Week's Observations (Monday-Sunday)

Highest day temperature...........5.0c on Friday 2nd January.

Lowest night temperature..........Minus 7.2c on Friday 2nd January.

Wettest day.............................0.1 mm on Wednesday 31st December.