The Science of Snow
In 1951 the International Commission on Snow and Ice devised a classification system to identify the seven basic forms of snow crystals.
The 7 main classifications are: plate, stellar, column, needle, spatial dendrite, capped column and irregular.
Plate Crystals are hexagonal crystals.
Stellar Plate Crystals are star-like with unbroken arms. When the ridges become defined and prominent, they are called Sectored plates.
Columns are six-sided hollow or solid prisms.
Needle Crystal are thin, long, needle-like crystals.
The word
Dendritic means
tree-like. Dendrites are star-like crystals with side branches.
Irregular Crystals ate types of snow crystals that cannot be classified into any particular group or subgroup.
Graupels form when
snow crystals fall through very moist air
see Photo #807.
Hail forms when a precipitation particle falls through a layer of moist air and becomes coated with a layer of ice.
Ice Pellets may form when rain falls though a very cold air mass
The
Hexagonal Prism is the basic ice crystal shape. They are very tiny and usually cannot be seen without a magnifying glass.
Visit Snowflake's Family Tree?
Can you locate these ice crystal classifications on Snowflake's Family Tree? (Otherwise known as Magono and Lee's Classification of Snow Crystals)
How to Catch a Falling Snowflake
- When it is cold and snowy outside, take a sheet of black paper outside and allow it to cool to air temperature
- Place it on the ground and let snowflakes collect on the paper
- Before they melt, look at them with a powerful magnifying glass
- Try to find all seven basic snowflake shapes
Famous Snowflake Quote: "The wonder of a single snowflake outweighs the wisdom of a million meteorologists." - Francis Bacon
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