The Science of Snow for Children and Teachers Page 4

Snow Science Groups of Ice Crystal Classifications

There are 7 major groupings of snowflakes which branch off into 41 morphological types.

Morphology deals with the structure and form of animals and plants and means the study of structure or form.

A snowflake may change or morph into a variety of shapes depending upon the conditions outlined above.

These are the basic groups of snow crystal classifications

Groups of Snow Crystal Classifications

How to Capture a Real Snowflake:

• Pre-plan your catch and put a dry cloth or piece of paper in a safe place in the freezer and wait for a snowy day.
• Your cloth or paper surface must be cold, cold, cold or your snowflake will melt too quickly.
• When it snows, grab a magnifying glass and take your frozen cloth or paper outside and allow a few snowflakes to land.
• Quickly, before they can melt, study the snowflakes with your Magnifying glass.

Reference Resources:

• National Weather Service
• National Snow and Ice Data Center
• Snowcrystals.com