There may be thousands of different kinds of ice - Earth.com

There may be thousands of different kinds of ice

01-23-2023

Today’s Video of the Day from the American Chemical Society (ACS) reveals that there could be as many as 74,963 different kinds of ice. So far, scientists have found 20 types of ice, but we still do not know how many kinds there actually are. 

Ice is considered to be a mineral, although liquid water is not. This is because ice is a naturally occurring solid with an ordered structure, explains ACS.

The water molecules that make up an ice crystal are arranged in layers of hexagonal rings. Under a different temperature or lower pressure, this hexagonal crystal structure can change. Therefore, the actual number of molecular arrangements in ice remains a mystery. 

Video Credit: American Chemical Society 

By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Editor

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