Hailstone taken from the French Quarter, Tbingen. The automated ice texture analyzer shows how the internal crystal structure is revealed. These colors indicate the orientation of each individual ice crystal's crystallographic lattice and demonstrate that hailstone has gone through four stages of growth. Credit: University of TbingenRecent hailstorms in the Tbingen region brought back memories from the 2013 devastating storm. The hailstorms that struck the Tbingen region recently brought back memories of the devastating storm of 2013. Even though hailstones can cause a lot of trouble, their inner beauty is still unknown. Tbingen geoscientists Dr. Catherine Bauer and Professor Paul Bons made hailstones crystal structure visible in a new study. They took hailstones from the 2013 Tbingen storm, and then analyzed them in the lab. They not only produced visually pleasing images that were unpublished before but also provided insight into the structure of hailstones and their potential damage. These results were published in the Journal of Glaciology.Paul Bons, Catherine Bauer and others conduct research on ice in Greenland. The hailstones of the 2013 Tbingen Storm were kept at minus 32°C. Bons says that ice samples should be kept below minus 28°, as the internal structure could change in a matter of weeks.He collaborated with Dr. Maurine Montagnat, a French glaciologist, to conduct the study. Montagnat's group took sections of hailstones from Tbingen with other hailstones from southwestern France. They used an "automated Ice Texture Analyzer" to take images of the stones' internal texture.These images reveal the structure of crystals in hailstone in various colors. They also show beautiful patterns and beauty that are normally hidden from the eyes. Each hailstone is unique in its structure.Raindrops can be transported updrafts by thunderclouds to higher altitudes, where they freeze. They continue to grow depending on temperature and humidity as they drop down. New layers of crystals then freeze. This process may be repeated multiple times. The ice grains are carried up by the air currents, which then cause them to sink back down. Large hailstones are more likely to hit the ground if a storm is severe.Bons says that the latest methods allowed Bons to examine hailstones' growth stages and complicated growth mechanisms in greater detail. This allows us to better understand hailstone formation and possibly predict the damage they could do.Hailstones, Tbingen, June 23, 2021.Continue exploring the Rocky Mountain Storms for more information about hailstonesMore information: Maurine Montnat et. al. Texture characterization of large hailstones using an automated technique. Journal of Glaciology (2021). Journal Information: Journal of Glaciology Maurine Montagnat and colleagues, Texture characterization of some large hailstones using an automated technique (2021). DOI: 10.1017/jog.2021.66
