January 29 - Frost Heaving

Frost Heaving - The right combination of fine-grained soil, moisture, and temperature causes ice crystals to form underground, lifting the surface. This force can be so strong that it can move boulders, and create new structures above ground.




In Arctic regions, frost heaving for hundreds of years can create structures, known as pingos, as high as 60 meters. Frost heaving is also responsible for creating stones in unique shapes such as circles, polygons and stripes. A notable example is the remarkably circular stones of the islands of Spitsbergen.

January 24 - Blue Icicle

Blue Icicle - An icicle is a spike of ice formed when water dripping or falling from another object freezes. Typically, icicles will form when ice or snow is melted by either sunlight or some other heat source (such as heat leaking from the interior of a heated building), and the resulting melted water runs off into an area where the ambient temperature is below the freezing point of water, causing the water to refreeze. Over time continued water runoff will cause the icicle to grow, and with the reflection of the sky can appear in hues of blue.

Icicles can pose both safety and structural dangers. Ice hanging from buildings may break away and fall and strike passersby below or cause damage to other objects below. In addition, ice is relatively heavy and the tendency of icicles to form on overhangs, eaves, and gutters may cause more stress on those structures than they were designed to bear, causing them to break or tear away from the building. Similarly, icicle buildup on trees may cause branches to break.

January 19 - Snow Blanket

Snow Blanket - While the ground's surface may be frozen, each foot of snow reduces the depth of soil freezing by approximately the same amount.

Clear Cold - Clear nights are the coldest, as there is no cloud cover to keep the Earth's heat from rising into the sky.

January 12 - Howl Gale

Howl Gale - A gale is a very strong wind blowing at least 32 mph or higher. When wind gales blow through trees, buildings, or rocks, you can hear an eerie howl!

Yellowstone Wolves - Wolves were re-introduced into Yellowstone National Park (US) on January 12, 1995.

January 10 - Barren Trees

Barren Trees - Due to the lack of light and sharply declining temperatures, trees are incapable of sustaining growth and nutrients to leaves. Once the leaves die and fall off, trees are left barren throughout the winter, and sleep until awakened in the Spring.

Bird Bank - Birds such as the ruffed grouse burrow into snowbanks for warmth during extreme winter conditions.

January 1 - Happy New Year!

New Year's Day - the first day of the year, in the Gregorian calendar, falling exactly one week after Christmas Day of the previous year. In modern times, it is January 1. In most countries, it is considered a holiday.

This day is traditionally a religious feast, but since the 1900s, has become an occasion for celebration the night of December 31, called New Year's Eve. There are often fireworks at midnight. It is also a memorable occasion to make New Year's resolutions, which they hope to fulfill in the coming Year; the most popular ones in the western world include to stop tobacco smoking or drinking, or to lose weight or get physically fit.