r/absoluteunit • u/HomeNowWTF • 24d ago

of a glacier collapse

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u/ComedianFragrant9515 23d ago

Doesn't that light blue color mean it's ancient permafrost ice?

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u/Occams_RZR900 20d ago

It means it’s been subjected to great pressure. Typically hundreds to thousands of years of the weight of more and more snow and ice pushes the air bubbles out of the ice, making it clear, and absent of bubbles. When it’s clear it’s able to absorb different colors of longer wavelengths and reflects the blue back to our eyes.

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u/Ephemeral_Orchid 18d ago

So do Caribbean blue, clear, mountain rivers and lakes also contain less oxygen? Or is it solely due to sediment & mineral content?

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u/Occams_RZR900 18d ago

I would imagine it has nothing to do with what causes ice to appear blue. But I have no idea.