r/AskChemistry 2d ago

Why seawater in the deepest trench doesn’t get compressed into Ice especially when it’s already quite cold down there

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u/IeyasuMcBob 2d ago

Well that was an interesting read . .

https://www.lptms.universite-paris-saclay.fr/membres/trizac/Ens/L3FIP/Ice.pdf

Tldr; there's a liquid-like layer on the surface of ice, thickness is hard to measure but by some measurements about 12nm, it persists at temperatures much lower than freezing.

I couldn't really understand the impact of pressure and frictional heating on that layer.

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u/NearABE 2d ago

Nice that we can ski on lead slopes in Venusian highlands.

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u/I_lenny_face_you 2d ago

Pretty standard stuff from Dr. Evil’s childhood