frost boil

frost boil

[′frȯst ‚bȯil]

(geology)

An accumulation of water and mud released from ground ice by accelerated spring thawing.

A low mound formed by local differential frost heaving at a location most favorable for the formation of segregated ice and accompanied by the absence of an insulating cover of vegetation.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

frost boil

1. A defective spot on a concrete surface resulting from swelling and subsequent disintegration caused by the action of frost on entrapped moisture.

2. The softening of soil during a period of thaw, owing to the liberation of water.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.