penitent ice

penitent ice

[′pen·ə·tənt ′īs]

(hydrology)

A jagged spike or pillar of compacted firn caused by differential melting and evaporation; necessary for this formation are air temperature near freezing, dew point much below freezing, and strong insolation.

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