Peapix

  • Bing Gallery
  • Extension
Peapix
Bing Gallery
Extension
  • United States
    All
    Australia Canada China Germany France India Japan Spain United Kingdom United States Italy Brazil

Bing Gallery

Australia Canada China Germany France India Japan Spain United Kingdom United States Italy Brazil
  1. Bing Gallery
  2. United States
  3. 2021
  4. February 10
  5. Nieve penitente ice formations seen on Agua Negra Pass in the Coquimbo Region of the Andes, Chile
arrow_back_ios arrow_forward_ios Nieve penitente ice formations seen on Agua Negra Pass in the Coquimbo Region of the Andes, Chile

February 10, 2021

Nieve penitente ice formations seen on Agua Negra Pass in the Coquimbo Region of the Andes, Chile

© Art Wolfe/Danita Delimon

A throng of ice and spires

If these frozen formations were named by more literal minds, we might know them as simply 'reverse icicles.' But the Andes, including this mountain pass rising above Chile's Atacama Desert, were mapped by poetically inclined Spanish explorers. They likened formations like these to a congregation of penitent parishioners kneeling at mass: hence the common name 'penitentes' for such packed-snow pinnacles.

Maybe the most dramatic pentitentes appear in dry sections of the Andes, but they can form anywhere the sun beats down on snow enough to vaporize it faster than it can melt into water. Since snow isn't a perfectly even surface, some patches of the snowpack turn to vapor faster than others, creating pits that further reflect sunlight upon themselves. This speeds vaporization within the pits, deepening them often all the way to bare earth, with unmelted portions of snow in between left standing (or kneeling) as penitentes.

sky snow outdoor mountain nature landscape

Related Images

Saksun, Faroe Islands, DenmarkSaksun, Faroe Islands, Denmark
The Old Fortress of Corfu, GreeceThe Old Fortress of Corfu, Greece
Arenal Volcano seen from Monteverde, Costa RicaArenal Volcano seen from Monteverde, Costa Rica
Pelicans at Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge, CaliforniaPelicans at Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge, California
Poenari Castle on Mount Cetatea, Făgăraș Mountains, RomaniaPoenari Castle on Mount Cetatea, Făgăraș Mountains, Romania
Delicate Arch, Arches National Park, UtahDelicate Arch, Arches National Park, Utah
Royal azaleas in bloom on Hwangmaesan Mountain, South KoreaRoyal azaleas in bloom on Hwangmaesan Mountain, South Korea
Church of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios and Popocatépetl, Puebla, MexicoChurch of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios and Popocatépetl, Puebla, Mexico

Today on Bing

Ancient theater of Epidaurus in Argolis province, Greece

Ancient theater of Epidaurus in Argolis province, Greece

Feb 10, 2023
The Old City of Bern, Switzerland

The Old City of Bern, Switzerland

Feb 10, 2022
Aerial view of Superkilen, a park in Copenhagen, Denmark

Aerial view of Superkilen, a park in Copenhagen, Denmark

Feb 10, 2020
For the Grammy Awards, a scanning electron micrograph of a needle on a record

For the Grammy Awards, a scanning electron micrograph of a needle on a record

Feb 10, 2019
Bonifacio on the island of Corsica, France

Bonifacio on the island of Corsica, France

Feb 10, 2018
Boardman Tree Farm in Boardman, Oregon

Boardman Tree Farm in Boardman, Oregon

Feb 10, 2017

Related Tags

outdoor sky landscape mountain nature cloud hill lake hillside sunrise sunset lush highland plant green grassy rock water clouds tree
Share photo
Share
Pin
Tweet
Line
Download 4K Ultra HD
Download 1920x1080
  • © 2023 Peapix.com
  • API
  • App
  • Privacy
The images are provided for wallpaper use only.