3 ms·
what's the difference between rock and ice? is there a boundary where if the melting point is below a certain value then the substance is ice, and if it's above
by joshAg 15y ago
what's the difference between rock and ice? is there a boundary where if the melting point is below a certain value then the substance is ice, and if it's above that value it's rock? it's not like rock can't melt in the right circumstances.
- waqf 15y agoIce is made of small molecules like water, methane or carbon dioxide.
- joshAg 15y agois there a concrete cutoff or shades of grey?
- maaku 15y agoI think what the GP is getting at is the chemical difference of ionic minerals (rock) vs amorphous collections of molecular compounds (i.e. water or methane ice). There is a categorical difference between the two chemically, although as an aside their properties in micro-gravity and the cold vacuum of the outer solar system are quite different from what you might have learned in your chemistry class.