How Does Cryoconite Form?

A deposit of dust and soot, often bound by microbial mats, that is formed on melting glaciers and ice sheets. The deposits are often found in pothole-like pockets on the ice surface.

What causes cryoconite?

Cryoconite holes are water-filled holes in the surface of a glacier caused by enhanced ice melt around trapped sediment. Measurements on the ablation zones of four glaciers in Taylor Valley, Antarctica, show that cryoconite holes cover about 4–6% of the ice surface.

What is cryoconite made out of?

Cryoconite consists of mineral particles supplied from surrounding ground by wind, biogenic organic matter produced by microbes living on the glacial surface, and also micrometeorites in some glaciers. These constituents are usually conglomerated into small granules, called cryoconite granules.