by Michael Leitch
"This lovely feathery formation was just a smooth bed of dry snow the day before. Overnight conditions along Highway 14, a few miles east of Cedar City, Utah, were just right to create a classic example of surface hoar. A clear night allowed the snow to radiate heat and drop in temperature below the freezing point. A nearby waterfall and lack of wind provided the ambient air with moisture that, through deposition (the opposite of sublimation), formed this fairytale frost.
Surface hoar is actually common. While it can be magical in appearance, it can be deadly in some circumstances. These fragile crystals are low in tensile strength and when covered by additional accumulations of snow are the source of failure in many avalanches."
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