What is Regelation and what does it have to do with the structure of ice?
Regelation is the phenomenon of melting under pressure and freezing again when the pressure is reduced. Many textbooks and reference books as well as websites often claim that regelation can be demonstrated by looping a fine wire around a block of ice , with a heavy weight attached to it. The pressure exerted on the ice slowly melts it locally, permitting the wire to pass through the entire block. The wire’s track will refill as soon as pressure is relieved, so the ice block will remain solid even after wire passes completely through. This experiment is possible for ice at –10 °C or cooler, and while essentially valid, the details of the process by which the wire passes through the ice are complex [1].
