Dan Abel > wrote:
> �John Kane wrote:
> > Sqwertz wrote:
> > �Icicles don't come in
> > > stalagmite formations. �At least not sharp enough to puncture a hand
> > > - and go all the way through it.
>
> > They don't? �It depends on where you live and what the weather's been
> > like. �They are a bit unusual but I've certainly seen them. �It'y more
> > difficult to see why one would trip over an icicle.
>
> I've seen them also. �Sun on the roof, or not enough attic insulation,
> and the water is dripping off the roof and down the icicles too fast to
> freeze. �It then freezes and forms upside down icicles, if the air is
> cold enough. �They aren't very sharp, but I guess if you tripped and put
> a hand out to catch yourself, and landed with all your weight on that
> hand, it could penetrate.

I've seen water freeze in all kinds of configurations and combinations
thereof, when one lives in these parts dealing with ice is a way of
life. Ice formations can be extremely dangerous, icicles can be
sharp or rounded, and can weigh hundred pounds, if one drops off onto
you it doesn't much matter if you're hit by the point or any portion,
from its sheer weight it can kill you dead. And ice forming on the
ground from drips can be rounded or pointed, and often larger than the
ice formation above... folks who hike the woods need to be very
respectful of such formations when trekking amongst rock formations...
a fall can easily impale someone on a six foot ice javelin. When the
corpse is discovered it's usually warm weather and can be a while till
cause of death is figured out. How ice formations form is very
different from mineral formations, how the sun hits or doesn't plays a
big part in how water will freeze and melt.