regelationn.
/ˌriːdʒᵻˈleɪʃn/, U.S. /ˌridʒəˈleɪʃ(ə)n/ Chiefly Physical Geography.
The action or process of freezing together again; esp. the process by which ice that has been melted by pressure freezes again when the pressure is released, causing adjacent surfaces to fuse. Occasionally: an instance of this.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > coldness > [noun] > frozen condition > together
regelation1857
1857 J. Tyndall & T. H. Huxley in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 147 329 On the Regelation of Ice, and its application to Glacial Phenomena.
1886 J. Geikie Outl. Geol. 50 By repeated thawings and regelations the branches and boughs are gradually loaded with ice and snow.
1933 A. W. Barton Text Bk. Heat vi. 119 If two pieces of ice are pressed together, they form one solid piece after the pressure is released. This phenomenon is called regelation, and is explained by the lowering of the melting point of ice by pressure.
1961 I. T. Sanderson Continent we live On i. 17 This [sc. firn] in turn, by further compacting or pressure from above, changes to ice by partial melting and immediate regelation, or refreezing.
2001 New Scientist 28 Apr. 109/2 Under these conditions, ice fibres are extruded through the pores. Gravity and the phenomenon of regelation—when partially thawed ice re-freezes—may cause the curvature.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2009; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1857