Evident ice in frozen rocks

The purpose of this paper is to review the occurrence of various types of ice in frozen rocks and to demonstrate that, in addition to evident structural ice, massive ice, and even ice wedges are often found in bedrocks. The evident ice found in the Alps and Spitsbergen is examined. The analysis focuses on the occurrence of massive ice within rocks and at the interface between rock and overlying deposits in the Western Urals, Pai-Khoi Range, Udokan Range, northern Canada, and China. Studies of the distribution patterns of ground ice in the diamond-bearing regions of Western Yakutia—specifically Verkhne-Munsky, Daldyno-Alakitsky, and Sredne-Markhinsky—are particularly detailed. The author puts forward a hypothesis about the potential presence of ice wedges in the upper sections of rock massifs. The studies on the geochemistry of ground ice in bedrocks, focusing on both macro- and microcomponent composition in diamondiferous rocky soils, including kimberlite pipes, are reviewed. It is noted that the ground ice present in the kimberlites of the Srednemarkhinsky and Verkhnemunsky diamondiferous regions exhibits synchronous changes in the concentrations of most microcomponents. In contrast, the kimberlites of the Novinka pipe are classified as a formational petrotype of kimberlites, distinguished by moderately elevated levels of rare earth and radioactive elements. The kimberlites of the Botuobinskaya pipe are characterized by a negative anomaly of rare earth and radioactive elements. The results of a study of the distribution of light and heavy rare earth elements in ground ice in a geological section are discussed. This paper analyzes studies on the distribution of rare earth elements in ground ice, both sedimentary deposits (sandstones, limestones, and dolomites) and intrusive rocks (kimberlites). The positive europium anomaly in ground ice is analyzed. The results of pioneering studies of strontium isotopes in ground ice in bedrocks from the Olenek cryoartesian basin are presented.