Water migration and ice segregation in the transition zone between thawed and frozen soil

Samples of silty clay were kept under constant boundary temperature conditions of +1°C (top) and −1°C (bottom) in a series of cold room laboratory experiments. Water migration and ice enrichment near the permafrost table were observed in all samples. Cryogenic layering was observed in soil layers with boundary temperature conditions of −0.5 to −1.0°C. These results confirm earlier observations which explain the occurrence of an ice‐rich layer near the permafrost table, and they may be used to explain the influence of snow cover on isotopic composition of near‐surface ground water and ice.