# Snow that won't melt?



## Team Gomberg (Jan 31, 2014)

I've recently stumbled across pictures and videos of people across America trying to melt the snow that has fallen. It's crazy! Have any of you seen it? Have any of you tried it?
I live in sunny SoCal. Great tortoise weather but no snow to try the experiment myself..lol

Apparently the snow is burning, turning black and not melting from a flame. There are claims it even has a chemical or plastic smell while burning. A guy from New England tried it but his snow melted. It didn't burn, didn't turn black and didn't smell.

What's up with America's snow?


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## wellington (Jan 31, 2014)

I have plenty of snow. I have an idea. Let's do one of those home exchange vacations. Then you can experiment with the snow until the cows come home.
I haven't seen it. So how are they trying too burn it? What are they using?


Oh, it might be the smog burning off, depending on where they live that are doing this


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## Team Gomberg (Jan 31, 2014)

Haha Barb!
I don't think I could handle snow. Never been in it and I'm 28 

Wanna do it for me?   just get a scoop of it, take it inside and take a lighter flame to it. Or put it on the stove. Then tell me what happens! You can do the same thing to an ice cube and compare the difference (if there is any) 
Please oh please!


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## EricIvins (Jan 31, 2014)

It could be an example of sublimation, or it could be something else. Who knows? It's not like your going to get a real official explanation either way...


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## T33's Torts (Jan 31, 2014)

I'd start to speak, but all that will come out is government conspiracy theories.


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## Jacqui (Jan 31, 2014)

Team Gomberg said:


> Haha Barb!
> I don't think I could handle snow. Never been in it and I'm 28



Well then, your way past due to learn how to really live.


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## wellington (Jan 31, 2014)

Okay. We got the snow. If not packed into a snowball, it didn't do anything but melt. Packed it into a snowball and it does turn black. I smelt the part that was black and it smells too me like lighter fluid. It doesn't drip though as if it's melting. I put it also on the stove and it just melted. So, using a lighter on packed snow it does burn. Using a stove, it melted. Using snow that was not packed, melted.
Now, can anyone tell us why or how the packed snow burned?


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## Team Gomberg (Jan 31, 2014)

*Re: RE: Snow that won't melt?*



EricIvins said:


> It could be an example of sublimation, or it could be something else. Who knows? It's not like your going to get a real official explanation either way...



I don't expect an explanation. But I do want someone I know or someone I would believe (like Barb) to do it for me (since I can't) to see what happens.


Yay Barb! You do love me 

So it did burn but only when it was packed. Do you think that normally happens? Or something strange in this snow right now causing it? And ya the "strange" could range from theories of pollution and acid rain to conspiracy...but regardless I think it's interesting.

I wish I could have done it, too! Lol


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## wellington (Jan 31, 2014)

I have never heard of this before. I don't know if it would have done the same thing back say when I was a kid up in Michigan, which is cleaner and less air pollution then Chicago. I would bet though it has something too do with pollution.
The snow I used was a few days old. We are getting new snow the next few days. I am going to get some fresh snow tomorrow, that the only pollution would be whatever it could collect as it was falling and see if it still does it. I will let you know.
Yes, Heather, I do love you


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## Team Gomberg (Jan 31, 2014)

Did you check out any YouTube videos of others doing it, too?

I saw one video of the snow sparking like it was going to ignite!


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## wellington (Jan 31, 2014)

Actually I didn't. But I think I will now. That's kinda scary. I guess you shouldn't eat any snow, not just the yellow stuff


I couldn't find the one that sparks. But, I do agree it does kinda burn like styrofoam.


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## Team Gomberg (Jan 31, 2014)

No yellow snow cones and now no white snow cones either...lol


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## ascott (Jan 31, 2014)

http://www.abc6onyourside.com/share...er-explains-black-snowball-videos-28968.shtml


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## zenoandthetortoise (Jan 31, 2014)

You guys are kidding, right?


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## Elohi (Feb 1, 2014)

I've read and heard everything from pollution, chemtrails, weather control to nano-something or other for possible explanations for why this is happening. I haven't the slightest idea what's going on with it but it is strange. It seems like from what I could tell, the northeastern states had what we would expect from a flame and snow...melting dripping snow, but elsewhere has freak snow that either won't melt, turns black, or catches fire. [FLUSHED FACE]


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## EricIvins (Feb 1, 2014)

http://wtvr.com/2014/01/30/geo-engineered-snow-isnt-real/


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## hunterk997 (Feb 1, 2014)

There is an official explanation. While being heated, the snow goes through sublimation, which means it goes from a solid to a gas. The black residue is from the chemicals that are used in the flame of the lighter. I have actually tried this myself with the same results. It is not the result of chem trails, or other conspiracy theories.


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## Pokeymeg (Feb 1, 2014)

*Re: RE: Snow that won't melt?*



EricIvins said:


> http://wtvr.com/2014/01/30/geo-engineered-snow-isnt-real/



Thank you for that link!

I don't think it's anything weird going on. Do you notice how everyone holds the lighter right against the snow? They're evaporating it, like the last video explains! If you try this at home, try holding the lighter a short distance from the snow and see if it has the same effect.


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## Team Gomberg (Feb 1, 2014)

Interesting.

I wonder why the snow didn't turn black for the guy in New England?

Ehh, either way I got what I wanted.. A friend in the snow to do this for me  thanks again Barb!


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## hunterk997 (Feb 1, 2014)

My father actually mentioned that he burned snow when he was messing around as a child. He said it turned black as well. I think people should do some real research into these theories before jumping to the conclusion created by people that spend their time thinking of these conclusions.


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## Team Gomberg (Feb 1, 2014)

He did? I wondered if anyone had ever tried it before. 
I also wonder if anyone from outside the USA would try it. Hmm?


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## hunterk997 (Feb 1, 2014)

When I first tried it, it didn't turn black. I thought that the videos were fake, but then after burning it for a few minutes, it finally started blackening;
"There have been several videos going viral this week, showing that snow that doesnâ€™t melt when put into contact with a lighter or a blowtorch. Some videos even show black charring on the snow. To many of these people posting the videos, this appears to be â€œproofâ€ of chemtrails or that the government is responsible for covering the country in a white mystery substance.

This isnâ€™t a problem with mystery chemicals, itâ€™s a problem with not understanding chemistry. Everyone knows that the three most familiar states of matter are gas, liquid, and solid. Typically, to transition from a solid to a gas, the solid must melt into a liquid, and then vaporize into the gas. However, there is another phase transition known as sublimation that takes a solid directly to a gas. (think: dry ice)

Regular snow can sublimate below the freezing point under certain pressure conditions. This typically happens with cold, dry air, like what is found during the winter. Because this winter has been much drier than previous years for the East Coast, sublimation is achieved more easily.

Though a snowball may seem like a dense unit, it is still just a collection of particles with a high amount of surface area. When these particles come into contact with a much high heat source (like the blowtorch) it is energetically favorable to just sublimate directly into a vapor.

As for the black marks left on the snow? Thatâ€™s just residue from the lighter/blowtorch/match, as the fuel did not burn cleanly and completely."


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## Team Gomberg (Feb 1, 2014)

I don't have snow...but I can make ice! Lol

I made some ice cubes with tap water and some with arrowhead bottled water.
I took the lighter to both of them. Both turned black..




They both smelled like burnt plastic.

Then my husband ran his hand over the flame...his hand turned black. 


(his hand looks darker in real life...the pic doesn't show it well)

Lol. It was fun to experiment with this.

No idea why everyone is making a big deal about the snow thing right now...oh well. Lol


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## wellington (Feb 1, 2014)

I guess if I would have thought about it. If you run your hand or an item over the flame of a candle, it will turn the item black. I have done this many times over my life. Just never really thought about it until now. I guess the part about the snow not melting but burning threw me off. It's been fun seeing what everyone says and doing it too let Heather know what does happen. 
The government conspiracy really cracks me up. 
Btw, your very welcome Heather, any time


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## Team Gomberg (Feb 1, 2014)

Threw me of too Barb. So I'm in good company 

It's given me a great idea for a kids science project


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## ascott (Feb 1, 2014)

It is soot...


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## tortoise_man2 (Feb 4, 2014)

We'll I have much experience with lighters it is obviously soot. The snowball is melting but when such heat hits snow it immediately turns to vapor but where does the vapor go? My theory is that it try's to rise but as it skims across the snow it condenses and absorbs back into the snow ball. The reason it smells like plastic is from the gas plastic and gas are both oil products and both smell similar when burned. 

That's all my big old thinker could come up with 


Well*


Sorry it's not well write but what can you expect it is a very exiting subject.


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## seanwilson1 (Feb 14, 2014)

I used to show my friends the blackened snowball trick wen I was like 14. The government isnt experimenting with weather seeding and if they did they wouldnt be practicing that kind of experiment on their own citizens. With the obvious danger in backfiring. However there is a satelite field in alaska dedicated to studying weather and some scientists believe it has a strict military use.... spooky




Team Gomberg said:


> He did? I wondered if anyone had ever tried it before.
> I also wonder if anyone from outside the USA would try it. Hmm?



From canada and it does the same here


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## Team Gomberg (Feb 15, 2014)

Ya, I'm over this now lol. It was a shocker to hear of at first and TFO was my only outlet to find someone from the "snowy areas" to do the test for me 

This thread could be closed and/or deleted and I'd be A-OK with that.


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