What is cryospheric glue, material that holds mountains together?
Cryospheric glue, a mixture of ice, soil, gravel, sediment and fractured rock, binds mountain slopes together like cement between bricks. It forms in permafrost, where ground stays at or below 0°C for at least two consecutive years. The ice fills cracks and pores, stabilising slopes and debris. Studies suggest its melting may contribute to rising hazardous events at high altitudes.