Over the weekend I was discussing a very important topic in the winter time: icicles. Specifically, what happens when icicles fall onto people. For example, how far must an icicle fall from, for its impact to cause damage to plants, buildings, animals, and the focus of my conversation; humans.
Would it be possible for an icicle to fall from such a height, that the speed of the fall, create enough friction against the ice for it to melt at all? Or is the distance an icicle falls from not the most important factor? Maybe it’s the length of the icicle itself, or the thickness of the ice? Of course, the sharpness of the point would fall into factor as well.
Then there’s the discussion of how much damage a falling icicle could cause. Would it cause bruising, broken limbs, more sever damage, impalement, or death? Could a falling icicle cause a similar situation like that to the famous Phineas Gage? Is there any history of falling icicles causing such serious damage to humans? I would be curious…
I think if it’s big enough it can cause some major damage (TWSS)
One fell off the roof and completely obliterated my mom’s windshield.
That’s a pretty amazing TWSS!
Wow that’s terrible about your mom’s car. How high was the fall?