A cryoseism known as a frost quake may be caused by a sudden cracking action in frozen soil or rock saturated with water or ice. As water seeps down into the rock, it freezes and expands, putting stress on surrounding rock. This builds up until it is relieved explosively in a cryoseism.
Another form of cryoseism known as an ice quake, is a non-tectonic seismic event caused by sudden glacial movements, sometimes due to the formation of a thin veneer of liquid water under a glacier from surface melting. Usually, a glacier would stick to the rough bedrock, but the hydraulic pressure acts as a lubricant, allowing it to slide up to many metres at once. This type of cryoseism can last for thousands of seconds.
As the requirements for cryoseisms to occur are not yet defined, their prediction is still not possible and constitute a significant factor in structural design and engineering. Links have been made between global warming and the frequency of cryoseisms.
