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Definition:
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Soil or rock in which part or all of the pore water has turned into Ice. Perennially and seasonally Frozen Ground can vary from being partially to extensively frozen depending on the extent of the phase change. It may be described as hard Frozen Ground, plastic Frozen Ground, or dry Frozen Ground, depending on the Pore Ice and unfrozen water contents and its compressibility under load. Hard-frozen soils are firmly cemented by Ice, are subject to brittle failure, and exhibit practically no consolidation under load. Plastic-frozen soils are cemented by Ice but have viscous properties due to their high unfrozen water content and therefore will compress and deform under load. Dry, or friable-frozen, soils have a very low total water content and are not cemented by Ice; their compressibility is the same as for unfrozen soils having the same composition, total water content and density.
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