Granular snow on the surface of a glacier that has been partially compacted by alternating thawing and freezing but has not yet become ice.
From German/Swiss 'Firn' (last year's), referring to snow that survived a full summer. It's the teenager of ice — not snow anymore, not glacier yet.
Snow that's been hanging around SO long it's turning into ice but hasn't committed yet! It's the teenage phase of glacier formation. Not a snowflake, not an ice cube — it's going through a PHASE! â„ï¸â†’🧊
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