In geology, solid-state recrystallization is a metamorphic process that occurs under high temperatures and pressures where atoms of minerals are reorganized by diffusion and/or dislocation glide.

During this process, the physical structure of the minerals is altered while the composition remains unchanged.

[1][2] This is in contrast to metasomatism, which is the chemical alteration of a rock by hydrothermal and other fluids.

When snow is subjected to varying temperatures and pressures, individual snowflakes undergo a physical transformation but their composition remains the same.

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