 Small depressions in the ice known as cryoconite holes are common and are formed where rocks got embedded in the ice, but are absent on more mountainous blue-ice areas.Typical blue-ice areas often feature intense katabatic winds, with average winds reaching and gusts of up to ; such winds can remove and take up large amounts of snow.They are usually warmer than comparable snow-covered areas, sometimes by up to , which makes them identifiable from brightness temperature imaging.