stone net

A "stone net" is an arrangement of rock fragments and soil particles that forms a polygonal pattern, resembling a net. This geological feature occurs as a result of processes like congeliturbation or solifluction, which are related to freeze-thaw cycles in cold environments.1

In permafrost regions, the active layer of soil undergoes repeated freezing and thawing. This movement of soil and rocks, driven by frost heaving, can arrange larger stones into circular patterns called stone rings. When these stone rings merge, they form polygonal stone nets. On steeper slopes, these patterns can be stretched into stripes due to the slow downhill movement of the saturated active layer.2