A snowflake begins when a tiny dust or pollen particle comes into contact with water vapor high in Earth’s atmosphere. The water vapor coats the tiny particle and freezes into a tiny crystal of ice. This tiny crystal will be the “seed” from which a snowflake will grow.

Hexagonal “Mineral” Crystals

The molecules of water that form each tiny ice crystal naturally arrange themselves into a hexagonal (six-sided) structure. The result will be a snowflake with six sides or six arms. Ice crystals are “minerals” because they are naturally occurring solids with a definite chemical composition and an ordered internal structure.