Melting is a solid-to-liquid phase transition that absorbs latent heat. It can be driven by heating, changing phase pressures, or adding solute that causes freezing-point depression. The ice layer between freshwater and cold brine illustrates melting into a cold liquid through dilution and a composition-dependent liquidus.
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Melting is the process by which a solid substance transforms into a liquid when it is heated to its melting point. This transformation occurs because the added heat energy increases the vibrations of the molecules in the solid, causing them to break free from their fixed positions in the solid structure. Melting can be observed in various substances, such as ice melting into water or metal melting to become molten metal. The temperature at which melting occurs is specific to each material and is known as the melting point.