[RightWhale]

"The fact that the tail 'holds together' so well probably means that the dust is mostly the same size,"

The dust is probably very fine, like silt. The water ice, once it is free as a kind of dust would evaporate in the vacuum, sublimate.

[blam]

"The dust is probably very fine, like silt. The water ice, once it is free as a kind of dust would evaporate in the vacuum, sublimate."

I'm looking for the cause of the worldwide bibical flood, could something like this be it?