system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
It's possible to supercool or superheat a liquid so that it instantly boils or freezes when disturbed. Is it possible to do something similar with other phase transitions, such as producing a block of ice that will instantly melt?
gpt
Yup superheating of solids is a known phenomena.  Happens quite a bit in metals, ceramics, etc.  Not always as dramatic as super heating of water for instance, but still can occur. 

It's all because the nucleation/cavitation/etc processes that allow these compounds to switch phases can often be thermodynamically unfavorable until you give the system a little bit of a nudge.