Why would frozen O-rings contribute to a solid fuel explosion?

I assume an "o-ring" is simply a gasket. I can understand freezing leading to some kind of problem, like a poor seal, but how do you get to the point of an actual EXPLOSION?

Answer:
indeed the o-ring is a gasket made of rubber with round cross section (this is why it called o-ring). when it is freeze it loose its flexibility and stop sealing. the leakage can be of fuel (in the case of carburetor) or hot gasses in the case of the Challenger buster rocket. the hot gasses that leaked in the Challenger case heat the side of the liquid fuel tank. I'm not sure if the hot gasses melt the side of the tank or just cracked it due to temperature change, but when it broke the liquid fuel explode.

To add to the first answer - the solid rocket boosters on Challenger never did explode, the classic disaster picture shows the exhaust trails from both of them operating normally after the external tank blew.

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Why would frozen O-rings contribute to a solid fuel explosion?

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