| Term: | Bergschrund |
| Definition: |
Crevasse that separates flowing ice from stagnant ice at the head of a glacier. NSIDCCryosphere
A single large crevasse or series of sub-parallel crevasses that develop at the head of a glacier. The location where ice pulls away from the bedrock wall of the cirque against which it accumulated. In winter, the crevasse fills with snow. In spring or summer, it reopens. (Originally a German term). A crevasse at the head of a glacier that separates flowing ice from stagnant ice, or from a rock headwall. From an ice-dynamical point of view the bergschrund is the headward boundary of the glacier, while for hydrological and other purposes, including glacier inventory, the stagnant ice above the bergschrund is part of the glacier. Bergschrund is an Anglicized word of German origin. IHPGlacierMassBalance (from the German) An irregular crevasse, usually running across an ice slope in the accumulation area, where active glacier ice pulls away from ice adhering to the steep mountainside. Swisseduc A deep crevasse commonly found at the head of an alpine glacier. Forms when the glacial ice pulls away from the mountain side. PhysicalGeography The crevasse which occurs at the head of a cirque or valley glacier and which separates the moving glacier ice from the rock wall and the ice apron attached to it. When the ice apron is absent the gap is known as a randkluft. SPRI GCW |