| Term: | Icefall |
| Definition: |
Heavily crevassed area on a glacier where the descent is steep. UKAntarcticTerms
Part of a glacier with rapid flow and a chaotic crevassed surface; occurs where the glacier bed steepenes or narrows. NSIDCCryosphere Part of a glacier where the ice flows over a bed with a very steep gradient, typically at a higher rate than both above and below. As a result the surface is fractured and heavily crevassed. In a river system, this would be a waterfall. A steep reach of a glacier where the ice becomes heavily crevassed, commonly when flowing over a bedrock step. IHPGlacierMassBalance A steep, heavily crevassed, section of a glacier where it flows over a step in the bedrock. Swisseduc That portion of a glacier where a sudden steepening of descent causes a chaotic breaking up of the ice. AMSglossary A heavily crevassed area in a glacier at a region of steep descent. SPRI Icefalls are somewhat analogous to waterfalls in rivers. The flow of the ice down a steep gradient often results in crevasses and seracs. GCW |