| Term: | Ridge |
| Definition: | A comparatively rectilinear conglomeration of ice fragments formed by pressure at the contact line between ice floes, usually along earlier existing cracks and leads or at the boundary between ice floes of different age. In this case, isostatically unbalanced hummocks usually form on the older ice surface. Ice ridges can also form as a result of direct fracturing of ice fields of thick and even first-year and multiyear ice at very strong pressures. The underwater portion of a ridge is termed an ice keel. |