| Term: | Ice shelf |
| Definition: | A floating ice sheet of considerable thickness showing 6 to 165 ft (2-50 m) or more above sea level, attached to the coast. Usually of great horizontal extent and with a level or gently undulating surface. Nourished by annual snow accumulation and also by the seaward extension of land glaciers. Limited areas may be aground. The seaward edge is termed an ice front. |