Crevasse | Glacial, Ice Shelf, Fracture

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<span class="toc-extra-link selected link-gray-900 mt-15"> Introduction </span> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/science/crevasse/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/crevasse">Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a class="section-header link-gray-900 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mb-10 mx-10" href="https://www.britannica.com/science/crevasse/images-videos">Images</a> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 "> <div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex overflow-hidden text-nowrap ml-15"> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/91/12591-004-B4E13A01/Crevasse-Mozama-Glacier-Washington-Mount-Baker.jpg" data-href="/media/1/142837/5058" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/91/12591-004-B4E13A01/Crevasse-Mozama-Glacier-Washington-Mount-Baker.jpg" alt="Crevasse in the Mozama Glacier on Mount Baker, Washington" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/53/104253-050-68FAC2EE/Mount-Erebus-Ross-Island-Antarctica.jpg" data-href="/media/1/142837/107439" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/53/104253-004-36B2FD27/Mount-Erebus-Ross-Island-Antarctica.jpg" alt="Antarctica: Mount Erebus" height="50" /> </a> </div> <button disabled class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-blue " aria-label="Previous"> <span class="material-icons md-24" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span> </button> <button disabled class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-blue " aria-label="Next"> <span class="material-icons md-24" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></span> </button> </div> </div> <div class="mb-30 tlr-related-questions"> <div class="text-gray-900 p-5 pb-0 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-10 mb-15"> Related Questions </div> <ul> <li class="link-gray-900 mb-15"><a class="" href="/question/What-is-a-glacier">What is a glacier?</a> </li> <li class="link-gray-900 mb-15"><a class="" href="/question/Where-are-glaciers-found">Where are glaciers found?</a> </li> <li class="link-gray-900 mb-15"><a class="" href="/question/What-causes-glaciers-to-grow-and-shrink">What causes glaciers to grow and shrink?</a> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="mb-30 tlr-read-next"> <div class="text-gray-900 p-5 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-10 mb-10"> Read Next </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/list/watch-your-step-6-things-you-can-fall-into"> <img loading="lazy" 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Crevasses range up to 20 m (65 feet) wide, 45 m (148 feet) deep, and several hundred metres long. Most are named according to their positions with respect to the long axis of the glacier. Thus, there are <span id="ref88395"></span>longitudinal crevasses, which develop in areas of compressive stress; <span id="ref88396"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/transverse-crevasse" class="md-crosslink ">transverse crevasses</a>, which develop in areas of tensile stress and are generally curved downstream; <span id="ref88397"></span>marginal crevasses, which develop when the central area of the glacier moves considerably faster than the outer edges; and <span id="ref88398"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/bergschrund" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">bergschrund</a> crevasses, which form between the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/cirque" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">cirque</a> and glacier head. At the terminus of the glacier many crevasses may intersect each other, forming jagged <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="pinnacles" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pinnacles" data-type="MW">pinnacles</a> of ice called <span id="ref88399"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/serac" class="md-crosslink ">seracs</a>. Crevasses may be bridged by snow and become hidden, and they may close up when the glacier moves over an area with less gradient.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-simplify-root"></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":142837,"pageLength":146,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.133.36"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.133.36' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"B","adLeg":"B","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"SMALL","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":true} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Crevasse | Glacial, Ice Shelf, Fracture | Britannica