crevasse (krəvăs`), large crack in the upper surface of a glacier glacier, moving mass of ice that survives year to year, formed by the compacting of snow into névé and then into granular ice and set in motion outward and downward by the force of gravity and the stress of its accumulated mass.
..... Click the link for more information. , formed by tension acting upon the brittle ice. Transverse crevasses occur where the grade of the glacier bed becomes suddenly steeper; longitudinal crevasses, where the glacier spreads over a wider valley or plain. Marginal crevasses are due to the strain built up when the central part moves faster than the sides.
Fissure or crack in a glacier resulting from stress produced by movement. Crevasses range up to 65 ft (20 m) wide, 150 ft (45 m) deep, and several hundred yards long. Crevasses may be bridged by snow and become hidden, and they may close up as the glacier moves.
crevasse
crevasse [krə′vas]
..... Click the link for more information. , formed by tension acting upon the brittle ice. Transverse crevasses occur where the grade of the glacier bed becomes suddenly steeper; longitudinal crevasses, where the glacier spreads over a wider valley or plain. Marginal crevasses are due to the strain built up when the central part moves faster than the sides.
crevasse
)
Crevasse in the Mozama Glacier on Mount Baker, Washington
(credit: Bob and Ira Spring)
crevasse
1. a deep crack or fissure, esp in the ice of a glacier
2. US a break in a river embankment
crevasse [krə′vas]
(geology)
An open, nearly vertical fissure in a glacier or other mass of land ice or the earth, especially after earthquakes.
How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
| ?Page tools | ||
|---|---|---|
|