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Reference.org
Icefall
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<p> An icefall is a portion of certain <a href="/facts/Glacier/8GrKVUSS">glaciers</a> characterized by relatively rapid flow and chaotic <a href="/facts/Crevass/PHzHQ3vN">crevassed</a> surface, caused in part by gravity. The term <i>icefall</i> is formed by analogy with the word <i>waterfall</i>, which is a similar phenomenon of the liquid phase but at a more spectacular speed. When ice movement of a glacier is faster than elsewhere, because the glacier bed steepens or narrows, and the flow cannot be accommodated by plastic deformation, the ice fractures, forming crevasses. Where two fractures meet, <a href="/facts/Serac/VUNoGCpt">seracs</a> (or ice towers) can be formed. When the movement of the ice slows down, the crevasses can coalesce, resulting in the surface of the glacier becoming smoother. </p>