Definition

1. Noun:
   • A steep, flowing section of a glacier: An icefall is a section of a glacier where the ice flows over a steep slope or cliff, causing it to fracture and form a chaotic, jumbled area of crevasses and seracs (ice pinnacles). This terrain resembles a frozen waterfall.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The climbers faced a dangerous ascent through the treacherous icefall.
  • The Khumbu Icefall on Mount Everest is one of the most hazardous sections of the climb.

Advanced Usage

• Descriptive Use: The term is often used descriptively to emphasize danger, instability, or a cascading, frozen appearance.
  • Navigating the icefall required immense skill and concentration.
  • From a distance, the glacier's icefall looked like a river of ice that had suddenly frozen mid-cascade.

Variants and Related Words

• Glacier (n): A large, persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight.
• Crevasse (n): A deep crack or fissure in a glacier or ice sheet.
• Serac (n): A block or pinnacle of ice formed by intersecting crevasses on a glacier.

Synonyms

• Glacial cascade: A less common synonym emphasizing the waterfall-like quality.
• Ice cascade: Another descriptive term for the same feature.

Related Phrases

• To negotiate an icefall: A common phrase in mountaineering meaning to carefully traverse or climb through an icefall.
  • The team spent a full day negotiating the lower icefall.

Noun

1. a steep part of a glacier resembling a frozen waterfall