An icefall is a phenomenon found in some glaciers. When a valley glacier proceeds over a ledge or a cliff, the resulting formation is known as an icefall. Austrias longest glacier, the Pasterze, winds its 8 km (5 mile) route at the foot of Austrias highest mountain, the Grossglockner. ...

The Athabasca Glacier with its icefall in the background, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

The icefall (centre) in the Lambert Glacier, Antarctica, as seen from space

It has been said that an icefall is much like a waterfall, only very much slower. Indeed, it is true that the word icefall is formed by analogy with the word waterfall. Tower Fall in Yellowstone National Park A waterfall is usually a geological formation resulting from water, often in the form of a stream, flowing over an erosion-resistant rock formation that forms a sudden break in elevation. ... An analogy is a comparison between two different things, in order to highlight some form of similarity. ...

As slow as glaciers generally are, the relative speed of the ice in an icefall is very much faster than other parts of the glacier, although the movement is still imperceptible at most times. However, there are sometimes sudden shifts, in which substantial amounts of ice can fall down in a matter of seconds.

Icefalls generally have a cracked and much less smooth appearance than the rest of the glacier. They also vary greatly in height. There is one at the Lambert Glacier in Antarctica which is about 400 m high (photo at left). A smaller icefall is to be found on the Athabasca Glacier in Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada (photo at right). Banff National Park Banff National Park is located in the Canadian Rockies near the town of Banff, Canadas first national park. ... Motto: Fortis et Liber (Strong and free) Other Canadian provinces and territories Capital Edmonton Largest city Calgary Lieutenant Governor Norman Kwong Premier Ralph Klein (PC) Area 661,848 km² (6th)  - Land 642,317 km²  - Water 19,531 km² (2. ...

Icefalls are often the object of an ice climber's visions of conquest. There are popular icefalls for climbers in many glaciated regions. Perhaps the most popular of all is the Khumbu Icefall on the Nepalese side of Mount Everest, variously described as "treacherous" and "dangerous". It is about 5 500 m above sea level. Ice climbing is the recreational activity of climbing ice formations and frozen waterfalls. ... This article is about the Alpine mountain. ... For considerations of sea level change, in particular rise associated with possible global warming, see sea level rise. ...