Subsurface crevasse formation in glaciers and ice sheets

• Published in: Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth
• Main Authors: Nath, P.C., Vaughan, D.G.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: American Geophysical Union 2003
• Subjects: Glaciology; Rutford; Rutford Ice Stream; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/12810/; http://www.agu.org/journals/jb/jb0301/2001JB000453/

[1] Crevasses form in response to tensile stresses in glaciers and ice sheets. It has been widely assumed that crevasses initiate at, or near, the surface of the ice, from starter cracks up to a few centimeters long. If the tensile stress is sufficient, these cracks propagate downward into the ice t...