Serac

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Seracs on the Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand.
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Seracs on the Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand.
Seracs in firn at 10,000 feet on the Winthrop Glacier of Mount Rainier in Washington, USA.
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Seracs in firn at 10,000 feet on the Winthrop Glacier of Mount Rainier in Washington, USA.

A serac (originally from Swiss French sérac, a type of crumbly white cheese) is a block or column of ice formed by intersecting crevasses on a glacier. Often house-sized or larger, they are dangerous to mountaineers since they may topple with little warning. Even when stabilized by persistent cold weather, they can be a impediment to glacier travel. Seracs are found within an icefall, often in large numbers, or at the ice cliff on the lower edge of a hanging glacier.[1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Post, Austin and Edward R. Lachapelle (Revised edition (May 2000)). Glacier Ice. University of Washington Press.
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