icefields
Vast frozen plains
An icefield is a large expanse of ice covering a mountainous region, smaller than an ice sheet but extensive enough to submerge most of the underlying terrain.
Unlike glaciers, which flow through valleys, icefields spread across high plateaus and peaks, with outlet glaciers descending from their edges.
The Columbia Icefield in the Canadian Rockies is among the most accessible and well-known examples.
We could see the icefield stretching to the horizon.
Deep glacial fissure
- moraineGlacier-deposited debris pile
- seracGlacial ice pinnacle
- firnYear-old compacting snow
- calvingIce mass separation
ablation · icecap · iceberg · glaciology · icefall · outwash · meltwater · terminus
Perpetually frozen earth layer
- subzeroBelow the freezing point
- frigidExtremely and intensely cold
- arcticOf extreme northern cold
- polarOf extreme latitudes
crystals · hoarfrost · frostbite · freeze · blizzard · winter · hypothermia · snowpack
Frigid treeless biome
- plateauFlat highland area
- expanseUnbroken area of space
- vastnessState of being immense
- terrainLand's physical features
panorama · horizon · alpine · mountain · valley · continental · polar region · Antarctica
Separated from others
- inaccessibleCannot be reached
- desolateBleak and abandoned
- uninhabitedHaving no occupants
- unchartedNot yet documented
wilderness · solitude · barren · pristine · untouched · harsh · forbidding · extreme
Organized exploratory journey
- mountaineeringSport of climbing peaks
- traverseMove across an area
- base campExpedition's operational hub
- cramponToothed traction device
surveying · mapping · discovery · polar exploration · Shackleton · trekking · adventure · backcountry
crevasse
Deep glacial fissure
calving · ablation · icecap · iceberg · glaciology · icefall · outwash · meltwater · terminus · piedmont
permafrost
Perpetually frozen earth layer
polar · crystals · hoarfrost · frostbite · freeze · blizzard · winter · hypothermia · snowpack · compaction
tundra
Frigid treeless biome
terrain · panorama · horizon · alpine · mountain · valley · continental · polar region · Antarctica · Greenland
isolated
Separated from others
- inaccessibleCannot be reached
- desolateBleak and abandoned
- uninhabitedHaving no occupants
uncharted · wilderness · solitude · barren · pristine · untouched · harsh · forbidding · extreme · inhospitable
expedition
Organized exploratory journey
- mountaineeringSport of climbing peaks
- traverseMove across an area
- base campExpedition's operational hub
crampon · surveying · mapping · discovery · polar exploration · Shackleton · trekking · adventure · backcountry
- Glacier BayGustavus, icebergs, calving, glacial retreat, crevasses
- PatagoniaTierra del Fuego, Torres del Paine, Strait of Magellan, glacial lakes, estancia
- polar scienceglaciology, Antarctic research, Arctic, polar climate, firn
- hydrologyrivers, streamflow, aquifers, aquifer, lakes
- YukonYukon, Yukon River, Whitehorse, Klondike, Mount Logan
icefieldslava fields
Solidified volcanic rock terrain
volcanic plains · hot springs · thermal vents · fire · inferno
icefieldsdeserts
Abandons or barren lands
sand dunes · Sahara · badlands · salt flats · parched earth
icefieldsrainforests
Wet, dense tropical woodlands
jungles · tropical forests · lush valleys · fertile plains · fertile valleys