An
ice field (also spelled
icefield) is an area less than of
ice often found in the colder climates and higher altitudes of the world where there is sufficient precipitation. It is an extensive area of interconnected
valley glaciers from which the higher peaks rise as
nunataks. Ice fields are larger than alpine glaciers, smaller than
ice sheets and similar in area to
ice caps. The topography of ice fields is determined by the shape of the surrounding land forms, while ice caps have their own forms overriding underlying shapes.