Ice calving, also known as
glacier calving or
iceberg calving, is the breaking off of chunks of ice at the edge of a glacier. It is a form of
ice ablation or ice disruption and is normally caused by the glacier expanding. It is the sudden release and breaking away of a mass of
ice from a
glacier,
iceberg,
ice front,
ice shelf, or
crevasse. The ice that breaks away can be classified as an iceberg, but may also be a growler, bergy bit, or a crevasse wall breakaway.