Ice calving
![A mass of ice calves from the Perito Moreno Glacier](/Images/godic/202501/19/SantaCruz-Spegazzini-CaidaAnimation4217.gif")
![Video of iceberg calving in Greenland, 2007](/Images/godic/202501/19/-Iceberg_calving_480x360_by_Slaunger_2007-08-23.ogg4217.jpg")
![A calving glacier and the resulting ice field.](/Images/godic/202501/19/Alaskan_glacier_and_ice_field4217.jpeg")
![Landsat image of Jakobshavn Isbræ. The lines show the position of the calving front of the Jakobshavn Isbræ since 1851. The date of this image is 2001 and the calving front of the glacier can be seen at the 2001 line. The area stretching from the calving front to the sea (towards the bottom left corner) is the Ilulissat icefjord. Courtesy of NASA Space Observatory](/Images/godic/202501/19/Jakobshavn_retreat-1851-20064217.jpg")
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.