Ice Jam

ice jam, also called ice dam, an accumulation of ice forming where the slope of a river changes from steeper to milder or where moving ice meets an intact ice cover—as in a large pool, at the point of outflow into a lake, or on the edge of a glacier or ice sheet. Ice jams can lead to localized and regional flooding in the area behind the blockage, and the sudden failure of an ice jam can release large quantities of water and ice that may cause damage to nearby structures, croplands, and wildlife habitat downstream. The phenomenon is commonly associated with blockages of ice that prevent the late winter or early spring drainage of rain and melting snows in colder regions or with the breakup of glaciers and ice sheets. There is ample evidence linking vast prehistoric ice jams to megafloods that shaped landforms seen today.