How can a collision with another iceberg cause an ice shelf to calve?

Iceberg calving is a natural process that occurs when large masses of ice break away from ice shelves or glaciers. While calving is often driven by environmental factors such as ocean wave action, tidal forces, or the accumulation of meltwater, it can also be triggered by physical impact.

Observations have shown that an ice shelf can calve immediately following a collision with another iceberg at the ice front. These shelves typically contain existing cracks and crevasses, which create inherent planes of weakness in the ice structure. When a massive iceberg—which can weigh several billion tons—strikes the exposed seaward front of a shelf, the force of the collision can exacerbate these stresses, causing the shelf to fracture and release new icebergs.1