ice

Introduction
Structure
- The water molecule
- The ice crystal
Properties
- Mechanical properties
- Thermal properties
- Optical properties
- Electromagnetic properties

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

A single, detailed snowflake rests on the fibers of a wool coat, showing its intricate crystalline structure against the textured background.

Which has a lower freezing point, salt water or fresh water?

Figure 7: Thin section photographs illustrating snow-to-ice transformation at the depths of (left) 1 metre,

Animated design of a snowflake against a blue background.

How do fish survive under icy lakes in winter?

How did people keep food cold before refrigerators?

At a Glance

ice summary

Quizzes

water glass on white background. (drink; clear; clean water; liquid)

Water and its Varying Forms

Winter Weather Words Quiz

Related Questions

How are water molecules arranged in an ice crystal?
How can temperature affect the deformation of an ice crystal?
How can water vapor form frost directly on a cold surface?
How do glaciers form from accumulated snow?
How do hydrogen bonds give ice its open crystal structure?
How do ice caps differ from ice sheets?
How do ice cores reveal information about past climates?
How do ice floes differ from glaciers?
How do ice shelves form at the edges of glaciers?
How do ice wedges form in permafrost?
How do mountain glaciers differ from piedmont glaciers?
How do oxygen atoms form hexagonal rings in ordinary ice?
How does Archimedes’ principle explain why icebergs float?
How does a surface layer of ice help aquatic life survive winter?
How does an ice storm form?
How does firn differ from fresh snow and glacier ice?
How does ice deform under long-lasting stress?
How does liquid water change into ice at 0 °C?
How does plastic flow allow glaciers to move?
How does pressure lower the melting point of ice?
How does sea ice form from freezing seawater?
How does snow ice form on the surface of a frozen lake?
How does the melting of lake ice help mix nutrients in spring?
How does the molecular structure of ice differ from that of liquid water?
How long can it take for snow to become glacier ice in Antarctica?
How many neighboring water molecules surround each oxygen atom in an ice crystal?
How much of Earth’s freshwater is stored in ice sheets and glaciers?
What processes turn snow into dense glacier ice?
Where are Earth’s largest ice sheets located?
Why are hydrogen bonds important to the properties of water and ice?
Why can bottles or cans burst when water freezes inside them?
Why can freezing water crack rocks and sidewalks?
Why do sea ice and icebergs have different origins?
Why does snow become denser after it falls on a glacier?
Why does water expand when it freezes?
Why does water have a higher boiling point than expected for such a small molecule?
What creates carbon monoxide in a home?
What is carbon monoxide and where is it found?
Which gas is known as the silent killer?
Is mathematics a physical science?
Where does water come from?
Why do cold water bottles and soft-drink bottles sweat?
When does water boil?
Why is water blue?
When is water the most dense?
When did science begin?

Science Chemistry

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External Websites

Chemistry LibreTexts - Ice and Water
Roger Williams University Open Publishing - Introduction to Oceanography - Types of Ice
National Geographic - Ice

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

ice - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

iceberg An iceberg in the waters off Greenland.

ice

solid water

Written by

George D. Ashton

Chief, Research Division, U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Hanover, New Hampshire. Author of River Ice and others.

George D. AshtonAll

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 26, 2026 •History

ice, solid substance produced by the freezing of water vapour or liquid water. At temperatures below 0 °C (32 °F), water vapour develops into frost at ground level and snowflakes (each of which consists of a single ice crystal) in clouds. Below the same temperature, liquid water forms a solid, as, for example, river ice, sea ice, hail, and ice produced commercially or in household refrigerators. Ice occurs on Earth’s continents and surface waters in...

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