Glaciers are typically found in extremely cold environments, where year-round rain and snowfall are compressed, recrystallized, and frozen to create massive ice crystals. Glaciers are a vital source of fresh water and sustain our livelihoods.

An ice field is a landmass covered by glaciers that measures less than 50,000 km². It comprises interconnected canyons of glaciers, where mountain peaks become island peaks of ice sheets. Ice sheets are larger than alpine glaciers, but smaller than ice caps and are situated close to them.

Ice fields are formed due to the accumulation of large amounts of snowfall, gravity-driven compression, and freezing, which eventually transform into an ice sheet.

They are typically formed in basins or plateaus, enabling them to be dispersed over large areas of land continuously without falling apart due to glacial channels' outflow influenced by gravity. Glaciers form at the edges of ice sheets and flow out due to gravity, thereby balancing with the ice sheets' snowfall recharge.

Iceland is often referred to as the "land of ice and fire." The Vatnajokull is Iceland's largest ice cap, an enormous ice field spanning 8,420 square kilometers, which is one-twelfth of the country's total area. The unique aspect is what lies beneath the ice, which is sometimes punctuated by lava flows, volcanic craters, and hot lakes.

Iceland is still evolving and changing because it is located on top of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a volcanic mountain range mostly situated above the sea surface. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge fills a long rift in the Earth's surface created by the splitting of tectonic plates. Iceland is located right on the edge of the Arctic Circle, which accounts for its frigid climate.

The Vatna Ice Field houses a massive crater called Grim Crater, which contains a hot lake that is 488 meters deep. The lake is covered by 200 meters of ice, but the heat from below has caused some of the ice to melt, turning into water and occupying a larger space.

In the Grim crater, the ever-increasing volume of water eventually breaks through the ice, causing a violent eruption that carries away everything in its path, including up to 20 meters of ice. In another area of the Vatna Icefield, you can find the rugged volcanic remains of the Örefa Ice Cap.

The Colombian ice field is also renowned. The Columbia Icefield is located in the Canadian Rockies, spanning the North American Continental Divide. A portion of the ice field is situated in the northwest corner of Banff National Park and the southern end of Jasper National Park. It covers an area of approximately 325 square kilometres, is 100 to 365 meters thick, and receives about 7 meters of snowfall per year.

The Athabasca Glacier, visible from the Icefields Highway, has been melting significantly since 1844. In summer, visitors can take a bus tour of the glacier. The Athabasca River, the North Saskatchewan River, and the Columbia River all originate from the Columbia Icefield. This is the highest hydrological point in North America, with water flowing north into the Arctic Ocean, east into the Atlantic Ocean, and south and west into the Pacific Ocean.

The river valleys surrounding the ice sheet contain turquoise lakes and lush forests. The vast valley glaciers have gentle undulations, making it relatively easy for hikers and climbers to reach the summit. Two major glaciers, Athabasca and Saskatchewan, have been intensively surveyed since the 1950s, and one of the outcomes was the discovery of an underground dark river beneath the ice sheet.