Which of the following is a factor of ice strengths?

• A. Frazil
• B. Clear
• C. Thickness
• D. Anchor

Answer: (C)

Thickness determines how much load ice can safely bear because the strength of ice as a structural material increases with the amount of ice in the depth. A thicker ice sheet has more material to distribute stress, makes crack propagation harder, and resists bending and shear better. In practical terms, the deeper the ice, the stronger it tends to be, up to other degrading factors like temperature and flaws. Other terms like frazil describe how ice forms (loose, slushy crystals that yield weak ice) or clear ice describe appearance, but they’re not the direct measure of strength; an ice sheet’s safety rating hinges most on how thick it is. An anchor, meanwhile, isn’t a factor that changes ice strength. So thickness is the best indicator of ice strength.