Abstract The sea ice thickness distribution in the polar oceans evolves in response to both dynamic and thermodynamic forcing. The variable thickness of the ice cover is created by deformation, that simultaneously causes formation of thick ice through ridge building and thin ice through lead creation. The functional relationship betwe the redistribution of ice thicknesses and deformation is an important component in basin scale models of the Arctic ice pack. A description of the way in which ice thickens in a single pressure ridge is basic to an understanding of the redistributions over a large area of the pack containing many ridges. In this work the pressure ridging process is modeled using a two-dimensional particle simulation technique. Blocks are broken from an intact sheet of relatively thin lead ice driven against a thick, multi-year floe at a constant speed. The blocks of ice rubble accumulate to form the ridge sail and keel. A series of numerical experiments are performed with the model to determine the change in the ice thickness distribution in an area encompassing the ridge as a function of the volume of ridged lead ice.