 Icebergs are some of the most awe-inspiring spectacles in the world. We’ve become experts on these icy giants. But how much do you know about them? Here are some facts to expand your knowledge of icebergs.
- The term iceberg probably originates from the Dutch term ijsberg, which means ice hill.
- Icebergs are comprised of pure, fresh water.
- Ice harvested from icebergs is often used to make products that boast purity and superior quality, such as vodka.
- Icebergs float because the density of ice is less than sea water.
- Approximately seven-eighths (7/8) of an iceberg’s mass is below water.
- Birds taking flight from an iceberg are a good sign that an iceberg is going to roll soon. A possible explanation is that birds’ keen sense of balance enables them to detect gradual movements in icebergs long before people can see them.
- It takes an iceberg about two to three years to reach the island of Newfoundland from Greenland – a distance of 1,800 nautical miles!
- The terms tabular, blocky, wedge, dome, pinnacle, and drydock are used to describe iceberg shapes.
- The area from the northern tip of Labrador to the southern Grand Banks of Newfoundland is referred to as Iceberg Alley.
- The average iceberg weight for the Grand Banks is one to two hundred thousand tonnes.
- Hibernia, an oil platform off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, is designed to withstand the impact of an iceberg in excess of five million tonnes. The massive reinforced concrete oil drilling structure has vertical wedge-shaped elements on the surface intended to reduce iceberg impact loads.
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Iceberg
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