What Shapes do Icebergs Come In?

Icebergs come in a vast array of shapes due to melting and breaking. Although no two icebergs are exactly the same, there are categories of shapes that are used for observation. Here is a handy guide with some illustrations and real life examples for reference on your next iceberg viewing adventure. 

Tabular

A flat-topped iceberg with a width five times greater than its height. Most have some horizontal banding.

Blocky

A flat-topped iceberg with steep sides.

Wedged

A flat surfaced iceberg with steep surfaces on one side and gradually sloping on the other, thus forming a wedge.

Dome

An iceberg that is smooth with a rounded top.

Pinnacle

An iceberg with at least one main spiral or pyramid on it.

Dry Dock

An iceberg with a U-shaped slot at or near water level, and at least two pinnacles or columns.

It’s taken them 10,000 years to get here, but you can discover them in just a click with IcebergFinder.com. Sometimes, these frosty giants are spotted from outer space, other times, from a sliver of our 29,000 kilometres of coastline. If you find one in your travels, and would like to share a photo with us, by all means upload it at IcebergFinder.com and tag it with #ExploreNL and #IcebergsNL as well!