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A large iceberg might extend a kilometer below the surface of the sea.
Icebergs form when
pieces of ice break away
from the face of a glacier.
Icebergs
Icebergs
are “mountains” of ice drifting
like islands in the ocean. Icebergs are frozen
fresh water, not salt water. Where does all
the frozen fresh water come from?
Icebergs come from glaciers. When a
glacier moving down a valley reaches
the sea, pieces at the end break off. These
chunks of ice may be as small as cars or as
big as mountains. The largest iceberg ever
measured was 320 kilometers (km) long!
We see only a small part of an iceberg.
Seven-eighths is hidden beneath the water’s
surface. Icebergs in the North Atlantic can
last up to 2 years before melting. Larger
icebergs in the Antarctic may last 10 years.
Someday icebergs may be a useful source
of fresh water. Ice could be harvested and
melted. Whole icebergs might even be
towed to countries needing fresh water!
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