What makes an iceberg dangerous? Interesting facts about icebergs

An iceberg is a giant block of ice drifting through the sea, a breathtaking yet highly dangerous sight. Just remembering how the encounter with an iceberg ended for the legendary Titanic, at that time the largest cruise liner in the world, is enough to understand its perilous nature.

Even now, with the level of technological progress much higher, ships continue to perish when colliding with these icy mountains. In this article, we’ve gathered some of the most interesting facts about icebergs to share with you.

Icebergs are beautiful yet treacherous. There are no two identical ice blocks; each one has a unique shape. However, to witness this natural wonder firsthand, you’ll need to venture into certain latitudes.

Why are icebergs dangerous?

These cold giants sit on shoals or drift through water following currents. They can tilt or even flip upside down. The visible above-water part of the iceberg constitutes only about 10% or even less, with the rest hidden in the ocean depths.

Another danger is the so-called “tail” – small and medium-sized debris that can damage a ship. Icebergs are often shrouded in thick fog. Also, it’s worth noting that the gigantic blocks don’t have a constant speed, and compressed ice is approximately 10% stronger than dry concrete.

Icebergs the size of a piano are considered small and are called “growlers,” while those the size of a compact building are called “bergy bits.” These types of debris should be particularly feared as they often go unnoticed by radars.

Collisions with icebergs affect passenger and cargo ships, small skiffs, and boats. Sometimes, fishermen lose their entire catch because floating debris tears their nets.

The International Ice Patrol tracks the movement of massive icebergs. Its task is to prevent shipwrecks and inform ship crews about the situation in a particular region.

Short interesting facts about icebergs:

1. Silent travelers – part of shelf icebergs. They don’t sink because the density of ice is lower than that of seawater.
2. The additional information about icebergs listed below will surely interest you.
3. The whiter the iceberg, the younger it is. Older masses have a greenish or bluish tint. This is because the air bubbles inside are replaced by water. Dark icebergs, called “black,” have recently flipped in the water, making them nearly invisible from the ship’s deck. Scientists are sure: it was such an object that sank the Titanic.
4. Huge shelf glaciers form over hundreds and even thousands of years. Their edges collapse into the ocean and are picked up by waves, turning into icebergs.
   When a block of ice begins to melt rapidly, the air bubbles trapped within it burst out with a noise. This creates a sound as if someone has popped a champagne bottle.
   In the Southern Ocean, you can find delicately pink pieces of ice, their unusual color coming from algae.
5. Sometimes volcanic dust infiltrates cracks in icebergs, creating vivid blue, black, or brown stripes on the surface.
6. Icebergs can not only melt but also grow in volume due to compacted snow. Gradually, they become a collection of tiny mirrors reflecting light.
7. The largest iceberg known to science originated from Antarctica. It broke off from the Ross Ice Shelf in 2000 and, after 10 years, broke into pieces and then melted in warmer latitudes. Iceberg B-15 weighed 3 trillion tons, with a surface area of 11 thousand square kilometers, enough to fit the entire island of Jamaica. Observers closely monitored the giant chunk of ice, fearing it would drift into shipping lanes.
8. In the Arctic, the average height of the above-water portion of an iceberg is 70 meters, while in Antarctica, it’s around 100 meters.
9. Drifting ice masses are an excellent location for scientific research stations, which can be either automated or inhabited. The Fletcher Ice Island served as an outpost from 1952 to 1978, with accommodations built for personnel and a runway installed.
   In the world’s oceans, millions of ice fragments of various sizes float, hundreds of thousands of which are quite large.
10. Icebergs most commonly break off from Antarctica. Around it, 93% of all icebergs are concentrated.
    Ice “travelers” cover considerable distances, ending up in the most unexpected parts of the planet. For instance, they have been spotted multiple times near Rio de Janeiro, which is 5 thousand kilometers away from the “white continent.”
11. Icebergs pose a threat to offshore oil platforms. Pieces weighing up to 4 million tons are towed away from the rigs by special tugs.
12. There is more fresh water in all existing icebergs at the moment than in rivers and lakes across the globe.
13. Promising projects have been developed to supply water to arid territories from drifting ice. It is planned to tow it to the intended destination.
14. In Canada, the company “Iceberg” produces beer and vodka from meltwater. The raw material is harvested near Newfoundland. Brand representatives assure that the average age of the ice used in the beverage-making process is 12 thousand years.
    Icebergs pose a greater threat to shipping in the Northern Hemisphere because currents often carry them directly towards busy maritime routes.
15. The International Ice Patrol, established in 1914 by several nations following the tragic sinking of the Titanic, monitors floating mountains of ice using satellites, and potentially hazardous icebergs are tagged with GPS beacons. Another effective method is marking icebergs with bright paint, making it easier to track their movement from helicopters and airplanes to update the map daily. Thanks to the efforts of this service, since its founding, not a single person has died in the North Atlantic due to collisions with icebergs.
16. Arctic objects typically exist for an average of six months to two years until they melt, while Antarctic icebergs, compared to them, are true long-livers, wandering the seas for up to 10 years.
17. Located 450 kilometers off the coast of Newfoundland is a popular tourist area called the “Iceberg Alley,” where there are many icebergs. By the way, it was in these waters that the Titanic sank.
18. The origin of an iceberg can be determined by its shape: icebergs from Greenland typically have a high peak with gentle slopes, while Antarctic icebergs usually have a flat top and steep sides.
19. Polar bears frequently use icebergs as a means of transportation.
    The top of a tabular iceberg resembles an island; icebergs of this type are typically found in the southern polar region. Sailors often mistake them for land masses.
20. The mysterious land of Sannikov, discovered by the renowned hunter and explorer in 1811, was most likely a regular iceberg that gradually melted away. Later, no expedition could find it.
21. Every year, 30-40 thousand new massive ice formations appear in the waters of the world’s oceans.
22. The average temperature of an iceberg ranges from -15 to -20°C.
    An unexpected overturning of a huge iceberg releases a colossal amount of energy, comparable to the explosion of an atomic bomb. It could potentially trigger a tsunami or even an earthquake.
23. Large icebergs are most commonly calved from glaciers from late May to June.
    The best observation points for admiring icebergs are located on Fogo Island, in the cities of St. Anthony, St. John’s, Bonavista, and at Cape St. Vincent and St. Mary.
    It’s hard to imagine, but there are icebergs as tall as skyscrapers and as long as freight trains, but even such colossal sizes are far from the limit.