You have probably heard the statistic that approximately 90 percent of an iceberg is found under water. Wind and water erode icebergs into amazing sculptural shapes. Tabular icebergs have steep sides and a flat top like a plateau, while non-tabular icebergs include irregular shapes such as rounded tops, spires, sloping sides, and blocks. Icebergs are also classified by their shape. Photo courtesy of Josh Landis, National Science Foundation. The northern edge of the giant iceberg B-15A, located close to Ross Island, Antarctica. The storm created ocean swells that traveled over 8,000 miles and caused B-15 to crash repeatedly against the coast. Why did this massive berg break apart? Seismic recordings showed that an Arctic storm six days prior to the event was to blame. B-15 subsequently broke into smaller pieces, named B-15A, B-15B, and so on. Iceberg B-15, which calved from the Ross Ice Shelf of Antarctica in 2000, was half a mile thick and covered an area of about 4,500 square miles (about the size of Connecticut). Since the bulk of an iceberg is below the water, the entire berg was estimated to be as tall as a 55-story building! The tallest known iceberg in the North Atlantic was 550 feet (168 m) above sea level. Small bergs (a little smaller than a car) are known as “growlers,” while slightly larger bergs (about the size of a house) are called”bergy bits.” Larger bergs are classified as small, medium, large, and very large. Icebergs float in salt water because they are formed by calving, or splitting, glaciers and are thus made of fresh water. Icebergs are found in the Arctic, North Atlantic, and Southern Oceans.
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