ICEBERG

An iceberg is a large piece of ice that has broken away from a glacier or ice shelf. In the North Atlantic most came from Greenland and in the South Atlantic from Antarctica. The word ‘iceberg’ probably comes from the Dutch ‘ijsberg’ or ice hill. Iceberg floats because they are made of fresh water, which is less dense than sea water. Seven-eighths of an iceberg is below the surface of the sea, hence the expression “tip of the iceberg” which means that more is hidden than can be seen.

One of the biggest icebergs of recent times, known as B-15, broke away from the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica, in March 2000. It has an average length of 295 km (183 miles) and width of 37 km (23 miles), making it about the size of Jamaica! About 10,000 to 15,000 new icebergs are formed every year. The process is called “calving.” The air trapped is “harvested” and sold for use in drinks.

It may be 3000 years-old. At least 500 incidents have been recorded of ships striking icebergs. The worst disaster involving an iceberg happened when the Titanic struck one on 14 April 1912 and 1503 people died.