🏔️Glacier vs Iceberg🧊
Glaciers and icebergs are both freshwater ice, and they are connected — many icebergs are simply pieces that broke off a glacier.
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🏔️Glacier
- ✓A large mass of ice that flows slowly over land
- ✓Forms from snow compacting over many years
- ✓Stays grounded on bedrock or mountains
- ✓Can carve valleys and shape landscapes
- ✓Stores most of the world's freshwater
🧊Iceberg
- ✓A chunk of ice floating freely in the ocean
- ✓Often breaks off, or 'calves', from a glacier or ice shelf
- ✓About 90 percent of its mass sits below the water
- ✓Drifts with ocean currents and wind
- ✓Made of freshwater, despite floating in salt water
Verdict
A glacier is land-based ice that moves slowly under its own weight; an iceberg is the floating offspring that calves off into the sea. Both store freshwater locked away from the ocean.
Frequently asked
Where do icebergs come from?+
Most icebergs calve off the edges of glaciers and ice shelves that reach the sea.
Why is most of an iceberg underwater?+
Ice is only slightly less dense than seawater, so about 90 percent of the iceberg stays submerged.
Are icebergs made of saltwater?+
No. Icebergs are frozen freshwater, even though they float in the salty ocean.
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