Iceberg Facts

An iceberg is a large piece of freshwater ice that has broken off from a glacier or ice shelf and is floating in open water.

The word iceberg comes from the Dutch term ijsberg which means “ice mountain”.

Glaciers form on land as the result of snow accumulation over thousands of years. Icebergs are created when the edge of a glacier advances into the ocean and breaks off in pieces.

Icebergs are really white. This color is created by white light reflecting off tiny air bubbles trapped in the ice. There are also some antiseptic-blue overtones to it and a whole spectrum of green where the iceberg descends into the ocean.

90% of North Atlantic icebergs (between 10,000 and 15,000) originate from ancient glaciers in Western Greenland.

The biggest part of an iceberg, about seven-eights of it, is below water.

The weight of an iceberg can be up to several million tons.

When iceberg ice melts quickly, the bubbles released from it make a sound like soda water fizzing.

As icebergs travel southwards they experience significant reductions in size and shape. By the time they reach Newfoundland waters they have lost about 85% of their original mass.

It can take icebergs up to three years to reach the coast of Newfoundland.

The interior temperature of an iceberg is between -15 and -20 degrees Celsius.

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