Concept in Definition ABC

Although the word iceberg is used in Spanish normally, it is a word that comes from English and presents the same spelling.

The formation of an iceberg

An iceberg is a block of freshwater ice that has a shape similar to that of a Mountain. This structure of nature is formed when it detaches itself from a glacier and has the peculiarity of remaining floating in the sea and melting until it finally disappears. Another singularity of icebergs must be taken into account, since as the density of ice is lower than that of water, they remain above the surface in a proportion from one to nine, that is, the observable part is only one-ninth of the total.

Regarding its formation, it must be taken into account that when snow is produced, it accumulates in the mountainous area of ​​the glaciers and slowly the snow is compressed until it crystallizes. Over time some pieces of ice break off the glacier and become icebergs.

An iceberg can store a significant amount of fresh water, something that could be very useful in some territories with

shortage of water. For this reason, some scientists have considered the possibility of transporting these large blocks of ice. This idea is interesting but at the moment it is not viable for two reasons: the difficulty of towing an iceberg and how to avoid its rapid thaw at higher temperatures.

The fascination and fear of icebergs

These blocks of ice can be seen exclusively in the polar areas due to the extreme temperatures that occur in them. They are striking because it is an ephemeral phenomenon, because of its singular beauty and because they represent a danger for ships, since a collision with them is very likely to cause the sinking of a ship, as happened with the Titanic in April 1912.

The Titanic episode had consequences for navigation, since since then these large blocks of ice are considered a threat that should be avoided at all coast.

The tip of the iceberg

If someone refers to a problem situation and says that something is only the tip of the iceberg, they are talking about the visible part of a problem. This implies that the problem in question is supposed to be more complex and profound, since there are aspects that are not perceived with the naked eye, as is the case with icebergs.

Photos: iStock - Barbara Vallance / Viktor Troyanov

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