Although the word iceberg is used normally in Spanish, it is a word that comes from English and has the same spelling.
The formation of an iceberg
An iceberg is a block of freshwater ice that is similar in shape to a mountain. This structure of nature is formed when a glacier breaks off and has the particularity of remaining floating in the sea and melting until it finally disappears. Another singularity of icebergs must be taken into account, since the density of ice is lower than that of water, they remain above the surface in a ratio of 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 the snow is slowly compressed until it crystallizes. Over time, some ice fragments 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 water-scarce territories. 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 melting with 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 there. They are striking because it is an ephemeral phenomenon, because of its unique beauty and because they pose a danger to boats, since when a collision occurs with them it is very likely that a ship will sink, 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 must be avoided at all costs.
The tip of the iceberg
If someone refers to a problematic situation and says that something is just 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 cannot be seen with the naked eye, as is the case with icebergs.
Photos: iStock – Barbara Vallance / Viktor Troyanov
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