The average weight for a Grand Banks-area iceberg is 100,000-200,000 tonnes - about the size of a cubic 15-story building. These smaller pieces are hazardous to ships because radar may not pick them up as they bob up and down among the waves. The smallest are termed “bergy bits,” which are the size of a small house, and “growlers,” which are the size of a grand piano. Icebergs can vary greatly in size, ranging from very large – greater than 10 million tonnes and hundreds of metres long – to large, medium, and small bergs. The average drift speed is around 0.7 km/h, although speeds greater than 3.6 km/h have been recorded. The size and shape of an iceberg, ocean currents, waves, and wind all affect its speed, and because of these forces often travels an irregular path that’s two or three times the straight line distance it drifts south over a week or so. But because most volcanoes are south of glaciers and winds from the south rarely mix with Arctic air masses, there are very few pollutants in the ice. Sometimes airborne dust from volcanic eruptions, or the wind, falls on a glacier and becomes trapped inside, forming a noticeably darkened brown or black layer. This shows up as bluish streaks in icebergs because of the light scattering characteristics of pure ice. What causes the streaks and colours in icebergs?Īs glaciers creep over land, melt water fills the crevasses and later freezes, creating clear, bubble-free ice.

Also, there may be areas where you can’t see any, but further up the coast there might be dozens, so be prepared to travel around, and remember that icebergs are constantly on the move. Years where there is little sea ice cover are often years where there are few icebergs along our province’s coast. Sea ice protects icebergs from the battering of waves and helps them last longer. The chances of seeing icebergs in a particular area depend on the number of bergs, wind direction, oceans current and temperatures, and the amount of sea ice, or pack ice. John's, but these numbers can vary greatly from year to year. Only about 400-800 make it as far south as St. How many icebergs are there?Įvery year about 40,000 medium- to large-sized icebergs break off, or calve, from Greenland glaciers. Would you believe most are 10,000 years old? It’s true. Their sheer size will amaze you, and that's without seeing the ninety-percent still below the surface of the ocean. Roughly 90% of icebergs seen off Newfoundland and Labrador come from the glaciers of western Greenland, while the rest come from glaciers in Canada's Arctic. Once they head south, they rarely last more than one year. After slipping into the ocean, the bergs float in frosty arctic bays melting slowly, if at all, until passing through the Davis Strait and into the Labrador Current which carries them south into Iceberg Alley. The glaciers of western Greenland flow at speeds of up to seven kilometres a year, among the fastest moving in the world. Glaciers then 'flow' or 'creep' towards the ocean under their own weight, and eventually slip in. Each layer of snow compresses those below until, 60 to 70 metres down, glacial ice forms. Glaciers form on land by snow building up over thousands of years. Icebergs are edges of glaciers that have broken off and slipped into the ocean. What are icebergs and where do they come from? Here’s everything you need to know about icebergs. If you’re visiting Newfoundland and Labrador or if you happen to be in the right place at the right time – you’ll want to make the most of your experience. Everything You Need to Know About Icebergs Head over to to start your journey, or keep reading to learn more about these icy giants. In 1912, only 400 miles from our coast, an iceberg like these sank the Titanic. Remember: icebergs are not to be underestimated. Despite their arrival from the Arctic every spring, and their disappearance only months later, our awe of them remains new, year after year. They come in every shape and size, with colours from snow-white to deepest aquamarine. Newfoundland and Labrador is one of the best places in the world to see icebergs.įrom April to August, these 10,000-year-old glacial giants are visible from many points along the northern and eastern coasts.

Map of iceberg alley newfoundland