Icebergs can be smaller than an Olympic swimming pool or bigger than a country like Jamaica – discover the largest blocks of ice ever recorded by mankind
Icebergs, blocks of freshwater ice that float in the oceans near the planet’s poles, come in all shapes and sizes. They come from glaciers or ice shelves and are generated by a fracture of these larger bodies.
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In fact, to receive the title of iceberg, the fragment must be at least 500 square meters, almost half the size of an Olympic swimming pool. The upper limit, however, does not exist: icebergs can be largest of cities or even countries.
What is the largest iceberg in the world?
The largest icebergs in the world are originated in Antarcticaafter all, the continent is completely covered in ice. in the Arcticthere is no land at all, only frozen sea water.
OR canaltech listed the five largest icebergs ever recorded. Note that their name consists of a letter – A, B, C or D, corresponding to the quadrant of the map where it originated, A being the region from the Greenwich meridian 90 degrees west of it. The number indicates the sequence of icebergs originating in that quadrant since the beginning of records.
5. Q-28
D-28 is not the fifth largest iceberg the world has ever seen, there are at least three larger than it, with two due to calve from the Antarctic continent in 2021. He, however, is to date the largest iceberg that has ever come off in its quadrant.
With an initial area of ​​1,636 square kilometers, D-28 grew to be 100 square meters larger than the entire city of São Paulo. Its origin was the Amery Ice Shelf in September 2019.
4.C-19
After breaking off the Ross Ice Shelf in 2002, iceberg C-19 measured 5,500 square kilometers, a bit smaller than the Brazilian Federal District. Since its calving, the iceberg has already broken into smaller pieces, which have gained suffixes in its name to indicate its origin: C-19A and C-19B.
The C-19 was responsible for a curious and worrying consequence in the waters near Antarctica. In the year of its formation, its position blocked the migration of sea ice in the area, which ended up reducing the regional population of phytoplankton, the basis of the food chain of the seas, by 90%.
3. A-68
Iceberg A-68, at 5,800 square kilometers, has been the largest block of ice to separate from Antarctica since the 2000s. Since its origin in 2017, however, the giant has split into several smaller pieces
All of them have already significantly lost their ice mass, with the largest of their “children”, the A-68A, broken up in 2020 as he made his way to South Georgia Island, a famous “graveyard of icebergs”.
2. A-38
Born in 1998, iceberg A-38 was an excellent case study for scientists who wanted to see the full lifespan of an iceberg. Its initial area was 6,900 square kilometers.
Soon after its formation, the block already broke in half and part of it migrated to South Georgia Island. On the way, the iceberg broke into smaller pieces and all disappeared by 2004 .
1.B-15
The largest iceberg ever recorded by mankind, B-15 originated on the Ross Ice Shelf, reaching over 11,000 square kilometers, an area equivalent to that of Jamaica. Even the fragment resulting from its first breakup, called B-15A, was still large enough to take third place on this list.
There is still a single fragment of the B-15 that has the minimum area to monitor. The B-15ab measures 20km by 7km and floats near the Amery region of East Antarctica.
What about the Titanic iceberg?
Despite being arguably the most famous iceberg in all of history, the one responsible for the Titanic crash is far from the record holders. Its dimensions are estimated to be 30 by 120 meters, which generates an area of ​​3,600 square meters.
In addition to the icebergs listed here, there are reports of a block of ice whose maximum dimensions in length and width would be 333 by 100 kilometres, which would translate into an area larger than the whole of Belgium. However, this iceberg dates back to 1956 when there was no satellite imagery, so its size is less reliable.
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Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
