ICEBERGS

WHERE DO ICEBERGS COME FROM?

In polar regions, such as northern Greenland, ice extends right to the coast. In Antarctica ice shelves extend out to sea for great distances. periodically, icebergs break away and drift out to sea, slowly melting as they reach warmer waters.

Icebergs are a danger to ships, particularly because about eight-ninths of the ice is hidden below the water. Nobody can forget the fact that an iceberg sank the Titanic in 1912, and today patrols keep watch on the tall, jagged icebergs that drift into North Atlantic shipping lanes.

North Atlantic icebergs rise up to 394ft (120m) out of water, while icebergs from Antarctica are usually low and flat topped. The worlds largest iceberg came from Antarctica. It covered about 12,000 square miles (31,000 square KM) - an area larger than Belgium. 

Here's a link to USA today's report of 

the worlds largest iceberg which 

was spotted in 1956: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/weather/resources/coldscience/2005-01-20-1956-antarctic-iceberg_x.htm