What are the Sizes and Shapes of Icebergs?

At the glacier's terminus or end, huge slabs of ice are weakened and then broken by the action of the rising and falling tides. This process is called calving and results in an iceberg's birth. By the time these mountains of ice enter Baffin Bay they have seen nearly 3,000 years pass.

In order for an iceberg to reach the North Atlantic the currents typically take it from Baffin Bay through the Davis Strait and Labrador Sea. This is a long trip and most icebergs never make it. Most icebergs melt well before entering the Atlantic Ocean. One estimate is that of the 15,000 to 30,000 icebergs produced annually by the glaciers of Greenland only one percent (150 to 300) ever make it to the Atlantic Ocean. When an iceberg does happen to reach the Atlantic its long and traveled life quickly

Iceberg size classification
Size category	Height (ft.)	Height (m)	Length (ft.)	Length (m)
Growler	less than 3	less than 1	Less than 16	less than 5
Bergy Bit	3–13	1–4	15–46	5–14
Small	14–50	5–15	47–200	15–60
Medium	51–150	16–45	201–400	61–122
Large	151–240	46–75	401–670	123–213
Very Large	Over 240	Over 75	Over 670	Over 213

Iceberg shape classification
Shape category	Description
Tabular	Steep sides with flat top. Very solid. Length-height ratio less than 5:1
Non-Tabular	This category covers all icebergs that are not tabular-shaped as described above. This includes bergs that are dome-shaped, sloping, blocky, and pinnacle.

Iceberg Shapes

Tabular: A flat-topped iceberg. Most show horizontal banding.
Blocky: A flat-topped iceberg with steep vertical sides.
Drydocked: An iceberg which is eroded and a U-shaped slot is formed. Pinnacled: An iceberg with a central spire, with one or more spires.
Wedged: An iceberg which is flat on top and with steep vertical sides on one end and sloping on the other.

Posted in: Icebergs