Striped Ice Bergs

Icebergs in the Antarctic area sometimes have stripes, formed by layers of snow that react to different conditions.

Blue stripes are often created when a crevice in the ice sheet fills up with melt water and freezes so quickly that no bubbles form

When an iceberg falls into the sea, a layer of salty seawater can freeze to the underside. If this is rich in algae, it can form a green stripe.

Brown, black and yellow lines are caused by sediment, picked up when the ice sheet grinds downhill towards the sea. These pictures are available because 2008 has been the coldest winter in Antarctica in decades.







Icebergs often turn; these stripes were formed in the horizontal position.


Is this a wave frozen in place?

Related articles

• Rare Iceberg Spotted off Island South of Australia (abcnews.go.com)
• Bowermaster's Adventures -- Live from Antarctica: part 8 (gadling.com)
• Rare Antarctic Sea Life Photographed by Researchers (treehugger.com)