Ice is a beautiful material in general, and it can be formed by humans into awe inspiring shapes, you might remember that jaw-dropping Chinese ice festival we covered a while back. But, as per usual, nature doesn’t need our help to look snazzy.
Today I bring to you some stripy humbug-esque icebergs, and they’re all natural. The stripes are believed to be created when ice crystals form under the water and, in a process called “inverted snow”, they rise and stick to the bottom of the ice shelf. As the ice crystals form a new layer at the bottom of the ice shelf tiny particles of organic matter are trapped. Bits of dead marine creatures like krill form much of this trapped material and have the effect of creating coloured stripes, mostly blues and greens.
Well, that’s the scientists theory any way. Personally I reckon the icebergs, like everyone else these days, are feeling the pressure to look good. The constant stream of eco-tourists taking pictures of them probably makes them a touch paranoid. It’s the iceberg equivalent of buying new clothes. Even icebergs wanna look trendy.
However it happens, the most important thing is that they look incredible. Take a gander over the following slides:
Image VIA
