- Dramatic Iceberg Collapse Off Norway’s Coast
- Rare Phenomenon of Iceberg Flipping
- Scientific Insights and Tourist Experience
Incredible footage captures the instant a massive iceberg collapsed and flipped over mere meters from intrepid tourists.
Off the coast of Svalbard, Norway, the enormous chunk flipped in an extremely uncommon occurrence as onlookers watched in awe.
As icebergs break away from their “parent glacier,” their irregular shapes frequently cause them to turn over, as they are prone to do so.
According to scientists, the sheer force of this phenomenon can discharge as much energy as an atomic bomb and can even cause tsunamis in extreme cases.
Rebecca Lucas Gan and Brian Gan, both from the Philippines, filmed the phenomenon during a Silversea Cruises excursion.
Ms. Gan stated, “I heard a loud impact, and when I looked, I saw the iceberg begin to move and grow larger and taller as it flipped.”
‘At first, I believed I was hallucinating because I had never seen anything similar. Typically, icebergs do not travel.
Then, our guide explained how fortunate we were to witness such a rare event.
The remarkable incident occurred at Lilliehookbreen, a 22-kilometer-wide (13-mile-wide) glacier complex on Svalbard’s west coast.
It is estimated that approximately 60 percent of Svalbard’s land mass is presently covered by glaciers such as this one, equating to a volume of ice measuring 7,000 km3.
While Lilliehookbreen is one of the greatest in Svalbard, Austfonna is the largest ice cap in Europe, with a volume of 1,900 km3.
It is estimated that the Dead Sea, located between Palestine, Israel, and Jordan, contains approximately 114 km3 of water.
The equilibrium between summer temperatures and winter precipitation dictates whether these glaciers will expand or contract over time.
