Many icebergs are dimpled, like a golf ball but not as regular. I wonder why this is. What is the physical nature of an iceberg or what about the melting process results in these dimples?
Do any of you know?
Something else I found interesting was that when I touched the giants in the upper lagoon, the surface was smooth and cold but not the least bit wet. When I took my hand away, there was no hint of moisture on it. I suppose it makes sense given the temperature, but it was an interesting sensation.
Categories: Alaska
I Googled “Why are icebergs dimpled?” and got several interesting articles – including a link to your Blog. Dad
Too funny! I had to try it, too, and this blog post was the first result.
We are number one–hey!
Or something.
And did you ever find out why they are dimpled underwater? Having just been scuba diving on some in Antarctica (and no one being able to tell me) I would be interested in knowing.
Hey, Andrew. Scuba diving in Antarctica?! Brrrr! Why were you diving in Antarctica? What did you see?
You know, I still don’t know what causes glacier dimples. I keep asking people who I think might or should know, but no one has been able to answer the question. I even talked with a glaciologist, and she couldn’t tell me, either. It didn’t seem to be anything she’d ever considered.
I’ll tell you what I think (which is an idea worth every penny you’re paying for it!): I think they’re the result of air bubbles. Maybe as the ice gets compressed, the air is squished into pockets that are for some reason fairly regular.
I’ll try looking into this again in April when I’m back in the land o’ glaciers. It doesn’t seem like a question that should be so difficult to answer.
I would like to know why icebergs are dimpled
I still ask about the dimples, but I have yet to get a confident answer that sounds logical. Air bubbles is still my own best guess–but it’s just a guess.