“An impressive iceberg drifts slowly through the open water.”
More Iceberg Vocabulary and Iceberg Facts:
- Only about 10% of an iceberg is visible above the water – the other 90% is hidden beneath the surface.
- Icebergs form when large chunks of ice break away, or “calve”, from glaciers or ice shelves.
- Despite floating in the ocean, an iceberg is actually made of fresh water, since it forms from compacted snow rather than seawater.
- Small icebergs are sometimes called “growlers”, while huge, flat-topped icebergs are known as “tabular” icebergs and can stretch for miles.
Talking About Size:
- Massive (Adjective): Extremely large in size or extent.
- Colossal (Adjective): Extremely large; huge.
- Enormous (Adjective): Very large in size or amount.
- Vast (Adjective): Immense in size, extent, or degree.
- Towering (Adjective): Very tall or impressively high.
- Gigantic (Adjective): Very large; giant.
Icebergs have given English a well-known idiom: the ‘tip of the iceberg‘. Just like the small visible part of a real iceberg, this expression describes a small, noticeable part of a much bigger problem that’s mostly hidden from view. For example: “These complaints are just the tip of the iceberg – there are much bigger issues going on.”
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Look it upIceberg – National Geographic EducationNational Geographic EducationFrequently Asked Questions
It describes a small, visible part of a much bigger problem that’s mostly hidden from view.
About 90% – only around 10% of an iceberg’s mass is visible above the surface.
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