Which feature forms when glaciers calve and break apart into the ocean?

Which feature forms when glaciers calve and break apart into the ocean?

• A. Icebergs
• B. Glaciers
• C. Snowfields
• D. Pack ice

Answer: (A)

When a glacier reaches the sea, the edge of the ice experiences intense stress and cracks. Pieces break off in a process called calving, and those chunks float away as icebergs. Icebergs are formed from the glacier’s freshwater ice and can be huge, with most of their mass submerged underwater. This distinguishes them from other features like pack ice, which forms from sea ice freezing in place, or snowfields, which are piles of snow on land. Glaciers are the source of calving, but the feature that forms specifically from calving into the ocean is icebergs.

When a glacier reaches the sea, the edge of the ice experiences intense stress and cracks. Pieces break off in a process called calving, and those chunks float away as icebergs. Icebergs are formed from the glacier’s freshwater ice and can be huge, with most of their mass submerged underwater. This distinguishes them from other features like pack ice, which forms from sea ice freezing in place, or snowfields, which are piles of snow on land. Glaciers are the source of calving, but the feature that forms specifically from calving into the ocean is icebergs.