Why are icebergs freshwater not salty?
Show answer & explanation
Answer: Ice forms from compressed snow
Ice forms from compressed snow ✓ — Correct! Icebergs calve (break off) from glaciers, which form on land from accumulated snowfall over thousands of years. Snow is freshwater from evaporated ocean water (evaporation leaves salt behind). Compressed snow becomes ice, flows as glaciers to the coast, breaks into icebergs. That's why they're fresh!
Rain washes salt away — Wrong. Icebergs come from glaciers (compressed snow), which were never salty. Rain doesn't wash them—they're freshwater from the start.
Ocean surface has less salt — Wrong. Surface ocean water has similar salinity. Icebergs are fresh because they form from snow on land, not from frozen ocean water.
Go deeper: Glacier
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