20070215_scotiasea_0061

A large striated blue iceberg with Chinstrap Penguins in the Scotia Sea of Antarctica. A large iceberg that has rolled over many times showing striations etched in the berg caused from trapped air and waves appears blue in color. Blue icebergs aren't really blue. They're perfectly clear, which allows light to pass through. Since ice filters out all colors except blue, the iceberg emits blue light. Typically blue ones are very compressed originating from the bottom of a glacier. They can easily be 80,000 years old. Once they hit water they typically only last a few years. Glaciers in Antarctica calve more than 100,000 icebergs each year. An iceberg is only one-fifth above the water; the other four-fifths is submerged. Icebergs have many different forms, depending on their origin and age.