Hubbard Glacier

Saturday we spent the day at sea and cruising to Hubbard Glacier.  It was a rainy and cold day.  When we finally arrived at the glacier area and the rain stopped.  We were able to go out on the deck to watch as the ship sailed with in ¼ mile of the glacier.  The ship did a 360 turn so everyone could see the glacier.

Michael and I went to lecture on glaciers.  We learned a glacier is a slowly moving mass or river of ice formed by the accumulation and compaction of snow. 

The brown layers are rocks/soil that get caught up in the moving ice.  Only 1/3 of icebergs are floating on top of the water.  The other part of the berg is under the water. 

This iceberg was bobbing up and down in the water.

The ice absorbs most light and reflects the short-wave-length blue light.

As the ice moves along and is exposed to warmer air or warmer water, the crystal structure breaks down and reflects all the light. That change, makes the ice appear white.

 

We heard the glacier calve.  It was a loud boom, like thunder.  But by the time the sound made it to us the ice had already fallen in to sea.

The deepest blue coloration is often seen in fractured places: crevasses, towers and where chunks of ice have calved. The color may appear richest on cloudy days.

The cruise line sent out a boat to collect large pieces of ice for people touch and then be sculpted into things by the ships food artist.

The ice carving dude also does all the food carving.  I will share his creations later.  He made an eagle out that chunk of ice. 

Here are some more close up shots of the glacier. 

After I wrote this blog entry I realized that I said I was going to share about the ship today.  I got distracted so I will show you the ship tomorrow.